Curious if there is a way to access Gowan Lake from the north. It appears as though there is a trail / road (471) heading south down from the Echo Trail, but doesn't appear to go all the way to the lake. My guess is it stops at the BWCA border, but does a portage trail pick up from there? I have heard that there is a trail down to the lake but I don't know for certain.

Is 471 driveable by car or is it more of an ATV trail?

Is there a way to Little Indian Sioux from Gowan?

Also, I know that Trout Lake is one of the last for ice out, do you know if Gowan may go out earlier, since its smaller?

Sorry for all the questions, i'm new here.

Don’t know about the specific road/trail you are asking about. But I know mechanized travel is banned in the BWCA. Also, I know if it was easy to get to, everyone would go there.

magicmule: "Curious if there is a way to access Gowan Lake from the north. It appears as though there is a trail / road (471) heading south down from the Echo Trail, but doesn't appear to go all the way to the lake. My guess is it stops at the BWCA border, but does a portage trail pick up from there? I have heard that there is a trail down to the lake but I don't know for certain.

Is 471 driveable by car or is it more of an ATV trail?

Is there a way to Little Indian Sioux from Gowan?

Also, I know that Trout Lake is one of the last for ice out, do you know if Gowan may go out earlier, since its smaller?

Sorry for all the questions, i'm new here."

There didn't used to be a way from the north...I've bushwacked in. But who knows what's happened since I've been there last. You never know if there is a trail in there...though if there was, it would probably be illegal. I would definitely call the LaCroix ranger district in Cook and ask them.

The road is driveable--it's a USFS timber access road. Locally called "the Norway Road". There's a trail into the north arm of Trout Lake off of it. Used to be a fire tower in there. There used to be a gate at the Norway Creek crossing IIRC, that was sometimes closed.

According to Lakefinder, Gowan lake is only 13 feet deep, so it would definitely open up before Trout. I heard rumors of walleyes there which led me to bushwhack in there, but all I caught we some smallish pike.

And yes, it appears you can get to the Indian Souix. Two long portages though. I haven't been on the Gowan-Little Trout portage, though I know people have done it. The Little Trout-Souix river is over a mile, though I remember it being fairly flat.

Thanks marsonite, curious how long that trail/portage is from 471 down to the north arm? Does the north arm generally go out of ice before the main trout lake?

It's about 2 miles, with some up and down and a wet swamp crossing. Not sure if anyone hauls a canoe in that way. It's called a hiking trail, not a portage, so carrying a canoe on it might be a challenge. I went on a winter trip on it once, and I've hiked it a time or two.

Norway Trail

Thanks for the map. Looking at the aerial it appears as though there are two trails stemming from the south end of 471. Do you know which goes to the north arm, and where the other goes to? You can see them both here: https://www.google.com/maps/@48.0514779,-92.2798559,1494m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en&authuser=1

Also, you mentioned a winter trip. How did you get down 471 if it wasn't plowed?

What you are calling "trails" are actually logging roads. The first one you come to leads you to the Norway trail trailhead. The second left looks to me like a winter logging road, although if you zoom way in there look to be wet ruts--maybe a winter road that people have been using atv's on? The light areas are logging slashings.

I'll put up a screenshot of Caltopo that shows the Norway trail, and if you compare that to the Google image you should be able to figure it out.

The year I went on a winter trip up there was a light snow year, and we had a 4WD truck.

The other option for getting into that part of the BWCA is Oriniack lake. 10 or 15 years ago, you could drive to the end of the 200 road and take about a 3/4 mile portage to the lake. This led you to a part of the lake that was just barely out of the BWCA. I believe the USFS sanctioned this entry....I don't know that status any more. Oriniack got fished pretty hard in those years so people might have lost interest.

I was on Gowan some 55 years ago. Made the Portage as a youngster with adults. Took a loosely defined Portage from the North Arm. Was back in the North Arm a number of years ago and searched for the Portage to no avail. All I remember about Gowan was lots of dark golden walleyes. And being glad we did not get lost.
I walked the Portage from Little Trout to Gowan a number of years ago in what can best be described as high tide and higher bugs. Miserable.