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March 19 2024

Entry Point 45 - Morgan Lake

Morgan Lake entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Gunflint Ranger Station near the city of Grand Marais, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 26 miles. Access is a 320-rod portage to Morgan Lake. No campsites on Morgan Lake—short portages to further lakes for campsites. This area was affected by blowdown in 1999.

Number of Permits per Day: 1
Elevation: 1845 feet
Latitude: 48.0008
Longitude: -90.4098
Morgan Lake - 45

August 2017

by stephenladd
Trip Report

Entry Date: August 24, 2017
Entry Point: Morgan Lake
Number of Days: 4
Group Size: 4

Trip Introduction:

Day 1 of 4


Thursday, August 24, 2017 We made it to our entry point (after a few delays due to car problems) around 2pm. The mile long portage to Morgan Lake was a little tougher than expected, but we were able to haul all of our gear and canoes in one trip. We paddled across Morgan and missed the first portage landing, and started heading down a creek instead. We realized our mistake a little too late and had some trouble getting back to the lake to find the portage, but we made it unscathed. The portage to Jake was a piece of cake after the 1 miler to start, as well as the paddle across heading to Vista. Once we made it to Vista, we set up camp on the southwest side campsite, which we thought was pretty nice. It had a great view of the lake due to the tall climb up to the campsite. Later that evening we went out fishing and found a few nice spots where the walleyes and smallmouth were hitting.

 



Day 2 of 4


Friday, August 25, 2017 We woke up to some chilly temperatures, which created some beautiful fog coming off the water. We saw a group leave the campsite on the south side of lake, so we decided to move camp over to that site, as that was our desired campsite to begin with. We were glad we made the move, as that site was very nice. We had a beautiful sunny day, which we spent most of it fishing. We caught enough fish to have a nice fish fry for dinner. We saw quite a few people coming through on Vista this day.

 



Day 3 of 4


Saturday, August 26, 2017 We woke up to overcast skies and wind. We made a day trip up to Caribou Lake which took about a couple hours. On our way we stopped to fish on Horseshoe Lake, which was not very successful. Not a single fish decided to join our boat. By the time we had made it to Caribou, the winds had pick up, so we found a clearing to land at and have bite to eat. After lunch, we headed back to Vista and upon our arrival the rains started and didn't let up until we left the next day.

 



Day 4 of 4


Sunday, August 27, 2017 We woke up to wet soggy conditions. We gathered up camp and started our trip back to the entry point. The trip back took about 2 hours from campsite to parking lot. Some trip notes/highlights: -The mile long portage to Morgan is tough but doable. -The fishing on Vista was decent if you could find the right spot -The campsites we used on Vista were both very nice -Vista, Horseshoe, and Caribou seem to get a lot of traffic -The forest roads leading to entry point 45 were quite rough and flooded in some spots. A 4x4 vehicle with good clearance is highly recommended.

 


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