BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
September 18 2026
Entry Point 30 - Lake One
Lake One 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 21 miles. Access is a canoe landing at Lake One.
Number of Permits per Day: 13
Elevation: 1230 feet
Latitude: 47.9391
Longitude: -91.4792
My son Remy and I, and my friend Keith and his son Charlie put our canoes into Lake one at 9:30 Monday morning after dropping off a car at the Snowbank Lake landing. Lake One can be tricky to navigate. On our way to Lake Two we turned East too early and ended up paddling about a mile out of our way into a dead-end bay before we realized our mistake. We blamed the fact that Lake One was split between Fisher Maps #10 and #4 for our error. If the entire lake had been visible at once on a single map, we would not have made the wrong turn. Once we got back on course we portaged the 30 rods into a pond and then portaged the 40 rods into Lake Two. The weather was nice, and there was a bit of a tail wind out of the West. We stopped for lunch on the shore of Lake Two. After lunch we canoed through the North end of Lake Three and into Lake Four. We stopped for the night at a campsite on the West shore of Lake Four, just North of the channel heading toward Hudson Lake. We had to battle swarms of mosquitoes as we set up the tents. We then had a nice refreshing swim. Because we had brought steaks along for the first night, we didn't go fishing.
On Tuesday morning we had a bacon and eggs breakfast then packed up camp and headed out in our canoes. As we canoed past our campsite, we realized that Remy & I had left our hammocks pitched between trees. We landed again and quickly packed them up. Once again we had beautiful weather. We paddled East and completed 3 short portages before entering Hudson Lake. The 105 rod portage into Lake Insula was exhausting! Lake Insula is a large gorgeous lake broken up by multiple islands and penninsulas. We had lunch at a campsite on a large island just East of Hudson Lake. It felt like we had a tail wind as we were heading East, and then as we turned North it seemed like the wind shifted and was at our backs once again. We navigated Lake Insula flawlessly and camped for the night on the island just West of Williamson Island. After setting up the tents and a refreshing swim, Remy & I got back into the canoe and tried to catch some fish. We had no luck! At 9PM that night, just as we were going to bed, a thunderstorm rolled through. That night I was awakened several times by the loud croaking of bullfrogs from the shallows around our island. What noisy neighbors!
By Wednesday morning the weather had cleared, but the wind was now coming from the Northwest, pretty much in our faces. We paddled to the North end of Lake Insula and tackled the largest portage of our trip. The 180 rod walk to Kiana Lake actually seemed easier than the 105 rod carry into Lake Insula. We headed onward into Thomas Lake where we really started feeling the headwind. We finally made it to the campsite just Northeast of the portage into Thomas Pond in time for lunch. After lunch we proceeded across Thomas Pond and into Thomas Creek after hiking across the famous Kekekabic Trail. We managed to easily run the rapids in Thomas Creek and avoid the 2 short portages. We camped for the night on Hatchet Lake at the northern campsite. It was cool and windy, so we didn't swim. There was lots of threatening weather going by to the North of us, but we stayed dry. After supper we canoed back to Thomas Creek to fish and look for moose. No luck on either count, but we did see a beaver swimmming.
The weather was nice again Thursday morning, but the wind was out of the West which was the direction we were heading. We portaged into Ima Lake and canoed across it. Before portaging into Jordan Lake, we watched a bald eagle sitting in a tree get harrassed repeatedly by a seagull. The narrow channel leading into Jordan Lake is quite beautiful. It is narrow like a river with big rock outcroppings. We paddled across Jordan, Cattyman, Adventure, and Jitterbug Lakes. We found the Eastern campsite on Ahsub Lake taken, so we camped at the Western campsite which had a great place for swimming in front of it. There was a very brave loon in front of the campsite who didn't seem to mind if we got close to it. We tried our luck at fishing, but only caught 1 smallmouth which was too small to eat. Between 5:00 and 7:30 that evening we saw a number of canoes heading across Ahsub Lake from Disappointment Lake to Jitterbug Lake. We weren't sure where they were planning to camp, but it was getting late.
