Sometimes I think we might get a bit caught up in our habits and might miss out on amazing experiences just because we never tried something different. What are the top 10 lakes of the BWCA? I'll take places to visit such as waterfalls as well because sometimes its not the lake you are going there for.

Like I said at the start, this is for those of us that don't already know or fully understand the appeal of these locations so please explain your picks and pictures are helpful too. Routes taken or at least the EP used are great to have, especially for spots accessible from multiple EPs and routes.

For example, I have heard that Little Sag and Frost Lakes are great places to go to, but I don't know why, what EP I would use to get there, what route I would take what the fishing is like, or how many days are typical for the trip. All this is great information route planning.

Thanks for the help in consolidating the information.

First, a conventional choice: LLC for the pictos. Entered at Moose River North.

In the same area, Slim, Steep, Eugene, Finger Lake, and Gebeonequet. Came up and around there on my first solo from Little Indian Sioux River North. Nothing all that special about most of them other than a lot of firsts -saw first moose, first northern lights, heard first wolves howling - on my first solo. A lot of nice river/creek paddling in between.

After that, it's hard for me explain in any way that will be meaningful to you. It's not for the fishing; I don't. Waterfalls are nice, but I don't go somewhere there just to see a waterfall - we have lots here.

It's subjective, largely indefinable, something intangible - maybe something that happened there, maybe the time of day I was there, the weather at the time, or the season. A lot seems to revolve around the solitude, but maybe I was just lucky when I was there. They could be large or small, but they must be something other than a flat, featureless oval of water. Islands, bays, arms, peninsulas, rock cliffs, outcrops are all good.

Little Sag you mentioned - I like it, lots of islands, rock, irregular shoreline, I've only ever seen a couple of people there. I like elevated campsites. I've been there by way of Kawishiwi Lake EP #37-Malberg-Elton on a loop to Sawbill. I've been there from Cross Bay EP #50 via Snipe-Copper-Howl Swamp-Tuscarora-Crooked-Mora.

Snipe is a nice little lake with many of the above characteristics.

I like Tuscarora, pretty lake, some nice campsites, not too busy, was there for a Supermoon.

Heading south out of Little Sag/Mora, Whipped and farther down Hug and Duck were surprisingly pretty - it was late Sept and the color was nice - and they were quiet.

Adams - big beautiful lake, been there from Kawishiwi Lake EP #37, once from the south across the lovely portage from Beaver, once from the north, very nice remote little trip down from Boulder Lake. Big rock, cliffs, varied, only ever seen a couple of people there.

Almost forgot Horseshoe Lake - I like the golden tamaracks when there late fall, paddling in from Allen.

Almost forgot Omega too, lots of rock, four arms, came in from Cross Bay across Muskeg, Kiskadinna, and on to Allen, Horseshoe and exit at Lizz.

That probably doesn't really tell you much of what you want to know, but maybe that'll get things rolling.

I agree in thinking it's very subjective. A top ten for fishing, top ten for campsites, for waterfalls, cliffs, etc would be much easier. My top ten overall would have lakes that cover many of these, but also some that just seemed great at the time. Crooked, slim, Little Sag, Tuscarora, Iron, etc.

The point of this thread is not to limit it to 10 or to even say you need to give me 10 lakes. I just want to put together people's opinions on where the top spots in the BWCA are and how you typically get to them. Sometimes I feel like a fish out of water when people mention some of these lakes and falls, mainly because it is common knowledge for many of the more experienced members.

For example, I know that Johnson falls is popular, but I have no idea where it is on the map or how I would get there. Little Sag like I mentioned, I've seen on Kawishiwi to Sawbill loops but I don't know if that is standard or if you typically start from the Gunflint side.

This is the type of information I'm trying to put together. I just want to get up to speed on locations commonly mentioned but I'm not familiar with.

