Portage between Alton Lake and Sawbill Lake and surrounding area
Length in Rods: 30 rods
Date portage was last visited: May 16, 2021; Previous Visit(s): October 8, 2019
Portage Rating: Easy
The Portage between Alton Lake and Sawbill Lake
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Portaging Direction: From Alton Lake to Sawbill Lake
Large slab rocks to stand on grading down to a shallow pebble covered lake bottom. These rock slabs are sometimes a bit slippery with algae. Water of Alton Lake is very clear, so it is easy to see your footing if standing in the water (October 8, 2019).
This is a wide and well worn portage. There used to be a railway here that was used to build the lookout tower near Kelso Lake and later by boaters to transport their gear. Portage is flat (October 8, 2019).
Had good timing on this portage. Portage landing is sandy with small gravel. Boulders line the edge of it. Water is shallow and fairly clear, so footing is not a problem. Couple large rocks in the water, but easy to place canoe in the water between them (May 16, 2021).
Same image as above, on a clear day (October 8, 2019).
Now that you've made it over the portage, visit:SAWBILL LAKE
Portaging Direction: From Sawbill Lake to Alton Lake
The lake bottom here is made of sand and tiny gravel. Only minor difficulty is lifting your canoe over the boulders to the sandy area beyond (October 8, 2019). There used to be a narrow gauge railway that extended across the portage. It was installed sometime in the 1930's and removed in the 1960's after the passage of The Wilderness Act in 1964 (Source: Sawbill: History and Tales by Mary Alice Hansen, pages 210-211).
A very flat portage along a wide and heavily traveled path. This portage can be busy during the summer. Sawbill Lake is one of the more popular entry points in the BWCA. A railway used by the logging industry used to run the length of this portage (October 8, 2019).
Rain coming to an end with the sun starting to peek out. There are smooth flat rocks that descend into the shallow water found at this portage. An easy place to land, load and launch a canoe (May 16, 2021).
Nearly the same view as above, but on a clear day fall day (October 8, 2019).
Now that you've made it over the portage, visit:ALTON LAKE
