The WCPP messageboard is pretty quiet so I thought I'd inquire here. I'm planning my first trip to Woodland Caribou this May. I'll be doing a solo for 9-10 days on the hunt for lakers and solitude. I'll be entering and exiting at Leano buzzing around the middle-east side of the park

I've read that it's not uncommon for WCPP to be free of ice at the same time or before the BWCA, despite being a ways north. Anyone have perspective on that? If true, that'd be great as I'm hoping to enter around the 20th of May.

...sounds like a wonderful trip. I have observed that ice out in the WCCP is about two weeks after ice out in northern Wisconsin/my home waters. While I haven't paddled in mid May I use that hedge for early June trips into the WCCP/figuring out water levels, wet/boggy portages, and fishing conditions/moving water. -9 F early this morning in Red Lake, the area did have a later ice up than normal, and while cold up to this point not the major periods of cold that the region has seen in the past...Your note about early ice out might be part of the early fire seasons that blew up in the 2010's and might take note of the longer daylight hours...Albert at Gold Seekers Outfitters in Red Lake is a great source of knowledge and he has put people into the WCCP in May...Environment Canada/weather and climate part has a list of places and temps/daily from the past 20-40 years...From a 1986 Ministry publication on the background info on this location: talks about the area being in the English River climatic region...which gives it warmer, drier summers...one key part would be the Continental Prairie air mass/prairie starting nearby in Manitoba..this would give more of a warm up than inland/parts of the boreal closer to Lake Superior/BWCA...the prairie air masses help from the unique plant life within the WCCP/one which has more fires/even before the last major events...enjoy the solitude and regrowth of the landscape after the fires...I have traveled yearly in the WCCP since 1989, while the fires have changed the landscape the quick regrowth will be colorful and the fishing grand...

Marten is another great resource on WCPP. He paddled there for many years. So try contacting him on this site.

Suspect you'll be fine in 98% of years. Have been in WCCP in late May when it was warm enough to swim...

Oldzip, I appreciate the wealth of info and I'm feeling a little more confident. Thanks Deerfoot and SNS.