BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
April 24 2024
Entry Point 39 - Baker Lake
Baker Lake entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Tofte Ranger Station near the city of Tofte, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 26 miles. Access is a boat landing at Baker Lake with a 10-rod portage into Peterson Lake to reach first campsite. This area was affected by blowdown in 1999.
Number of Permits per Day: 2
Elevation: 1497 feet
Latitude: 47.8452
Longitude: -90.8169
Summary: A 5-day loop from Baker up the Temperance lakes to Cherokee, and back through Sawbill and Smoke lakes back to Baker. A fairly difficult trip.
Day 0: We drove up from Stillwater in the morning and camped at one of the 5 walk-in campsites at Baker Lake, and it was nice.
Day 1 (Baker to S. Temperance) - A beautiful day, we decided to paddle all the way to South Temperance the first day which was a great paddle with easy portages except for the last one. We picked the campsite on top of a huge rock that was close to the middle of the lake. Tried fishing some but no luck
Day 2 (Rest) - In the night, we encountered the worst storm of the entire season. While we were there 19 people had to be rescued from the BWCA. We had about 50mph straightline winds, and I'm still surprised that the huge tent we had stood up to it. We slept in and took a rest day because of the intense winds. Amazingly beautiful sunset.
Day 3 (S. Temperance to Cherokee) - We left as early as we could to beat the heat, but it was no good. The lengthy, hilly portages were challenging and by the last portage we were pretty beat. We overpacked and single portaged which led us to speedier exhaustion. Still amazing weather. North Temperance was a beaut- I wish we had stayed there instead of South. We took the southeasterly facing campsite on Cherokee on the southeastern skinny island. Neat little site.
Day 4 (Cherokee to Sawbill) - Left a little later in the day but it was ok. We took our time going down the river letting out of the southwest part of Cherokee and it was a great area. BEWARE: The area between Ada and Skoop Lakes appears to be floatable, but a dam built recently has made the portion impossible to float. Be prepared for a long portage through muck and water. A guy that we saw there said he had been going to the BWCA for 40 years at least once per year and it was the worst portage he had ever seen. By the time we got to Sawbill it was pretty hot. We paddled all the way down to the site next to the portage onto Smoke.
Day 5 (Sawbill to Baker) - Cooler, cloudier weather for the first time on the trip. We were pretty hungry (I underpacked food a little and I felt really bad) and we were taunting each other with vivid descriptions of the burgers we were going to eat ASAP after getting out. We paddled back to Baker and returned our gear to Sawtooth outfitters.
Overall great route.
Number of Permits per Day: 2
Elevation: 1497 feet
Latitude: 47.8452
Longitude: -90.8169
Summary: A 5-day loop from Baker up the Temperance lakes to Cherokee, and back through Sawbill and Smoke lakes back to Baker. A fairly difficult trip.
Day 0: We drove up from Stillwater in the morning and camped at one of the 5 walk-in campsites at Baker Lake, and it was nice.
Day 1 (Baker to S. Temperance) - A beautiful day, we decided to paddle all the way to South Temperance the first day which was a great paddle with easy portages except for the last one. We picked the campsite on top of a huge rock that was close to the middle of the lake. Tried fishing some but no luck
Day 2 (Rest) - In the night, we encountered the worst storm of the entire season. While we were there 19 people had to be rescued from the BWCA. We had about 50mph straightline winds, and I'm still surprised that the huge tent we had stood up to it. We slept in and took a rest day because of the intense winds. Amazingly beautiful sunset.
Day 3 (S. Temperance to Cherokee) - We left as early as we could to beat the heat, but it was no good. The lengthy, hilly portages were challenging and by the last portage we were pretty beat. We overpacked and single portaged which led us to speedier exhaustion. Still amazing weather. North Temperance was a beaut- I wish we had stayed there instead of South. We took the southeasterly facing campsite on Cherokee on the southeastern skinny island. Neat little site.
Day 4 (Cherokee to Sawbill) - Left a little later in the day but it was ok. We took our time going down the river letting out of the southwest part of Cherokee and it was a great area. BEWARE: The area between Ada and Skoop Lakes appears to be floatable, but a dam built recently has made the portion impossible to float. Be prepared for a long portage through muck and water. A guy that we saw there said he had been going to the BWCA for 40 years at least once per year and it was the worst portage he had ever seen. By the time we got to Sawbill it was pretty hot. We paddled all the way down to the site next to the portage onto Smoke.
Day 5 (Sawbill to Baker) - Cooler, cloudier weather for the first time on the trip. We were pretty hungry (I underpacked food a little and I felt really bad) and we were taunting each other with vivid descriptions of the burgers we were going to eat ASAP after getting out. We paddled back to Baker and returned our gear to Sawtooth outfitters.
Overall great route.
Two Day Trips - Kelso Lake Loop and Clearwater Lake
by Mo
Trip Report
Entry Date:
June 07, 2019
Entry Point:
Sawbill Lake
Number of Days:
1
Group Size:
2
Trip Introduction:
We wanted to do some canoeing in the BWCA and had a great introduction to this most excellent place!
Report
Thanks to the Trip Planning Messageboard we were well prepared by reading a lot of information. As first timers there is a lot to figure out- even though we just did day trips. Our first day trip was with Sawbill Outfitters and they were great and helpful and we really appreciated the good instructions. . Being prepared helped us have a great trip - although we did get a tip on the messageboard how important it is to know how to get into the canoe - and although we were instructed how to get in at Sawbill - I promptly fell into the lake. Luckily I had suitable clothing (not cotton but the good stuff that dries fast that was recommended) and although it was a bit embarrassing, I dried off in no time. We had treated our clothing with permethrin and had good bug stuff (a Sawyer Product 20% picardin) so no problems with bugs. And good sunscreen and a hat. We rented Kevlar canoes and knew we were going to have to get into the water to get in ('wet feet') but we had chacos/sports sandals and the water was warm enough and that was fine, too. And we were off! We did the Kelso Lake Loop and chose this as we wanted to try portaging. There were three short portages on this 4.5 hour trip. We liked the different lakes and we just really liked the whole experience! It was a perfect first time out trip for us. We saw loons and turtles and lily pads. Beautiful! We went out on another short paddle with Clearwater Outfitters (Gunflint Trail) and paddled around Clearwater Lake. There too we had a great 2.5 hour trip and just enjoyed being on the lake. It is beautiful. We also spent a lot of time hiking in the Superior National Forest and saw over 10 waterfalls and some great views. We also hiked the Magnetic Rock Trail and Honeymoon Bluff on the Gunflint Trail and enjoyed them both. I can't believe this was my first trip to the North Shore! This area rivals any national park easily and there is so much to do. I look forward to making this a yearly trip and maybe - maybe? - try a longer trip with a canoe. 
~Sawbill Lake, Alton Lake, Kelso Lake
~Sawbill Lake, Alton Lake, Kelso Lake
Lakes Traveled:
Sawbill Lake,
Alton Lake,
Kelso Lake,
discuss this trip report (6 comments) - last post on June 15, 2019