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BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog

July 01 2025

Entry Point 30 - Little Vermilion Lake

Little Vermilion Lake (Crane Lake) entry point allows overnight paddle or motor (Unlimited max). This entry point is supported by La Croix Ranger Station near the city of Cook, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 45 miles. Enter from Crane Lake. Note: Not the entry point to use for Trout Lake (#1)

Number of Permits per Day: 6
Elevation: 1150 feet
Latitude: 48.2995
Longitude: -92.4268
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!

EP 14 Lynx lake

by hopalonghowie
Trip Report

Entry Date: June 02, 2017
Entry Point: Little Indian Sioux River (north)
Number of Days: 5
Group Size: 2

Trip Introduction:
This was my and my buddies first trip to the BWCA and we both had limited paddling experience but we both have willpower and determination to get us through the trip.

Report


Trip really started the 1st as we got off work snagged a few (2) hrs of sleep after our 14 hour shift and began the 8 hour drive to ely. Upon arrival we grabbed a quick breakfast and piragis got us squared away on a canoe. We mad it to EP 14 and got our gear down to the water with no incident. Then the challenge began we struggled to get into the canoe the first time and I ended up waist deep in water. But the other people waiting encouraged us and we made it happen. We started paddling and zig zagging across the river before we figured out how to somewhat steer effectively. Finally after many more portage's we made in to lynx lake we hit the parking lot at 1100 and made it to lynx at about 1700. We were slow and did single portages but carried the canoe one man in front one in back. We would learn better eventually.

We got camp set up by 1800 ate and got fishing from the camp on lynx at site close to heritage portage on the bay. Unfortunately someone left the place a mess and we did our best to clean it up. After that small delay we were catching smallmouth from the bank. We retired early that night.

Next day we head into hustler lake and that was great fishing all along the bank to the small island as you head towards emerald lake portage we we're nailing smallmouth and got a nice northern. We planned to hit emerald lake but the trail in has some bad blowdown trees. So we just walked it and ate lunch at emerald and I fished long enough to catch about a 5 inch bluegill in emerald. Then we continue to fish hustler and fish on Ruby and catch a good amount of smallmouth. We head back in and that was a day for us. On the way back is where we discovered how much easier it is to portage with the canoe on your shoulders

Next day we planned to go up to yodeler lake but the trail up there again was to rough so we skipped and fished heritage hard. We stuggled to get fish on heritage but finally caught a few smallmouth. Then we had lunch at the camp right by where pagent creek enters heritage (wow what a great camp). After lunch we made it a good ways up pagent creek till we hit a Beaver dam for fun we got out here and explored and ran up a rocky hill. While we were up the hill we saw a storm rolling in so we started heading back. On the way back we heard thunder and realized we better make some speed. This is where we realized how much better our paddling skill had gotten we made it to camp in no time and the storm never hit our camp.

Next significant event was us deciding to head to upper pauness the day before we leave to shorten our last day. We then depart at 0900 and I remember how long this trip was first time and am hoping we have time to see devil's Cascade after setting up camp. Well we were so much more efficient if I recall it only took us till 1200 to make it there and that was taking a meal break waiting for people at a portage who we passed cause they were triple portaging. We set up camp at the site between the 2 portage's on upper pauness that was further north and was only a 2 star for good reason and went back to see devil's Cascade. Well worth the side trip, and then we got back at 1500 from that and fished. We got several northern along the bank between our camp and the next north on Daredevil and mepps spinners. We then put on mini bushwacker spinners and fished the area out from our camp to the southern portage. We picked up tons of northerns this way and 3 jumbo perch.

Last day we left early and were on the way to piragis from the parking lot by 0700.

Overall impression loved it would never leave if that was an option.

Lessons learned. Don't pack so much clothes we both had 2 sets of clothes pants we never touched. Your going to get wet so accept it and wear shorts that's what we did the whole time and if it got cold or in morning we wore our military issued gortex gear and it worked like a charm. We could have saved weight that way. Also listen to people on how to portage the proper method would have saves us tons of effort. And lastly make sure both members bring sunblock I brought a small one for me and we ran out with a whole day left resulting in moderate sunburns.

Luckily we both have backpacking experience from hunting and just camping in general and I can say that I don't see how people are ok with packing so much stuff in, if I can't carry it in one trip it's not important enough to bring is my attitude.

Hope you enjoyed the report~Lynx Lake, Heritage Lake, Hustler Lake, Emerald Lake, Ruby Lake, Shell Lake, Little Shell Lake, Upper Pauness Lake, Lower Pauness Lake

 

Lakes Traveled:   Lynx Lake, Heritage Lake, Hustler Lake, Emerald Lake, Ruby Lake, Shell Lake, Little Shell Lake, Upper Pauness Lake, Lower Pauness Lake,