BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
July 04 2025
Entry Point 55 - Saganaga Lake
Number of Permits per Day: 15
Elevation: 1184 feet
Latitude: 48.1716
Longitude: -90.8868
Saganaga Lake - 55
Father and Son Adventure to Long Island
Entry Date:
June 08, 2023
Entry Point:
Cross Bay Lake
Number of Days:
5
Group Size:
2
They asked to check our permit and wanted to know how we were storing food, checked around the site a little and went on their way. I use a 5 gallon bucket with gamma seal lid for food storage and still choose to hang the food. This seemed to make the rangers happy. They said bears are not a problem where I was but lax food storage efforts by too many people too often is making problem bears more common. They also requested that I report any issues with sites or portages and pack out any trash I find if possible due to short staffing making it harder for the Forest Service to keep things taken care of. This was my first experience with the Forest service and only my second trip in the BWCA. I read about interactions with rangers on this site and felt at ease having some knowledge of how these things work typically. They were curtious and professional.
The afternoon brought a drop in the wind so my son and I set out to catch dinner. A small mouth and some freeze dried Mac and Cheese made for dinner and them an early retreat to the protection of bug nets on the hammocks as the mosquitos emerged with the dying wind and evening hours. We finnished the book and listened to the loons calling across the lake. I really love that sound.
I packed and left Vernon about 6:45 AM. The portage on Vernon had a closed sign warning of a controlled burn in the area. The neighbors had come back through the portage late last night and I don’t see or smell any smoke. So I pushed on. The portage is up hill and a little tricky but a good warm up for the day. The Brule didn’t have a ripple on it until I scratched my way across. A fish jumped now and then telling me I should stay here some time and try the fishing in these waters. As I rounded the point to Lily Lake portage a campsite on the point had a teenage boy bobber fishing from shore. He didn’t see me sliding through. He was playing with a cell phone or Gameboy. When he saw me he pocketed the toy and paid attention to his bobber.
The portage is not clear on the Fischer but it was easily seen. The Mulligan Lake portage was pretty with huge Cedar trees. Mulligan is a pretty lake. There is supposed to be Brook Trout in there. The next portage took me into Grassy Lake and it is definitely grassy with a lot of floating bog. The 200-rod portage was easy to see. Another young teenage boy was there swatting mosquitoes with a paddle. He saw me gliding in and set the paddle down and played it cool. His teenage sister and a younger brother came walking in as I unloaded. Small talk told me they were from Chicago but they were Packer fans so they were ok in my book. You have to have guts to be a Packer fan in Chicago. They were excited to get out of the bush and stop at Wisconsin Dells on the way home. I found their dad carrying their second canoe. When I got back for my canoe and other pack the family was still organizing their gear. A little more small talk produced the family stayed one night on Brule and a night on Winchell. No fish were caught. These were the first people I talked to since I left the parking lot. Thoughts have turned to my family and what they have been doing in my absence. They were finishing up the graduation party list and my wife had to put some hours in at school as the guidance counselor. Jr. had hockey practice on Sunday night and maybe I will get home early enough on Wednesday to help out on the ice with the team.
On Wanihigan Lake I met a middle-aged man paddling a Prism with a Kayak paddle. He had put in on Brule early in the morning and went to Winchell to fish for a couple of hours and get a little workout in. He didn’t have any luck fishing but really didn’t seem to care. Just enjoying the paddle. I will have to remember that I could easily get a nice paddle in at home before the rest of the world gets too busy.
The portage into Winchell is short but the landing was challenging. Logs have blocked the shore. I got out on a huge log and pulled the canoe around the jam to shore. It is a beautiful spot with the sound of waterfalls in the background. 
I took some pictures of the canoe at both ends, pulled out the water pump, tied my favorite Lake Trout jig on and floated into Winchell. The GPS said 11:00 AM. The wind was picking up out of the south but the weather was perfect. I jigged and pumped water. No fish. I paddled for a vacant campsite to have a little lunch and take a break. At noon I paddled on. Winchell is a pretty lake with high rock cliffs on the south side. I tried jigging for a Laker along the way without a bite. A fire went through the east end of Winchell, probably last year. It is really brown with very little green showing. The portage trail to Gaskin skirts the eastern edge of the burn. One large pine tree lying on the ground was hollow and burned more on the inside than the outside. This portage is a little hilly and the landing on Gaskin is not ideal. A couple of Loons were chasing baitfish in the shallows of the little bay the portage ends in. I headed for a campsite on a point facing west. A friend at school recommended it. As I was paddling towards the site three canoes were leaving. Perfect timing. The site is a huge anthill but it is pretty. The first thing I did was swim and sit in the shallows to cool off. The sun was a cooker today with very few clouds.
Again I cleaned up camp, cut wood, and readied the grate for a fire. I skipped the tarp and the tent took no time getting ready. I boiled some water on the Techno and had 2 courses of broccoli/cheese soup, with Romen noodles, and summer sausage. I drank 7 quarts of water today. I explored and fished the lake after supper. I only caught one short walleye just before dark. There were plenty of beavers on this lake. As I lay in the tent it felt creepy. The wind was blowing through the tall pines. I did not see anyone else on the lake. There are a lot of strange noises. Without the sound of the rapids to put me to sleep the night noises are kind of strange. 