Spring hiker reports and a BWAC survey / saw crew note widely varying conditions on the trail. Lowlands are very wet, uplands are covered with dry and crunchy pine needles.

Spring hikers indicate a flooded trail crossing adjacent to Pose Creek. The Diana Creek bridge has been repaired for safe crossing. The new beaver dam at that location is built across the trail resulting in localized flooding.

The beaver dam at Myth / Exploit creek crossing has high water below and crossing the top of the dam is now recommended.

Spring trail clearing crews have completed corridor and brushwork west of the Wye and on trail’s west side from Lake Three to Path Lake. Expect sporadic treefalls around the loop and brushy conditions from Path to Superstition Lake.

BWAC recommends that all hikers download a current GPS track of the Powwow Trail and associated maps for offline use (Gaia GPS App) before attempting a thru-hike. McKenzie maps and the 2016 USFS map of the trail are inaccurate in many critical areas.

Always check the Trail guide for distances to the next water source. Don’t underestimate your time as hiking speeds can average less than 2 mph on the western and northern sections of the trail. Have 2 liters of carrying capacity. Best advice is to always drink up and gather new water at every accessible source.

1. Drainages before Isabella crossing

2. Secondary Isabella River crossing

3. Beaver ponds south of “The Wye”

4. Pelt Creek beaver pond

5. Fallen Arch Lake

6. Flapper Creek

7. Marathon Lake

8. Diana creek bridge / beaver dam

9. Campfire Lake

10. Quadga Lake via spur trail

11. Myth / Exploit Lake Creek / beaver dam crossing

12. Superstition Lake

13. Superstition Creek

14. LOW - Rock Ledge

15. Mirror Lake

16. Beaver pond

17. Path Lake

18. Rock of Ages Lake

19. Stream

20. Lake Three

21. Stream in Lake Three greenzone

22. Lake Three / Horseshoe Lake portage

23. Horseshoe Lake shoreline

24. Beaver pond

25. North Wilder Lake

26. North Wilder Portage

27. Wilder Creek crossing

28. DRY - Drainage

29. South Wilder Lake

30. DRY - Football Field

31. DRY - Drainage

32. Pose Creek

33. Pose Lake via spur trail

34. Drainage

35. Beaver pond

36. GOOD - The “Culvert”

As we receive reports of difficult sections of the trail we will report them here. If you hike the trail and encounter other locations, please contact us to let us know so we can add it to the list. The date of the report is listed here as well and we will try to clear these lists as crews work on those sections.

1. Diana Creek bridge repaired. Beaver dam has flooded the trail into the Greenzone

2. Beaver dam east of Exploit Lake (47.82006, -91.45489): Trail is flooded below the dam (some hikers have crossed on the dam instead; watch for flagging both ways)

3. Superstition Greenzone to lakeshore: Very brushy conditions (watch for tree cuts, cairns, or multi-stemmed regrowth)

4. Superstition Creek beaver dam crossing: Use lake dam

5. North end lake to 0.2 before Path Lake: sporadic brushy conditions, look for treecuts, cairns, and multi-stemmed brush.

6. Pose Creek beaver dam: trail crossing in valley is flooded waist-deep. Bushwack route in further up the valley

Dispersed camping is permitted anywhere on the trail if you follow the BWCAW Regulations for Hikers: camp 200 feet from the trail and water sources, no campfires during ice free season, no cutting or defacing vegetation

• [open] Isabella River canoe campsite

• [dispersed] Marathon Lake - no fires allowed in ring

• [dispersed] Diana Lake Greenzone

• [open] Campfire Lake campsite

• [open] Quadga Lake canoe campsite via spur trail

• [closed] Superstition Lake firegrate, latrine installed

• [closed] Mirror Lake firegrate - no latrine

• [open] Path Lake campsite

• [open] Rock of Ages campsite

• [open] Lake Three canoe campsite

• [open] Horseshoe Lake canoe campsite

• [open] North Wilder campsite

• [open] South Wilder campsite

• [dispersed] “Football field” 1/2 mile east of S. Wilder

• [dispersed] Pose Creek area

• [open] Pose Lake Campsite