Yea, I noticed that when I was working on my map since I wanted to scale each river/creek based on it's width.

I think for the most part it would actually be smooth sailing. By the road at the park border it looks like there is a rapid/swift, but that's it.

It'd be very interesting to hear if that'd make for a viable loop.

I think that portage is really designed to get you to the access point at the road. So, I don't think that the park was too concerned re: whether you could paddle to Aylen Lake from there.

Great question! See my website for that starting point - https://startpt.info/al/18a

Haha, I think it'd be viable much of the stretch from the 980 actually, though there are some rapids along the way.

I think it might even be viable much of the way from Kinglet, though looking at the map it starts off pretty narrow so you'd need to bushwhack out to the wetland. Perhaps ~500m to the point where there is a narrowing in the wetland? As well, the section between the two wetlands (by the hydro line) loses a bunch of elevation, so you'd surely need to bushwhack that stretch too.

It seems like another trip is coming together Martin... =)

We tried, but failed, to find the 18a put-in this past August.  The weeds and tall grasses in the clearing were dense and waist high.  There were some ATV tracks that I walked trying to find the put-in, but I definitely wasn't going to drive our Toyota van into that area.  And, I never did see a clearing at the lake.  There is a moderate embankment with trees and bushes along the shoreline.  I couldn't see an easy way down to the lake.  Maybe it will be easier in the spring.

Also, we tried paddling the Aylen River from the 980 M portage south to the first swift.  We never made it.  It was too shallow.  But this was August.

Stainless wrote:

We tried, but failed, to find the 18a put-in this past August.  The weeds and tall grasses in the clearing were dense and waist high.  There were some ATV tracks that I walked trying to find the put-in, but I definitely wasn't going to drive our Toyota van into that area.  And, I never did see a clearing at the lake.  There is a moderate embankment with trees and bushes along the shoreline.  I couldn't see an easy way down to the lake.  Maybe it will be easier in the spring.

I'll try to mark the launch point when we are back there in the spring.   My wife and I own the cabin right beside 18A.

The area used to be a farm and was last operated as a farm from 1959 to 1962.   We have a book, "From the Kitchen Window", written by one of family members who lived there.   It was interesting to see that the farm at that time was the access point to Wilkins Lake.   People travelling to Wilkins Lake would travel by boat from the landing at the south end of the lake and then travel overland from the farm to Wilkins Lake.
 

Thanks for mentioning the book by the way! I just ordered a copy.

It looks like the author only has a few copies left according to his Facebook page. You can get it from https://from-the-kitchen-window.company.site/From-The-Kitchen-Window-p437537230 in case anyone else is interested.