BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
October 15 2025
Entry Point 39 - Baker Lake
Number of Permits per Day: 2
Elevation: 1497 feet
Latitude: 47.8452
Longitude: -90.8169
Summary: A 5-day loop from Baker up the Temperance lakes to Cherokee, and back through Sawbill and Smoke lakes back to Baker. A fairly difficult trip.
Day 0: We drove up from Stillwater in the morning and camped at one of the 5 walk-in campsites at Baker Lake, and it was nice.
Day 1 (Baker to S. Temperance) - A beautiful day, we decided to paddle all the way to South Temperance the first day which was a great paddle with easy portages except for the last one. We picked the campsite on top of a huge rock that was close to the middle of the lake. Tried fishing some but no luck
Day 2 (Rest) - In the night, we encountered the worst storm of the entire season. While we were there 19 people had to be rescued from the BWCA. We had about 50mph straightline winds, and I'm still surprised that the huge tent we had stood up to it. We slept in and took a rest day because of the intense winds. Amazingly beautiful sunset.
Day 3 (S. Temperance to Cherokee) - We left as early as we could to beat the heat, but it was no good. The lengthy, hilly portages were challenging and by the last portage we were pretty beat. We overpacked and single portaged which led us to speedier exhaustion. Still amazing weather. North Temperance was a beaut- I wish we had stayed there instead of South. We took the southeasterly facing campsite on Cherokee on the southeastern skinny island. Neat little site.
Day 4 (Cherokee to Sawbill) - Left a little later in the day but it was ok. We took our time going down the river letting out of the southwest part of Cherokee and it was a great area. BEWARE: The area between Ada and Skoop Lakes appears to be floatable, but a dam built recently has made the portion impossible to float. Be prepared for a long portage through muck and water. A guy that we saw there said he had been going to the BWCA for 40 years at least once per year and it was the worst portage he had ever seen. By the time we got to Sawbill it was pretty hot. We paddled all the way down to the site next to the portage onto Smoke.
Day 5 (Sawbill to Baker) - Cooler, cloudier weather for the first time on the trip. We were pretty hungry (I underpacked food a little and I felt really bad) and we were taunting each other with vivid descriptions of the burgers we were going to eat ASAP after getting out. We paddled back to Baker and returned our gear to Sawtooth outfitters.
Overall great route.
Me, Three Blonds and a Mom
Entry Date:
August 12, 2010
Entry Point:
Bower Trout Lake
Number of Days:
6
Group Size:
5
The night before we left, Mom and the B's were packing the bags. But the big pack didn't feel real comfortable to B1, so Mom said, "I'll fix that!" and shoved me in between the pack and the buckets. "There, FS has got your back!" B1 smiled and said, "Oh much better". I had mixed emotions about this. It meant I wouldn't see much, but on the other hand I wouldn't get sweat on or worse yet gassed on either. So it was cool...I guess. Feeling like a hitchhiker I didn't want to complain.
It was departure day..oof..the pack I was in dropped into the trunk. I would stay there until they started paddling the next day. On the long ride up to Grand Marais, I met my new PFD friends. Their names were Blazin' Pockets, Little Red, Big Red and Violet. I couldn't see them, just hear them, so I told them my story and they told me theirs. They also gave me a little heads up about this group we were tripping with.
After what seemed like days I heard the pop of the trunk latch. The B's started taking everything out and setting it on the ground, while Mom organized the packs.
B1 got to carry the pack I was in that was named 'The Beast'. Mom grabbed a canoe, B2 carried the food pack, B3 took 'Red', the other pack, and off we went. My buddies and I were left by the lake while Mom and the B's went to get the rest of the gear and the last canoe. After waiting a while I heard them coming. It sounded like Mom had another canoe, B1 had the 'Blue Bertha' pack and B2 and B3 had water bottles and paddles. This was the routine through six portages until finally the last pack was dropped at the campsite. I was grateful to be laid in the cool bottom of the canoe in between portages. I think it help keep the swelling down from the bruises I was acquiring from being dropped on rocks.
The days all seemed to run together once we were in camp. I spent most of my time hangin' around watching the Mom and the B's do the routine things people do when they are in the BW. 
Every so often the ladies would grab me, dress me up and I actually would have a body. The funny thing was I felt soooo much like a human, I could swear I was one of them. This must have been what my PFD friends were warning me about in the trunk. I remember them saying "You just never know what this group will come up with next". By the way, I finally got to see them but can't seem to keep Little Red and Big Red straight, Blazin' Pockets and Violet have much more distinct features. I kept hearing Mom say, "When you are wind bound you need to make your own fun."
My first human experience was on the "man can". They put me on this big plastic box and peeee-ewww, that smell...it seemed somewhat familiar, kinda like the odor I smelled on a few previous BW trips. 
We played hide and seek. See me hiding behind the big tree root?
At times I just got to relax,
but sometimes they made me work and carry packs until I collapsed.
I loved fishing with my little buddy B2. She has more patience than me, and man can she cast a lure!
One day I heard all this giggling from the tent, but then it got quiet. I was curious so I got under the rain fly and peeked in. I think the B's wore themselves out laughing and needed a nap.
B3 is like a monkey and insisted I climb a tree with her. She helped me up, but once I was up, I held on for dear life. If I would have fallen and put a dent in Mom's pot they were using for my face, oh boy, I don't know how she would have liked that!
I got my own pink water bottle because "real life jackets" are okay with pink.
I'm not sure what was in that pink water bottle but I seemed a bit tipsy here in this fire picture. Actually, it was probably the wind blowing me over!
The B's talked to me like I really mattered to them and the one question they had asked was, "How did you get started on this journey, 'floating' around through out the wilderness with so many different people?" So I told them to pull up a log and I'd tell them. I started in ......."once upon a time, bright and early 4 guys walk into the store,"...and so the story was told. The B's are good listeners!
One day it started to rain and before I knew it I was being pulled apart. I didn't know why until I heard Mom say, "He's wearing my rain gear." So I went back to just plain old me the PFD. That was okay though, because my friends were starting to make fun of me and kept saying "We warned you!" 
This is the gang of PFD's I met in the trunk. What a great bunch to 'float' around with!
One time, I had been down by the lake watching the B's skipping rocks (and trying to do the impossible, throw a rock with their left hand...now that was funny!), B1 said, "Hey 'float' lets go swimming." The water felt good, but when we got out of the water we were chilly from the wind. Yes, the wind was still blowing.
The day came when Mom sat me down and said, "Float, I'm so happy that you were with on this trip to entertain the girls." She did admit she had fun and liked me too, but the trip was coming to an end and we were to leave in the morning.
So that night I got stuffed back in 'The Beast'. The next morning we were on the water early and by 7 a.m. I could hear Mom and the B's complaining about "this darn wind". I couldn't see out of the pack but when the wind was at our back it felt like we were flying. At one point I could hear everyone yelling, "Paddle! Turn!" "A rock! No, the other one!" "Dig in!" "Push off!" "Another rock!". This went on for a while and then the cheering started. We made it through, whoo-hoo! All I know is I was glad to be safe in a pack.
Back at the car Mom pulled me out and let me ride loose in the trunk with my friends.
After sometime I heard the pop of the trunk. Ahhhh...we are home...I thought. No! Where are we? I guess were looking at Lake Superior. You should have seen the guy at the rest area give Mom the look when she was walking toward that massive lake with me, a life jacket. It was that "What the h*@# are you going to do lady, swim??" look. I knew Mom just wanted one more picture of her 'handsome redhead' before someone stole me away from Mom and The Three Blonds.
