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 Schoolcraft River, Bemidji, MN Posted by:  MAGEpirate
N 47° 25.710 W 094° 53.792
15T E 356974 N 5254526
This is an easy afternoon paddle trip through a wild and scenic stretch of the Schoolcraft River. The river itself is navigable only by canoe or kayak, but you may encounter some boat traffic on Lake Marquette en route to the river from the landing
Waymark Code: WM2PMR
Location: Minnesota, United States
Date Posted: 12/02/2007
Published By: nfa
Views: 72
The coordinates take you to a small township park on Lake Marquette, where you can leave your car and easily launch a canoe or kayak from the beach. Geocache GC16Y81, "Schoolcraft Camped Near Here," is adjacent to the put-in, so check it out too!
Lake Marquette has the form of a figure "8." As you will be entering in on the base of the 8, you will need to head for the narrows between the sections, then into the smaller top circle of the eight. You will outlet of the Schoolcraft as it flows from Lake Plantaganet into Lake Marquette at the southernmost end.
From the put-in point, head for the narrows which are located near the boat landing of the Oak Hill Christian College campus, at this set of coordinates:
N 47° 25.553
W 094° 54.314
From the narrows, head towards the outlet of the river into Lake Marquette, which is on the left side of the "top" of the figure 8 at these coordinates:
N 47° 25.217
W 094° 54.824
Once you find the outlet, you will have a leisurely upstream paddle to Lake Plantagenet, going towards these coordinates:
N 47° 24.676
W 094° 54.589
The river becomes braided in several spots, but you should easily be able to pick out the main channel of flow and stick to it. You will pass numerous sand bars where you can pause and take a dip, and you will see lots of wildlife, including herons, otters, loon, beaver, and more, along this scenic and undeveloped stretch of river. You will come to a road crossing where North Plantangent road passes over the river; you can either paddle through the culvert underneath it, or portage over it.
After passing by a few more bends and steep sand banks, you will find yourself in a reed bed that marks the flowage out of Lake Plantagenet and into the river. At this point, you can paddle around and explore the lake, or turn around for the journey back, or take your craft out at the North Plantaganet boat landing (coordinates listed below in the take-out info). You will surely want to stop at the North Lake Plantaganet GeoCache which will be close by! Check that Geocache listing and instructions at GeoCache ID number GC18V0X.
If you do a roundtrip, you will be going downstream on your return, and can kick back and let the river carry you most of the way back to Lake Marquette!
Please note: the managers of the canoe/kayak Waymark category require a phto of yourself and GPS unit at your launch point. As this trip has several addtional coordinates to paddle towards along the route, please also submit a photo of yourself at one of the other coordinates!
Parking/put-in/launching information:
Park at the township park lot at the beginning coordinates. This is a public park, and there is no fee to use it or park here. There are no restroom facilities. The landing on Lake Plantaganet is similar.
Paddling conditions to be expected:
large stream/small river, and small lake. The river paddling goes through a sheltered area and is very easy, the paddling on the lake can be a little harder if there is a wind
Difficulty of the trip:
easy beginner trip unless its windy!
Length of trip: Easily completed in 2 to 3 hours round trip
Portages:
One very easy portage, if desired to by-pass a culvert where a county road crosses the river.
Permits required:
none other than the standard Minnesota fishing license if you decide to fish along the way, and your watercraft should have the standard registration (license sticker required for all canoes and kayaks longer than 9 feet)
Type of trip:
One way if you like, from Lake Marquette to Lake Plantaganet , or a loop trip from Marquette to Plantaganet, returning to your starting point
Take-out Coordinates: N 47° 24.634 W 094° 54.504
Other information:
The journey on the Schoolcraft is a treasure in and of itself, but if you like Geocaching you may want to check out Geocache GC16Y81, "Schoolcraft Camped Near Here" for a little reward at the start of your trip, and also Geocache # GC18V0X, "North Lake Plantaganet." I placed both of these GeoCaches adjacent to the landings of the put-in and take out locations for this Waymark
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Visit Instructions:Logging waymarks in this category requires a picture of your boat and your GPS at the given parking/launching coordinates,and a brief description of your canoe/kayak trip.
Additional photos and information and/or suggestions for future waymarkers will be appreciated, but is not necessary.
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