On Friday we awoke again to good weather. We paddled the length of Disappointment Lake and portaged into to Parent Lake and then on to Snowbank Lake. It was July 4th, and as we entered Snowbank Lake the sounfd of firecrackers reminded us we weren't in the wilderness anaymore. After a brief splash war on our way across Snowbank, we made it to the landing and our car was still there. What a great trip!
Number of Permits per Day: 13
Elevation: 1230 feet
Latitude: 47.9391
Longitude: -91.4792
My son Remy and I, and my friend Keith and his son Charlie put our canoes into Lake one at 9:30 Monday morning after dropping off a car at the Snowbank Lake landing. Lake One can be tricky to navigate. On our way to Lake Two we turned East too early and ended up paddling about a mile out of our way into a dead-end bay before we realized our mistake. We blamed the fact that Lake One was split between Fisher Maps #10 and #4 for our error. If the entire lake had been visible at once on a single map, we would not have made the wrong turn. Once we got back on course we portaged the 30 rods into a pond and then portaged the 40 rods into Lake Two. The weather was nice, and there was a bit of a tail wind out of the West. We stopped for lunch on the shore of Lake Two. After lunch we canoed through the North end of Lake Three and into Lake Four. We stopped for the night at a campsite on the West shore of Lake Four, just North of the channel heading toward Hudson Lake. We had to battle swarms of mosquitoes as we set up the tents. We then had a nice refreshing swim. Because we had brought steaks along for the first night, we didn't go fishing.
On Tuesday morning we had a bacon and eggs breakfast then packed up camp and headed out in our canoes. As we canoed past our campsite, we realized that Remy & I had left our hammocks pitched between trees. We landed again and quickly packed them up. Once again we had beautiful weather. We paddled East and completed 3 short portages before entering Hudson Lake. The 105 rod portage into Lake Insula was exhausting! Lake Insula is a large gorgeous lake broken up by multiple islands and penninsulas. We had lunch at a campsite on a large island just East of Hudson Lake. It felt like we had a tail wind as we were heading East, and then as we turned North it seemed like the wind shifted and was at our backs once again. We navigated Lake Insula flawlessly and camped for the night on the island just West of Williamson Island. After setting up the tents and a refreshing swim, Remy & I got back into the canoe and tried to catch some fish. We had no luck! At 9PM that night, just as we were going to bed, a thunderstorm rolled through. That night I was awakened several times by the loud croaking of bullfrogs from the shallows around our island. What noisy neighbors!
By Wednesday morning the weather had cleared, but the wind was now coming from the Northwest, pretty much in our faces. We paddled to the North end of Lake Insula and tackled the largest portage of our trip. The 180 rod walk to Kiana Lake actually seemed easier than the 105 rod carry into Lake Insula. We headed onward into Thomas Lake where we really started feeling the headwind. We finally made it to the campsite just Northeast of the portage into Thomas Pond in time for lunch. After lunch we proceeded across Thomas Pond and into Thomas Creek after hiking across the famous Kekekabic Trail. We managed to easily run the rapids in Thomas Creek and avoid the 2 short portages. We camped for the night on Hatchet Lake at the northern campsite. It was cool and windy, so we didn't swim. There was lots of threatening weather going by to the North of us, but we stayed dry. After supper we canoed back to Thomas Creek to fish and look for moose. No luck on either count, but we did see a beaver swimmming.
