Bushwhacking in Pigeon Lake WA

[VermontDacker]

Thank you DSettahr, that is helpful.

I use CalTopo as my primary source of map information, supplemented by GaiaGPS. None of the maps I see there (MapBuilder Topo, classic USGS topos, Thunderforest Outdoors, Gaia Topo, etc.) show the route you posted. There don't seem to be many maps that show the current route.

I see that the online DEC map does show the new route.

[DSettahr]

DSettahr, what trailhead would you use to access the Twitchell Lake-Beaver River trail? The Twitchell Lake ends appears to require a boat, and the Beaver River end requires using a boat, floatplane, or other non-car access. Crossing the South Branch of the Beaver with a minimal packraft should not be a problem, though.

Sounds like you're looking at an older map. At some point, the trail was re-routed, and it now swings west around Twitchell Lake to a trailhead on Twitchell Road at the south end of the lake. The first half mile or so is walking on a private road towards Silver Lake, then the trail departs northward towards Oswego Pond. Somewhere north of Twitchell Mountain, it joins the original route.

I hiked this route all the way to Beaver River in 2016 and can confirm that this trail is readily accessible by foot- and accordingly, so is the surrounding backcountry terrain.

Edit: Also, based on the satellite imagery and the topo map, I'd think you could probably find a way to rock hop- or at least easily wade- the south branch of the Beaver River without too much difficulty. Looks like there's some decent stretches where it loses elevation somewhat quickly, which would presumably result in more of a rocky, cascading stream than a slow moving swampy mire.

[Wldrns]

if you really wanted to approach from Beaver River (Stillwater Reservoir), there is a boat taxi making irregular scheduled runs that you can take to the isolated "village" of Beaver River. Thr Norridgewock is an interesting place to visit with a store, restaurant, and bar, and even overnight lodging. In the past the taxi cost $10 per trip, leaving from the boat launch landing parking lot, most likely much more expensive now.

[VermontDacker]

The path Wldrns describes looks like the best way to go if you have a Hornbeck or similar boat.

DSettahr, what trailhead would you use to access the Twitchell Lake-Beaver River trail? The Twitchell Lake ends appears to require a boat, and the Beaver River end requires using a boat, floatplane, or other non-car access. Crossing the South Branch of the Beaver with a minimal packraft should not be a problem, though.

I wonder if there is any practical route to Terror Lake involving only car travel and foot travel, supplemented by a packraft for short paddles?

[Wldrns]

i carried and paddled my Hornbeck into Terror Lake a few years ago. I paddled acrosss Big Moose Lake and buwhwhacked up via the Gulls and Andy's Creek along partial old ghost trails that I found. Don't remember many details other than it was a tough but rewarding trip.

[DSettahr]

If Terror Lake was my goal and boating across Big Moose Lake wasn't an option, I think I'd consider heading there via a bushwhack from the Twitchell Lake-Beaver River Trail to the west, rather than try to bushwhack from the Constable Pond vicinity to the south. You'd still have to contend with crossing the South Branch of the Beaver River, but judging from the aerial imagery it looks like this would be far less of a challenge than crossing the unnamed tributary of Andy's Creek that joins that creek just before it flows into Big Moose Lake.

The 1903 USGS map shows a series of (presumably portage) trails connecting Terror Lake to Big Moose Lake by way of Lower Gull, Upper Gull, and Andy's Creek. There is still a maintained trail connecting Big Moose to Upper Gull but I wouldn't doubt that any remnants of the trails further in are probably long gone now.

[VermontDacker]

Same here, BenjaminBentley. I've read enough trip reports that went up Andy's Creek to Terror Lake to know that it's possible, but few enough to make me believe the area is rarely visited.

The biggest challenge appears to be getting to the Gull Lakes trailhead on the inlet. Most people get there by boat. Lacking a boat that would be comfortable and safe on the open water of Big Moose Lake creates additional challenges.

[BenjaminBentley]

Looking at Terror Lake in the future,

I can’t find much info about it which makes me more intrigued

[VermontDacker]

I'm curious about the practicality of bushwhacking in the large northern reaches of the Pigeon Lake WA. There are few to no trails there, so any significant travel through that region would be mostly bushwhacking with perhaps a bit of paddling.

Has anyone successfully bushwhacked from Russian Lake to Inlet, between Andy's Creek and Big Moose Lake? Just looking at a map, the bushwhack from Constable Pond to Russian Lake over the saddle looks very doable, but the trip from Russian Lake to Inlet appears to be over very low-lying ground that could easily turn out to be swamp.

If some of these areas can be paddled with a packraft, that could work well. My concern is that they may be "too thin to plow, too thick to drink," as some described certain Western rivers. Too much water to walk through, not enough water to paddle through...

I'm intrigued at the idea of exploring the northern half of the WA with a backpack and a small packraft, north of Inlet (the inlet off Big Moose Lake, not the town), but it looks like it's difficult to access this area without a boat that is capable of handling Big Moose Lake (which would be too much for my little packraft, though paddling Inlet or any of the smaller lakes should be fine).

I've read with interest some of the trip reports to Gull Lakes, Andy's Creek, and even Terror Lake, but I haven't read any that didn't start out with a boat trip up Big Moose Lake, something that wouldn't fit into my current trips.

Just curious...