A1t2o: "The point of this thread is not to limit it to 10 or to even say you need to give me 10 lakes. I just want to put together people's opinions on where the top spots in the BWCA are and how you typically get to them. Sometimes I feel like a fish out of water when people mention some of these lakes and falls, mainly because it is common knowledge for many of the more experienced members.


For example, I know that Johnson falls is popular, but I have no idea where it is on the map or how I would get there. Little Sag like I mentioned, I've seen on Kawishiwi to Sawbill loops but I don't know if that is standard or if you typically start from the Gunflint side.


This is the type of information I'm trying to put together. I just want to get up to speed on locations commonly mentioned but I'm not familiar with."

It might seem tedious, but the way I learned where things are (like Johnson's Falls) and just the general lay of the land to where if someone mentions a lake I usually know where they're talking about, was by doing 2 things (both right here on this site)....

1) Simply open the maps and scroll around, read campsite reviews and portage reviews, click on the photos marked. People mention things in those that can tell you a lot about what goes on in a particular area. I'm fairly fascinated with maps personally so I find this entertaining - I can spend a lot of time doing it, and you really learn where everything is.

2) Read trip reports. Especially to areas you are considering going. Some are better than others, but almost all have something useful in them. If I've already selected a given EP for a trip, I will ready EVERY trip report to that area.

I know this all takes time. But if you're like me, you can't personally go everywhere in the BWCA to learn about it, so reading about it is second best. There are excellent books on it too...see the tab at the top of the page here.

I didn't limit myself to 10 and I'm sure it's not a Top 10 anyway since there are many I haven't been to, although I've been to quite a few. Anytime you want to know, just ask and somebody will tell.

The fact is that most places can be reached via multiple entries depending on how far you want to travel, which might depend on whether it's a destination or just part of a route/loop. I tend to travel (vs. basecamp) and do longer trips now than when I only had a few days, so I've seen some I'd not have gone to on a 4-day trip.

Johnson Falls for example is off the western end of Pine Lake, which, looking at the map, you can reach by Pine Lake EP, John Lake EP, Clearwater Lake EP, or East Bearskin EP, which I've gone through. There's probably at least 1-2 more that would ultimately get you there, but much longer travel.

Little Sag I've been there by Kawishiwi Lake as well as Cross Bay, but Missing Link is probably the most direct, although not the only other possible way to get there.

BTW, LLC = Lac la Croix, if you're not familiar with the abbreviation.

Gebeonequet, etc. can be reached from EP #16, Moose River North as well as EP #14, Little Indian Sioux River North. It's just the other end of that loop.

Snipe Lake likewise can reached from Missing Link EP as well as Cross Bay EP.

Tuscarora is most directly reached via Missing Link EP, but I went through Cross Bay EP because I wanted to go through Copper Lake and the "Howl Swamp portage" between there and Tuscarora. I did exit through Missing Link to Round Lake and then walked a mile to the Cross Bay EP parking lot.

Whipped, Hug, Duck - besides going in Kawishiwi and through Little Sag, you could also go through Tuscarora, or straight up from Sawbill through Kelso, which is the way we came out.

Adams is most directly reached from Kawishiwi Lake by going through Malberg to River to Beaver. I've also gone from Malberg down to Fishdance, then up through Alice, Thomas, and Fraser to Cap, then south through Boulder. I suppose you could also enter at Lake One or somewhere on the west and get there.

The easiest way to Horseshoe, Allen, Omega is Lizz Lake EP. Another entry would be Meeds Lake EP, also out of Poplar Lake like Lizz. That's off the Gunflint. Or you could go across from Cross Bay like I did.

I hope that helps; a lot of it is just reading trip reports, looking at maps. I've often used Voyageur Maps website to find places and look at the possibilities.

