Boundary Waters Trip Reports, Blog, BWCA, BWCAW, Quetico Park

BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog

July 02 2025

Entry Point 27 - Snowbank Lake

Snowbank Lake entry point allows overnight paddle or motor (25 HP max). This entry point is supported by Kawishiwi Ranger Station near the city of Ely, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 24 miles. Access is a boat landing or canoe launch at Snowbank Lake. Many trip options for paddlers. This area was affected by blowdown in 1999.

Number of Permits per Day: 8
Elevation: 1191 feet
Latitude: 47.9716
Longitude: -91.4326
Snowbank Lake - 27

Taking Amber to Amber Lake

by cycle003
Trip Report

Entry Date: August 15, 2015
Entry Point: Kawishiwi Lake
Number of Days: 7
Group Size: 3

Trip Introduction:
We had such a good time last year in the Boundary Waters that I was ready to go back before we even got home. So this year we planned a full week with more travel than our first trip. After considering a number of routes, we decided to take our daughter Amber to Amber Lake. I like having trip reports on here, but it is a lot of effort to put them in multiple formats, so I've only put limited pictures here. More pictures can be seen on my blog , and I made a you tube video.

Report


Tuesday, July 23, 2019 Today we planned to portage into Rifle Lake, portage out the other end and try to get back into the Kawishiwi River to camp. We were WAY over ambitious. We missed the portage into Rifle Lake and had to backtrack after I let one of the boys make navigation decisions. Then the portage into Rifle Lake was a bit harder than we had anticipated. Lucky for us the family that was camping on the only Rifle Lake campsite was packing to leave as we reached the end of the portage, and we decided to get some rest before trying the longer portage at the other end of the lake. 

Also, portage 603 is tricky to find. It starts right at the rapids, not at the beginning of the pool preceding the rapids. It doesn't have much room either. While the other two canoes went through, I had the boys in my canoe fish and one managed to hook a nice fish and fought it for several minutes before losing it. He was pretty bummed as it would have been his first. 

After setting camp, I decided to cast from the big rock that the fire grate sat on. My first cast I hooked a fish. The boys were excited as I played it in. It came easily and I figured I had a walleye. The water was dark and stained, so I couldn't see the fish, but when I got it close to shore and lifted my rod to bring it up where I could grab it, an enormous head emerged. It was a huge northern, too big for me to reach across the back of his head. With his head out of the water he thrashed, spit the hook, and was gone. Everyone was silent. That would be the biggest fish seen all week. 

That night we were out on the lake for a couple of hours. My son landed a small largemouth from the portage landing. We trolled, casted, and jigged. I finally managed a small largemouth on a popper. The other boys lost a couple of fish, but none landed. We did see several beaver, including one that surfaced right next to the boys canoe.  

 

Lakes Traveled:   Kawishiwi Lake, Square Lake, Kawasachong Lake, Townline Lake, Polly, Lake, Malberg Lake, River Lake, Amber Lake, Fishdance Lake,

Routes
Trip Reports
a
.
Routes
Trip Reports
Routes
Trip Reports
Routes
Trip Reports
.
Routes
Trip Reports
Routes
Trip Reports
x
Routes
Trip Reports
fd
hgc
Routes
Trip Reports
Routes
Trip Reports
Routes
Trip Reports
Routes
Trip Reports
Routes
Trip Reports