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

BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog

January 08 2025

Entry Point 70 - North Fowl Lake *

North Fowl 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 60 miles. Access from Little John Lake with a 78- and a 160-rod portage to get to North Fowl Lake. Border lake between U.S. & Canada. This area was affected by blowdown in 1999.

Number of Permits per Day: 2
Elevation: 1256 feet
Latitude: 48.0543
Longitude: -90.0540
North Fowl Lake * - 70

Dog Tracks

by spottedowl
Trip Report

Entry Date: August 03, 2007
Entry Point: Little Isabella River
Exit Point: Snake River (84)
Number of Days: 6
Group Size: 5

Trip Introduction:
Little Isabella EP #75 to Quadga to Gull-Did Gull-Clearwater-Turtle loopto Bald Eagle-Came out Snake River EP #84. I have a trip report 1/2 written, but it being 8 months later it seems sort of contrived. This report will be mostly pictures and a few anecdotes. The pics are worth a million of my words anyhow. My only anxiety is we're not real accomplished photographers. Roll 'em.

Report


Monday, September 28, 2015

After a quick oatmeal breakfast, we loaded up and paddled the short distance over to our last portage of the trip.

We had scheduled to be picked up and towed back across Burntside Lake. So while we didn’t necessarily need to be in a hurry, we did have a definitive goal to achieve. Save for a large toad that Aurora & I watched hop across the trail, there were no surprises today. We even had our pickup timed about right, as Troy pulled up about 15 minutes before I brought our last load across. The clouds of early morning had moved on as we enjoyed a sunny ride across the big lake.

After getting everything transferred into our van, I erroneously took A RIGHT TURN ON THE VAN VAC ROAD. Little did we know that this navigational faux pas would lead us to a momentous wildlife sighting? As we slowly rounded a curve in the road, a timber wolf casually trotted across the road right in front of us! It lingered in the brush on the other side of the road for a few moments. But, it slowly vanished into the woods before Vickie could dig her camera out. This was only the second time I’d ever seen a timber wolf in the wild, and the first time for Vickie & Aurora. So, even though this detour caused us delay, we all felt it was well worth it.

Once we got back on track, we eventually did make it back to Ely and grabbed drinks & burgers at the Ely Steakhouse. From there, it was just a matter of putting miles behind us until we got home.

This was certainly a portage rich adventure. A few days after we gotten back home, Vickie sat down with the Voyageur map & a calculator. Of course it would be impossible to get an exact number for the entire trip; but, in just calculating the portage lengths and multiple trips across, Vickie figured she had walked about 24 miles, and, I had trekked about 35.5! While there were certainly moments of fatigued exhaustion, it certainly didn’t seem like we’d covered that much ground. I guess when a person’s doing what they love, it easy to lose oneself in the moment.

Personally, I derive varying degrees of pleasure from virtually all aspects of canoe country travel; fishing, camping, canoeing, hiking etc. But, what keeps me coming back year after year is the unfailing attainment of an evocative spiritual connection due to the reasonably easily attainable solitude that splendidly enhances each and every experience.

All our traveling paid off handsomely in the way of achieving the solitude we were seeking. Besides the aforementioned occupied site on Buck Lake, the only other people (or evidence thereof) we’d seen were 2 separate soloists on Lunetta Lake on Saturday. So, it should go without saying, this adventure provided an idyllic backdrop for attainment of those spiritual treasures. Having a spouse and child along to share these wonderful experiences, instantly catapults a trip like this into the stratosphere of heavenly memories.

Daily travels - 1 portage totaling 340 rods.

Crab Lake, Burntside Lake

 


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