Well, some of my favorites are already mentioned so I'll add several lakes most on the on the Border Route. Numbered, but in no particular order:
1-Rose is one of my favorites, got to be one of the prettiest lakes in the BWCAW. The views from the palisades, the waterfalls, the Stairway Portage, big bass, the big Laker that got away.....
2-Sag, big, beautiful, as Olson said, "Islands like battleships...."
3-Ottertrack, narrow and river-like with Benny Ambrose's home site and Monument Portage.
4-Knife, big water, big views, interesting rocks, Eddy Falls.
5-Ester, sand beaches, cliffs, great smallie fishing, always hear wolves there, easy access to my favorite little PMA.
6-7-North and South, big views, Height of Land Portage in between.
8-Winchell, going in through Lizz to Horseshoe and Gaskin gets you to this big, beautiful lake with sweeping views, lots of loons every time I've been there.
9-Ogema (Omega on some maps) which means "Chief" in Ojibwe. Feels secluded paddling down those arms and it's easily accessible from Winchell.
10-Snipe The Cross River area and Snipe have a lot of good memories from my first trip and my last trip. Saw my first moose in the area. Lots of small streams and small waterfalls on the way to Snipe. Blue skies, narrow channels, interesting rocks and many Fleur-De-Lis when I've visited.

Disclaimer – I haven’t been to the park since 2008 so fire may have changed some of these… I spend my tripping time above the boarder on the Queens land these days.

Alice: Entry through the numbered lake, Snowbank, or Kawishiwi will get you about a day and a half away. Has a water fall. Close proximity to the Fishdance picto’s. There are at least 2 campsites that earn 5 stars in my book. Clear water and sandy beaches. The walleye fishing is pretty good.

Inusla: Everybody enters through the numbered lakes to get here. (I know it is not everyone… but for the most part). If you have to ask why Insula is on my top ten list… you should probably plan your next trip to/through Insula.

Ashub: Entry through Snowbank and be there in a few hours. I’ve never seen it crowded. Nice place to stop on the way out from a loop. Crystal clear water. Smallmouth and Brookies if you can figure out what they are feeding on.

Makwa: Entry from… it’s pretty much in the middle so choose your own adventure. Oh, that rock face. We didn’t zero in on the fish but maybe next time. This is one of your better chances for seclusion. If it’s not, just hop down to Pan, also a nice lake.

Wisini: Entry from Snowbank most likely but many central park loop options through here. Another version of rock cliffs worth a gander. That’s what put this one on the list. There are lakers down in that deep dark water. We never camped here but did lunch at the campsite at the narrows. This lake was somehow spared from the wind storm. Not so for the others around it.

Kekekabic: Entry from… choose your own adventure. Big water. Big cliffs. Nice campsite(s). Lakers. I don’t know how many times I tried but I have yet to spot the pictograph. I’m guessing it’s pretty faded.

Brule: Entry from Brule. Many years ago I had this idea to check out the BWCA while interning in the twin cities. Packed up the car and rented a solo canoe. I had no idea what I was getting myself into but I was infatuated with the stories I had heard of this park. Put in, paddled around and found a campsite. Set up camp. Realized I had forgotten a flashlight so paddled back to the car and found it. Paddled back to my campsite and fished well into dark. Fell in love. That was the start of my addiction.

Ram: Entry from Ram. Clear deep water and a quick way to be in the park. I’ve only passed through but would love to have a short overnight or two here. There are fish in them waters that I have yet to feast upon.

Rog: Entry from Seagull. Emerald colored. Peaceful. Easy to get to unless there is wind. Brookies and walleye.

Knife: Waterfalls. Clear water. Huge expanse to “get lost” in. Far enough from any parking lot so it should be quiet. Fish? You betcha.

Hex

!Way to go, A1t2O! Good post. Bookmarking this one! Great info for some trip planning.

These lists are kind of fun. I'll stick to the BWCA, but most of my truly favorite lakes are in the Q. In no particular order...

1) LLC
2) Basswood
3) West Pike
4) Omega
5) Davis
6) Makwa
7) Little Sag
8) Knife
9) Crooked
10) Rose

Frost is overrated. Especially in May. You should all avoid going there during that time. It's absolutely horrible.

Trust me, I suffer by going there every year in May.

Don't know for sure if I can do 10 but here it goes.