The weather was nice again Thursday morning, but the wind was out of the West which was the direction we were heading. We portaged into Ima Lake and canoed across it. Before portaging into Jordan Lake, we watched a bald eagle sitting in a tree get harrassed repeatedly by a seagull. The narrow channel leading into Jordan Lake is quite beautiful. It is narrow like a river with big rock outcroppings. We paddled across Jordan, Cattyman, Adventure, and Jitterbug Lakes. We found the Eastern campsite on Ahsub Lake taken, so we camped at the Western campsite which had a great place for swimming in front of it. There was a very brave loon in front of the campsite who didn't seem to mind if we got close to it. We tried our luck at fishing, but only caught 1 smallmouth which was too small to eat. Between 5:00 and 7:30 that evening we saw a number of canoes heading across Ahsub Lake from Disappointment Lake to Jitterbug Lake. We weren't sure where they were planning to camp, but it was getting late.
On Friday we awoke again to good weather. We paddled the length of Disappointment Lake and portaged into to Parent Lake and then on to Snowbank Lake. It was July 4th, and as we entered Snowbank Lake the sounfd of firecrackers reminded us we weren't in the wilderness anaymore. After a brief splash war on our way across Snowbank, we made it to the landing and our car was still there. What a great trip!
Couple's Trip 2026
by MonsterBuck
Trip Report
Entry Date:
August 13, 2026
Entry Point:
Crab Lake and Cummings from Burntside Lake
Number of Days:
10
Group Size:
2
Trip Introduction:
We have been using Duane’s Outfitters since 1993. They are no longer actively in the business, but they sold us a used Kevlar canoe. Trip just felt different with them not being our outfitter. Since it was just my wife and I, we didn’t use an outfitter. We picked up our permit in Duluth, MN the morning before heading in.
I have put together two videos. One with the video from the GoPro and other one with the pictures we took.
https://youtu.be/z2d9rlURijs
https://youtu.be/79Y0HSGBclM
Enjoy!
I have put together two videos. One with the video from the GoPro and other one with the pictures we took.
https://youtu.be/z2d9rlURijs
https://youtu.be/79Y0HSGBclM
Enjoy!
Day 1 of 10
Thursday, August 13, 2026
We launch on Burntside Lake at 9:00 am. An hour later we arrive at the portage. It takes us close to two and a half hours to double portage. I carry a light pack with the canoe. Brenda carries the food pack and fishing poles and then we each carry another pack on the two trips as we leap-frog the portage. The water levels in the middle of the portage have changed because of beaver activity. We reload the canoe and float across it. We get to campsite 310 at around 12:45. We have lunch and talk it over. Do we want to push on for Silica Lake today or wait? I know that if we wait, I won’t want to move tomorrow, so do we spend 2 nights here? Since we where not in a hurry, we decided to wait. Brenda catches her biggest smallmouth bass of the trip that night. 
Day 2 of 10
Friday, August 14, 2026 Lazy day. We sleep a bunch and just enjoy the day. At this campsite there was cell phone service and the weather for day 3 looked like rain all day. In the evening, our phones had two bars in certain elevated spots at the campsite. If you are looking for solitude, this campsite does not provide it. Everyone seems to pass really close by. We even had a fisherman catch a fish right by the canoe landing zone. 
Day 3 of 10
Saturday, August 15, 2026 Rain day. We set up our CCS lean-to shelter in the rain. We should have done that yesterday. We play a few different games and just relax. We bought a new GoPro camera right before the trip, and today I started to experiment with it.
Day 4 of 10
Sunday, August 16, 2026
The adventure to get to Silica Lake begins. It was supposed to be a rainy morning, so we were not in a hurry to break camp. We leave around noon and it really starts to rain while we are on the portage to Little Crab Lake. We wait for the rain to pass and then continue. We easily travel to the creek that breaks off the Korb River to go to Silica Lake. It’s very clear to us that we may not make it to our destination fully loaded with gear. There are dead lily pads and exposed creek bottom. The water is low and there are at least five challenging places to get through. The worst was a tree we had to get over. It was slightly submerged but we couldn’t float over it. Brenda got out and balanced on the tree, I then gunnel walked to the front of the canoe and got out and balanced on the other side of canoe on the tree. We then had to pull the canoe over and then get back into the canoe. Thankfully we didn’t fall into the muck and made it through. We came up to a beaver dam and I told Brenda, “If we can’t portage from here, I don’t think we can make it.” Luckily, we could portage. Thankfully, no one was camping at Silica Lake and we liked the campsite enough to not explore the Coxey Pond campsite. In the evening, we decided to go fishing because the lake was calm. We caught some really nice sized bluegill.
