Boundary Waters Trip Reports, Blog, BWCA, BWCAW, Quetico Park

BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog

March 19 2024

Entry Point 23 - Mudro Lake

Mudro Lake entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Kawishiwi Ranger Station near the city of Ely, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 19 miles. Three accesses into Mudro Lake involve portages ranging from 20–185 rods.Easiest access is from private la nd with parking fee.

Number of Permits per Day: 5
Elevation: 1166 feet
Latitude: 48.0356
Longitude: -91.8301
On the Water- Monday July 20th-
On the water late considering how far we need to go today. Up the Horse river to the falls by 6pm. Started raining and NO campsites available. Mudrow-Alruss-Tin can Mike-Horse Lake-Horse River-Basswood. 13 miles by water. (not counting portages)

Tuesday July 21st-
Rain all night, all morning and all day. Went north by petroglyphs, table rock and the the Crocked Lake Narrows across Thursday bay to campsite. Basswood-Crooked Lake-Wednesday Bay-Thursday Bay. 11 miles in the rain.

Wednesday July 22nd-
Up early and calm winds to take advantage of, considering the big water we have to cross. Found beaver dam to lift over and did a portage from hell between Pandos lake and Chippewa Lake. VERY steep and slippery after rain. Many mud holes. Then the mile portage after Wagosh Lake to Gun Lake. Never saw another soul in a canoe or campsite the entire day! Thursday bay-Friday Bay-Pandos Lake-Chippewa Lake-Wagosh lake-Gun Lake. 11 miles by water.

Thursday July 23rd-
Finally had a dry night. got everything dry!!! A few portages today to Fourtown Lake campsite. Easy day by comparison. Gun Lake-Fairy Lake-Boot Lake-Fourtown Lake. 6 miles. Put the long miles at the first of the week for a buffer for contingencies!

Friday July 24th-
Last day. Stormed last night bad. A few portages today with one bad one between Fourtown Lake and Mudrow lake. To entry point by 1pm. Ready for a hot shower! 4 miles

Total-
45 miles by water
13 miles by portage (3 trips each)
58 miles total.

bunggee lake bushwack

by bjohns347
Trip Report

Entry Date: September 17, 2017
Entry Point: Mudro Lake (restricted--no camping on Horse Lake)
Number of Days: 5
Group Size: 4

Trip Introduction:
Expedition to Bunggee lake in the sundial pma

Report


 Upon reaching Beartrap lake on the first day, we discovered that the walleye fishing on the lake was on the decline. After the second day we realized that the abundant 18"-20" walleye seemed to have been replaced by a numerous 1-2 pound northern population. Or perhaps they just weren't biting. Either way we decided to embark on an adventure that sounded easy enough. Head to Thunder Lake and simply walk 1/2 mile through the woods and find what would hopefully turn out to be a glory hole of possible perch or sunfish known as Bunggee lake. This was risky as we knew full well it could be a lake absent of fish as there is no information on it. We figured it was worth a try; just a 20-30 minute walk, right?...   The next day we got off to a late start. Using a compass and an unreliable cell location to navigate we embarked from the north end of Thunder. It soon became apparent that this was no easy stroll. Many fallen trees, thick underbrush, swamps, and mosquitos despite being late September slowed our journey. In our confidence we pushed on rarely checking our location. A swamp steered us to the west. After an hour we figured we should be close. Upon a quick check we realized we went way too far west and did not have the time to reach the lake and return by sunset. Retreating in defeat, we backtracked to Thunder.   Tired, hungry, demoralized, and covered in bug bites we vowed to return the next day. We left the adult libations alone that night and got up at a decent time. We reentered the deep dark woods being more careful and using the compass more frequently. The woods were full of signs of flora/fauna of all kinds. Mountains of moose and bear poop everywhere. wolf poop and giant chanterelles. After about an hour and a half of crashing through brush and hopping over fallen trees we were within 100 feet of the lake according to the location of the phone. It wasn't there! possibly a beaver dam had drained and it was no longer a lake? We marched a little farther and as the woods were so thick we nearly fell headlong off a cliff into the lake before we discovered it. What a rewarding sight! A remote lake beneath a gorgeous blue sky. Wasting no time, I casted a worm with at a 10' depth with a bobber. It did not touch the bottom! Perhaps there will be fish. Nothing happened. The lake was deep and large enough to avoid a winterkill, so where are the fish? Upon further investigation, we noticed 4" perch and northern following our lures and bait. The lake was eerily devoid of vegetation. There must have been at least a partial winterkill after all. We did not talk much on the walk back. After this conclusion, we decided not to make the planned journey to Sineeg Lake the following day due to the challenge of the bushwack and Sineeg was more than twice as far. It was an interesting journey, but I would not recommend it unless you want to see one of the most unvisited lakes in the BWCA with no fish.  We reasoned that if you come to the boundary waters only for fishing you can be disappointed. There is better fishing if you drive for 14 hours and fish from a boat in one of those lakes in Canada. The boundary waters, however, is about more than just fishing.   

 


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