1. Trail lake- remote, good fishing, pain to get to, few people
2. Iron lake - when I want to just concentrate on fishing, this is the one I go to
3. Sterling-
4. Wine- It's my laker lake, good camps fairly hard to get to
5. Kinogami-
6. John Ek- I spent a long time trying to get into this lake ( 3 fails) before finally getting it done. This lake was a quest of mine for years and years. Most fun I have ever had in the BWCA was trying to get in there.
7. Kivaniva- best 24 hours in the BWCA I ever had, that was an epic day for a lot of reasons
8. Ole-
9. LLC- huge lake, can explore it the rest of my life and never learn it all. Tons of history
10. Adams- right in the middle, day trips galore, not super easy to get to

Just for giggles here are 3 that I don't like

1. Cummings
2. Malberg
3. Agnes

Here's my top 10:
Homer
Vern (and Whack), with the Vern River
Pipe (and East Pipe)
Lake Insula
Alice Lake
Lake One
Lake Two
Lake Three
Lake Four
Sawbill Lake.

My list was easy, these are the only lakes I've been on. I only left Hudson Lake off the list because of the fire, and I already had 10. (And I somehow got lost on Hudson Lake)

Fishinfreak, what route did you take to John Ek. I have been up the stream that flows from it but did not get very far. Have always wanted to go there, I thought walleyes may have made it up there.

Your on the right path just gotta keep going. The going gets tough for sure but basically just keep following the creek. We used the creek as a marker. The creek itself isn't passable. As far as the fishing goes,.......you might be correct in your thoughts.

My top two, mountain lake and crooked lake, the border one. My other ones are secret.

Why do you not like Cummings. Considering a trip thru this area?

Crooked
Basswood
LLC
Iron
Fairy
Knife
Gun
Oyster
Gebonequet
??
This is in no particular order, and for various reasons. I'm not familiar with the eastern BWCA, discovered the Quetico before I got that far :).

Duckman: "Frost is overrated. Especially in May. You should all avoid going there during that time. It's absolutely horrible.


Trust me, I suffer by going there every year in May."

Frost is one of the nicer lakes I've been to, spring or fall, lots of peace and quiet, and some nice sand beaches.
Other favorites:
Mountain
Alice
Beartrap
Crooked not on border.
Gillis
Pine, if no wind
Kekebic
Just a few I really like, but have no problem with most.

I really enjoyed reading this as I am planning for my next trip this year! Here are my Top (including Quetico):

1. Pickerel Lake (Quetico). Fishing was good, but the campsites were better. The Pickerel Narrows are so gorgeous. Definitely my favorite place I've been in the Q or BWCA. I went to The Q with my wife for our honeymoon.

2. Wood Lake. My wife and I winter camped here, but it was a gorgeous lake. Icefishermen caught tons of fish on tip ups not far from where we were.

3. Wind Lake. We caught a TON of fish - northerns and walleyes mostly.

4. Indiana Lake. Probably the prettiest little lake I've been to in the BWCA. Good bass fishing.

5. Lake 2. My buddies and I caught a lot of fish and had a great campsite on a guys trip.

6. Batchewang Lake (Quetico): Not many people and really great fishing. My wife and I caught BIG smallies and some dandy walleyes.

I need to go to more... !

Some lakes I enjoy:

+ LLC - Combination of great sites, many islands, things to do (warrior hill + pictos) and the route to get there is fun

+ Insula - Wish I could have seen it before the burn. Navigating through the islands to get to the NE end was rewarding

+ Thomas - I just love camping on these medium large lakes filled with islands

+ Basswood - First trip nostalgia gives this lake a memorable place in my heart

+ Chad lake - A small quiet lake in the SW section of the bwca that is quite lovely

+ Cummings - I'd like to go back here and try out some of the other (nicer) sites

Little Sag - Entry - 37, 38, 51, 52. (I like the #37 - Kawishiwi Entrance for getting to Little Sag.). Little Sag is a picture postcard BWCA Lake. Beautiful islands, great vistas, good exploration, and lots of little out of the way places to get away if there are more people than you want there.

