U.S. to Canadian Lac la Croix via snowmobile: Route help needed

[Steve Foss]

Hey all:

I'm looking at getting an RABC/Canadian fishing license and passcard and doing a few day trips with the snowmobile to fish lakers on Lac la Croix, with plans to enter at Crane Lake.

I see on my Voyageur series Map 1 that there's a winter snowmobile trail from East Bay of Crane Lake into Little Vermilion Lake. One of the questions I have is whether one then has to follow Little Vermilion into the Loon River and Loon Lake up into la Croix or if there's a more direct overland route from Little Vermilion that goes through Lilac and Trout lakes and into la Croix.

I've also never done this before, and am wondering if there's a Canadian Customs station nearby where I can get an RABC permit that day or if it's better to just send in an application through the mail. It's my understanding the mail app can take quite awhile.

Also, one of my maps shows U.S. Customs at Crane Lake, so my understanding is I need to report in there with my passcard on the way back out.

Since I'll be fishing Canada, my plan is to bring the power auger and tow a small portable. It's my understanding based on the maps that the Canadian portions of la Croix are NOT in the Quetico, and that snowmobile travel and power augers and such things are not regulated. Correct? And are there any issues if I fish the waters off Neguaguon Lake Indian Reserve?

Lastly, I'm looking for good maps of the Canadian portion of this route.

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[MN Mike]

Sounds like a fun trip! A few years back before my interest turned to Mtn riding I looked into a trip from home here to Kenora then back down towards Intl. Falls, unfortunatly it never happend.

If you google Atikokan Snowmobile Club, there are some trail maps there that will lead from Crane Lake up to that direction, you would always see a lot of Canandians at Crane Lake on snowmobiles.

I believe some friends of mine get their RABC at International Falls in person but I could be mistaken on that, might want to call them to find out for sure.

My Dad and Myself are doing kind of the same thing you are but we are heading out of the NW Angle in a few weeks on snowmobiles looking for Whitefish in Ontario, can't wait!

Mike

[Steve Foss]

Thanks, Mike. I went to the site and found some very nice pdf maps, but none showed a snowmobile route from Little Vermilion into LLC. But I'll keep looking. The prep is a big part of the fun.