BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
December 21 2024
Entry Point 66 - Crocodile River
Number of Permits per Day: 1
Elevation: 1824 feet
Latitude: 48.0347
Longitude: -90.2731
Crocodile River - 66
Cummings Lake after reopening
Entry Date:
September 05, 2021
Entry Point:
Crab Lake and Cummings from Burntside Lake
Number of Days:
5
Group Size:
4
We were bringing all our own gear, but decided to go through Spirit of the Wilderness to get a taxi across Burntside. That ended up being the right decision because the morning we went in it was windy and choppy. Plus I was happy to support the local outfitters anyway we could. We also picked up some crawlers and a few lures for the week. SOTW has a bunkhouse but it was full so we stayed at the Paddle Inn in Ely. Nothing luxurious but a great place to crash and shower before heading in. 
The first portage at EP4 is a long one but not difficult. In good shape, mostly flat, and well worn. When we reached the nice sandy beach landing at Crab Lake the wind was in our face and I knew we had a long paddle ahead of us.
We spotted one group on Crab Lake, other than that the place was empty. The paddle across Crab was directly into the wind. When we reached Korb we were protected from wind but then it started to rain, and it rained for about 30 minutes. Eventually the sun came out and it was quite pleasent. [paragraph break]
We decided to paddle the full length of the Korb River and enter Cumming at the far SE end. After a few short portages we reached Cummings and the wind was even worse. Our first campsite choice on the far east end of the lake was taken, but we got the island site 287 and we couldn't have been happier. We unloaded and set up camp and quickly explored the island. 
The weather was great so we got our fishing poles out and fished from shore. Immediately caught a handful of nice eater sized smallmouth. We fried up our dinner and slept well. 
Coxey Pond is beautiful and has some scenic points. Sorry I didn't take more photos. We brought our poles and immediately caught a number of nice smallies from shore but threw them back hoping for some larger ones. That was our mistake because the fishing shut down soon after. We struggled to catch anything over 10". We decided to hike down to Silaca Lake and try our luck there. We pulled in a few nice eater largemouth and smallmouth there and took them back to Coxey for a shorelunch. We brought our camp stove with and we fried the the fish up at the only campsite on Coxey. 
Just about the time we finished the skies turned grey and we quickly packed up. The rain came hard and soon turned to hail. We started our hike back in the rain. Eventually it stopped but it tested our rain gear and boots, and unfortunately some of it didn't pass the test. 
Back at camp the sun peaked out for a moment. We soaked up the sun while we could because it wasn't long before the storms rolled back in.
And so the rain continued on and off the rest of the night
More rains and even bigger storms were on their way so we got off the lake around 4pm and prepped camp for more rain. We hunkerd down under our trap. It poured hard for a while. We measured about 1" of rain in an hour. Nothing like getting all your gear soaked the night before you are going to pack it away. Seems to be the norm in the Boundary Waters.
After the storms passed the sun broke through for a beautiful sunset. I was quickly reminded how beautiful this place it. We quickly ventured with our canoes out onto a huge granite island to take in the views. 
The guide from SOTW picked us up at EP4, they were even about 15 minutes early.
It was another amazing trip, and we can't wait to go back. We always hope to see some wildlife on the trip (moose, bear, wolf, otters, beavers), but that didn't happen this year. And not being able to have a campfire was certainly a downer. We did just fine without one but it certainly changes the mood and feel. So many memories of the BW involve warming yourself while sitting around the fire at night telling stories and cooking food and talking about the day. It was unfortunate but it didn't hamper our ability to make great memories.