South Arm of Knife - Entry 54 Seagull Lake (We did get there once from Kawishiwi Lake!). Besides Thunder Point, there are other nice vistas, great campsites and Eddy Falls. Downside is that can expect lots of people.

Finger Lake - Entry #14 LIS North is the only way we have gotten there. It will take you a couple of days no matter where you start. This is a great spot in the middle of a great loop. We only spent one day there (heavy weather was forecast a couple days out), but loved every minute. Nice cliffs, pictographs in the campsite, nice island campsites. Only negative is the sound of boats and planes on the Canadian side of LLC.

Mesaba Lake - Entry 37, 38, 39, 50, 51, 52. If you are going here, be prepared to work for it. It is protected by a 300 rd portage with a monster wall from the north and a 480 rod portage from the south. You can get there from the Louse River going east or the Frost River going west. This lake just invites you to explore. Gently rounded shoreline and some river like portions. Bushwack over to Leah Lake to find the rhododendron garden for another challenge.

South Temperance Lake - Entry 39 - Baker Lake is my favorite paddle. You can also get there from #40 Brule Lake or take a couple days from #50 Cross Bay or #38 Sawbill. South Temperance is Little Sag lite. Island studded with some great campsites and nice views.

Malberg Lake - Entry #37 - Kawishiwi Lake - This is my favorite lake for the shear amount of day tripping available. There are some great campsites here. But the lake has narrows that take you to several bays. You can paddle a long time to find your spot. Go out the northeast portage to find the canyon and water falls. Go southwest to see pictographs. Go east for some fantastic river paddling. Head northwest to Adams/Boulder for more scenery.

Frost Lake - Entry #38, 39, 50. Frost Lake acts almost like a dead end lake. Unless you are gong to travel the Frost River (and very few do), you are there for the lake itself. I come for the sand beaches! Golden sand. Long shallow grade for swimming. And there are moose here.

Cherokee Lake - Entry #38, 39, 50. There are some great campsites up here. Very deep lake (Good Lake trout territory.) Super scenery with hills to the east and north. Good Lake to spend a couple of days relaxing, swimming, and day tripping (Frost and the Temperance Lakes are within day trip range.)

Wine Lake. Entry #38 - This is a beautiful lake with at least 2 nice campsites. It is off the beaten path. You got to want to be here. Check out the water fall on Mug Lake if there is enough water flowing.

Ge-be-on-e-quet Lake - We got there from #14 LIS North. We arrived just after a big storm dropped trees everywhere. But this is also a quintessential BWCA lake. Nice views everywhere you look. And the falls out the northeast end is not to be missed.

I think those are my 10 favorites so far.
Runners-up are:
Banadad, Kelso, Grace, Gaskin, and Kekakabic.

: "Why do you not like Cummings. Considering a trip thru this area?"

I'd also be curious as to why they didn't enjoy Cummings. I would recommend you keep your plans. I enjoyed the lake very much and there are several nice campsites on the lake. I know there aren't any walleye in the lake, so that could perhaps discourage some folks. It's also a very easy trip out there. Don't be afraid of the long portage in, it's long but fairly flat. I would also highly recommend a tow across Burntside, worth the $.

1-Poohbah
2-Basswood
3-saganaga
4-McAree
5-LacLaCroix
6-Buck
7-knife
8-Conmee
9-Argo
10-Big Moose

In no particular order

Kawishiwi Lake access by Ep 37: My first lake as a baby and both my kids first lake when they were 6 months.

Perent Ep 36: My kids first "real" lake that included travel time and a portage.

Gadwall Lake...access through ep 68 (pine) and paddling a bit and then a terrible portage to a beautiful lake.

Turtle Lake...access through ep 33 and portaging towards it. Turtle Lakes portage is a bit of a rough one and it is mostly burnt down there but some awesome pike fishing.