Day 5 of 10
Monday, August 17, 2026 We enjoy fishing Silica Lake. We catch some nice eating fish and keep one for lunch. I think I finally had a good-sized bass on, but it was a northern pike. The only one we catch on the trip. It seems like the wind changes directions multiple times throughout the day. The solar panel that we brought in to charge batteries doesn’t work. We realize that we really need to conserve battery power. We have no cell phone coverage here. But I learned that my iPhone 15 has a satellite option and I use to text family. Later, looking at my cell phone bill, I don’t see an extra charge for the six text messages. We bought some Ned jigs and they were catching more fish than our standard wacky worms. The one issue with the Ned jigs is if the wind is blowing, they are not heavy enough to stay on the bottom. I will need to look at some Ned jigs heavier than an eighth ounce. We shortened some of the worms so we could catch the bluegills that hit them. A shorter Ned didn’t seem to impact us catching other fish species. 
Day 6 of 10
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
We travel to Coxey Pond and there is a significant dead fall right on the path. There is no good path around it, so we just crash through. We explore the campsite and we are glad we chose the Silica Lake campsite. The wind was fairly consistent so we fish the east shoreline of the big bay and we catch some smaller smallmouth bass. On the way back we take the time to clear the dead fall. This portage area is loaded with blueberry plants, but we are too late in the season. 
Day 7 of 10
Wednesday, August 19, 2026 We decide to stay and fish Silica Lake. With the wind neither one of us wanted to go try Coxey Pond again. More rain came today. We got chased off the water and it really rained. Small pieces of hail came with it. We sat under the lean-to shelter. The wind picked up and I quickly realize that the lean-to shelter wasn’t set up well. Every stake released and it was a disaster. Nothing ripped or broke, but things got wet. It’s amazingly hard to get decent video with a GoPro on your head. I find that the camera kept tilting… Every day we saw helicopters or planes that we assume are for the fires and firefighters. It temporarily broke the peace and quiet, but we are glad that the fires were under control and they opened up Boundary Waters again. 
Day 8 of 10
Thursday, August 20, 2026 Another rain day in store. After lunch the sky look like it could rain any moment. We decide to try and catch some bluegill for lunch. We catch a couple, clean them, then get back to shore and it starts raining. After lunch it stops raining, so we go out fishing again. I tie a rope to my GoPro and place it in the water. I get some bass swimming on camera. That is cool. I want to try and catch a bass on camera. I place the camera in the water again, catch four fish and had two solid strikes in 40 minutes. I review the results and am disappointed. Nothing worth showing, in fact only one brief shot of a fish. I still want to try again. 
Day 9 of 10
Friday, August 21, 2026 We decide to head to Crab Lake today, to make it easier on the last day. Campsite 314 is open and it is perfect. A very nice campsite close to the portage. We try fishing the bay and catch a few smaller fish. Unfortunately, there was cell phone service again and we connect back to the world. 
Day 10 of 10
Saturday, August 22, 2026 We awake to wind, and there are almost white caps on Crab Lake. The wind is blowing south east and we hope it isn’t bad on Burntside Lake. We portage a little faster, but we still take two hours and fifteen minutes. I slow us down taking a few videos. We tie our packs to the canoe and start off. I should have paid attention to the wind and gone left (north) to cut down through those bigger islands. But I go straight east and cross the big open area in some crazy white caps. I keep thinking we are going to get pushed to shore and we will have to wait it out. It was chaotic and I wouldn’t recommend it. Our new canoe performs well and we make it. We are exhausted because I don’t want to switch sides paddling. It was a great trip and we look forward to doing it again!
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