BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
April 25 2024
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!
Not a dissapointment
by Mehoff131
Trip Report
Entry Date:
June 13, 2013
Entry Point:
Snowbank Lake
Number of Days:
4
Group Size:
9
Trip Introduction:
Day 1
Set off on Snowbank with 3 adult leaders and 6 boys ( 14-16 y.o.) for four
days of fun. As we were paddling across to the portage we spoke with two
different groups on their way out. Fishing reports were that the walleye
were tough to find but the smallmouth was well worth it. Our only portage
that day was the 140rd connecting Snowbank to Disappointment. This was
a very easy 140 rods with dry ground and a failrly level walk. All 4 of our
boats made it with only 2 trips each in about 45 mins. As we headed off we
came up with splitting into two groups to search for our F.O.B. many of the
spots we had scouted had already been taken but we found one that would
work (look for my campsite review). When we got unloaded we noticed
quite a few problems. 4-5 fish carcasses were in the water and on shore
right in the landing area. A lot of shredded tinfoil in and around the fire
grate. Fruit cups tucked behind a bush. And fruit peals near one of the tent
sites. After cleaning up after the last group ( I'm convinced it was one group
that we spoke to on our way out with mostly 20 something's and an older
gentleman that should have known better) we had lunch and set up camp.
That evening 2 of use tried our had At fishing in our little bay while a few
others fished right from shore. Smallmouths were very active hitting on a
black and gray 2" floating Rapala. Many of them we eating size but we
released all of them. After dinner we settled down for a quiet nights sleep.
Day 2
Waking up is hard to do when it's sooo quiet. After eating and doing some
dishes we decided to visit Cattyman Falls. With 3 canoes each with 3
people we headed out. All four portages we fairly easy without the gear.
The only issue was both sides of Jitterbug lake. Very muddy landings with
only narrow entries but good news was we didn't have much equipment
with us. We stopped on Adventure lake to have lunch before getting to our
destination. Arriving at the falls we waited for two other groups to have their
turn then made our way to the landing. The water was moving pretty good
so getting near was not gonna happen. But we all went swimming where
the water dumps into the lake. We all layed down on the rocks with the nice
cold water running over our shoulders and heads. After a good hour at the
BW spa we made our way back to camp for a late dinner.
Day 3
With only rain showers during the night. I woke up with a mission. I had
fishing to do! Several of use spent the majority of the afternoon looking for
walleye's with nothing to show. Jigs, spinners, Rapalas, and just an old
fashion hook and bobber were all a goose egg. Others in our group took a
hike to Disappointment Mountain. The hiking trail connected to the back of
our site so they set forth. Along the trail they found Pink lady slippers and
some ticks ( one boy said he found 17 on his legs ) but there was no
distinct peak or view to see once near the top so they headed back down.
So three of use went back to working the small bays with Rapalas looking
for more bronze. While fishing we watched a female moose swiming in
open water out to an island. As the day grew so did the winds speed. By
late afternoon we had white caps and thunder in the distance. A good size
storm was passing just south and east of us giving us a reprieve from the
worst of it. After a short down poor we made dinner and started to pack
what we could for an early start the next day.
Day 4
Woke up to mist and chilly temps so we broke camp, ate breakfast, then
headed out. As soon as we reached the portage to Snowbank the rain
materialized. This was only a minor rain lasting until we finished loading up
our canoes on the other side. With calm winds and the hope of phones,
gadgets, and gaming consoles in their hearts the boys sang the entire way
back to the canoe landing. While at the landing we spoke with some groups
leaving, swapping stories and comparing fishing. Another group of Boy
Scouts from Ohio was preparing to head out for the first time. We gave
them some tips and pointed them out the "best sites". After their outfitter left
they discovered they had left their maps, licenses, and permit on the dash
of the van. Scouts helping Scouts we drove as far as we needed to to get a
cell signal and called the outfitter to return. I just hope the rest of their trip
went a lot smoother!
Report
Day 1 Set off on Snowbank with 3 adult leaders and 6 boys ( 14-16 y.o.) for four days of fun. As we were paddling across to the portage we spoke with two different groups on their way out. Fishing reports were that the walleye were tough to find but the smallmouth was well worth it. Our only portage that day was the 140rd connecting Snowbank to Disappointment. This was a very easy 140 rods with dry ground and a failrly level walk. All 4 of our boats made it with only 2 trips each in about 45 mins. As we headed off we came up with splitting into two groups to search for our F.O.B. many of the spots we had scouted had already been taken but we found one that would work (look for my campsite review). When we got unloaded we noticed quite a few problems. 4-5 fish carcasses were in the water and on shore right in the landing area. A lot of shredded tinfoil in and around the fire grate. Fruit cups tucked behind a bush. And fruit peals near one of the tent sites. After cleaning up after the last group ( I'm convinced it was one group that we spoke to on our way out with mostly 20 something's and an older gentleman that should have known better) we had lunch and set up camp. That evening 2 of use tried our had At fishing in our little bay while a few others fished right from shore. Smallmouths were very active hitting on a black and gray 2" floating Rapala. Many of them we eating size but we released all of them. After dinner we settled down for a quiet nights sleep. Day 2 Waking up is hard to do when it's sooo quiet. After eating and doing some dishes we decided to visit Cattyman Falls. With 3 canoes each with 3 people we headed out. All four portages we fairly easy without the gear. The only issue was both sides of Jitterbug lake. Very muddy landings with only narrow entries but good news was we didn't have much equipment with us. We stopped on Adventure lake to have lunch before getting to our destination. Arriving at the falls we waited for two other groups to have their turn then made our way to the landing. The water was moving pretty good so getting near was not gonna happen. But we all went swimming where the water dumps into the lake. We all layed down on the rocks with the nice cold water running over our shoulders and heads. After a good hour at the BW spa we made our way back to camp for a late dinner. Day 3 With only rain showers during the night. I woke up with a mission. I had fishing to do! Several of use spent the majority of the afternoon looking for walleye's with nothing to show. Jigs, spinners, Rapalas, and just an old fashion hook and bobber were all a goose egg. Others in our group took a hike to Disappointment Mountain. The hiking trail connected to the back of our site so they set forth. Along the trail they found Pink lady slippers and some ticks ( one boy said he found 17 on his legs ) but there was no distinct peak or view to see once near the top so they headed back down. So three of use went back to working the small bays with Rapalas looking for more bronze. While fishing we watched a female moose swiming in open water out to an island. As the day grew so did the winds speed. By late afternoon we had white caps and thunder in the distance. A good size storm was passing just south and east of us giving us a reprieve from the worst of it. After a short down poor we made dinner and started to pack what we could for an early start the next day. Day 4 Woke up to mist and chilly temps so we broke camp, ate breakfast, then headed out. As soon as we reached the portage to Snowbank the rain materialized. This was only a minor rain lasting until we finished loading up our canoes on the other side. With calm winds and the hope of phones, gadgets, and gaming consoles in their hearts the boys sang the entire way back to the canoe landing. While at the landing we spoke with some groups leaving, swapping stories and comparing fishing. Another group of Boy Scouts from Ohio was preparing to head out for the first time. We gave them some tips and pointed them out the "best sites". After their outfitter left they discovered they had left their maps, licenses, and permit on the dash of the van. Scouts helping Scouts we drove as far as we needed to to get a cell signal and called the outfitter to return. I just hope the rest of their trip went a lot smoother!
discuss this trip report (2 comments) - last post on June 22, 2013