Secret Lake #3.... I can't divulge this info :/

Makwa Lake... access through Ep 37 to Square to Kawashaschong, Polly, Koma, Malberg, Kawishiwi River, Kinvaniva, Anit, Pan, then you are there. Amazing rock/cliff face.

Square Lake access ep 37 then paddle there. First lake I was able to go on a day trip to with no parental guidance.

Cam Lake access through ep 41... I have not been but it is one lake that my father has told me stories so it is on my bucket list.

Juno Lake access through ep 41.... trip with friends and some good memories along with good fishing.

Sawbill is ep 38: The beginning lake to a lot of my trips though I dislike the actual lake it is definitely a top pick among lakes that mean something to me.

For scenic views the east side , (clearwater , border lake areas)
for fishing , Knife is hard to beat and i feel Seagull lake is the best entry point lake.
designated brook trout lakes on the east side can be very memorable ,
thats my top 10 ;)

A1t2o: "The point of this thread is not to limit it to 10 or to even say you need to give me 10 lakes. I just want to put together people's opinions on where the top spots in the BWCA are and how you typically get to them. Sometimes I feel like a fish out of water when people mention some of these lakes and falls, mainly because it is common knowledge for many of the more experienced members.


For example, I know that Johnson falls is popular, but I have no idea where it is on the map or how I would get there. Little Sag like I mentioned, I've seen on Kawishiwi to Sawbill loops but I don't know if that is standard or if you typically start from the Gunflint side.


This is the type of information I'm trying to put together. I just want to get up to speed on locations commonly mentioned but I'm not familiar with."

Buy some maps! Let yourself get lost in them. Be resourceful.

A1t2o: "The point of this thread is not to limit it to 10 or to even say you need to give me 10 lakes. I just want to put together people's opinions on where the top spots in the BWCA are and how you typically get to them. Sometimes I feel like a fish out of water when people mention some of these lakes and falls, mainly because it is common knowledge for many of the more experienced members.


For example, I know that Johnson falls is popular, but I have no idea where it is on the map or how I would get there. Little Sag like I mentioned, I've seen on Kawishiwi to Sawbill loops but I don't know if that is standard or if you typically start from the Gunflint side.


This is the type of information I'm trying to put together. I just want to get up to speed on locations commonly mentioned but I'm not familiar with."

Hey A1t2o; my first trip was in 2013, and I will admit I was a 'greenhorn'! I did not have pads for portaging (because I didn't realize how long they could be) and thought I'd just wrap my sweatshirt around the yoke and it would be a piece of cake. So my favorite lake is Deer off of Clearwater (my first entry point). It is not the nicest lake I ever saw, but we spent 3 nights there. I saw my first moose, we caught big Smallies on Caribou, and moon lake was beautiful, but Deer was the first trip and we basecamped.
From that trip and all my failure on that, I started reading everything i could. BWCA.com trip reports, Boundary Waters Journals (I have collected all except the 1987 and 1988 issues. The articles cover many different ways to enjoy the BWCA, but every article teaches something about how others enjoy it. I also follow the trip reports on google.maps, and now have a good grasp of where most lakes are.
The rest of my favorite lakes that I have been to are:
- Boze
- Malberg
- Adam
- Jordan
- the Stuart River & Lake (first happy solo but it was cold / rainy / snowed / and big wind storm - thought I was going to die, but I really enjoyed the trip out even though my fingers were wet and cold most of the way (check out my trip report)!
Lakes I want to go to include:
- Kekekabic
- Cherry (Maybe in august)
- Makwa
- Thomas (hopefully this June)

I think winter is for research & the other seasons are for trips! Good luck learning and hopefully we will meet on the trail someday!

I've got 5 that stand out for me as multiple trip favorites, in no particular order

1. Crooked
2. LLC
3. Crystal
4. JAP
5. Winchell

There are plenty of other trips and noteworthy lakes, but these 5 seem to come up frequently when talking about trip planning with the crew.