This weeks entry point of the week is EP 39 - Baker Lake.

One of the first entry points I entered into, and the first moose sighting in the BWCA as Baker meets Peterson.

Please share your Baker Lake entry point experiences or ask your questions about routes.

Baker Lake Trip Reports

Baker Lake EP Map

No trips there yet, but it's on my wish list. Interested to hear what others have to say.

Took a trip out of Baker three years ago with my two sons (13 and 14 at the time). Got a later start than normal out of Baker and had to stop on Jack at the north site, which is still the worst site I've ever stayed at in the BW. The Temperances were beautiful next day and we spent a couple nights on Cherokee. Fishing on Cherokee was pretty awful.
Our original plan had us going back through Sawbill and the Fire Chain, but we decided to mix it up and head east out of Cherokee through Brule. Jasper and Cam are still some of my favorite lakes in the BW, but man are those portages tough. Short, but boulder-strewn and hilly. We wound up on Jack for our final night, just getting to the site before a nice rain. We were exhausted after those Town-Jasper-Cam-Brule portages.

I head up with some friends in late May out of Sawbill and plan to do the Cherokee loop to hit the Fire Chain. Lovely area.

For what seems to be a quiet, off the beaten path entry, there can be a lot of activity around there. I think it is used quite a bit by day trippers and the little campground located there contributes to the activity level. Once you are on the water, you leave people behind. Short portages up through the chain but they are rocky and a little tricky. Nice option to get to the Temperances and avoiding big water Brule or busy Sawbill.

This is one of my favorite paddles in all the BW. No worries about wind and waves here. You are paddling up the Temperance River. The lakes are just a series of wide spots in the Temperance river as it flows south out of the Temperance Lakes and Brule Lake.
The entry lake is shallow little affair. You barely get the paddle wet and you have to get out for the first easy portage.
The put in for Peterson Lake is still on the river. Depending on the water levels, there is a rock garden just up stream. I have been able to paddle through and I have had to get out and line the canoe (a 20' MNIII) through a maze of rocks.
Petersen Lake will give you a taste of what I meant by the lakes being just wide spots in the river. Long and narrow with lots of little bays. It seems to me that I remember paddling through the portage between Petersen and Kelly, but I might be confusing it with one of the Cone Lake portages. Anyhow it is just a mere annoyance and you are back paddling up stream again on Kelly lake.
The south end of Kelly Lake is the widest spot you will find on the river heading north. There are several nice campsites here. Stayed on one in the back of the east bay last September. To the left is the 230 rd Burnt to Kelly portage. It has some sizable ups and downs in it. If you are observant, you can find where the portage has been re-routed by the forest service to avoid one of the ups and downs.
Heading north through the narrow end of the lake is one of the prettiest paddles you will find. In the late summer. tall hills on either side frame a garden of different variety of flowering water plants. In the fall, the changing birch tree leaves mark a golden path in the sun. I love river paddles and this is one of my favorites.
Take a second and paddle up to look at the falls as the river tumbles into the northern end of Kelly Lake. (Try your hand at fishing this spot.) This is a pretty walk with a section through a dark and mossy stand of spruce.
A must do is to take a few minutes and walk back to the east and find the abandoned gold mine. From the north end of the portage, you can find a path leading that direction. There are lots of old mining items left lying about, so be careful of your step.
Jack Lake a couple of islands in the middle that block your immediate view of the peninsula campsite. In the late summer you will find a nice population of wild rice growing here. The peninsula site is the best on the lake. The bay site is only for desperation.
Weird Lake is one of the oldest feeling lakes you will encounter. There is a small campsite off to the right as you enter the lake. Have not stayed there, but because of the low ground around, I would think it might be a buggy place. The lake is another profusion of flowering water plants.
The 57 rd portage is not hard and gives you a chance to stretch your legs after so much paddling.
This little pond is one of my favorite spots along the route north. The hills are back and the twisting route gives more of the river feel I love. If my memory serves, the north shore of the pond was burned in a little fire maybe 12-15 years ago? The 240 rod portage is just long. There are some little elevation gains, but it is mostly flat. The portage follows the Temperance River. You can hear the water along much of the route.
And when you get to South Temperance Lake, the view is iconic boundary waters! It is island studded with hills to the east. Just a jewel. Maybe its because it is the end of that longer portage and I know we will be staying there, but the view from this portage end always gives me a feeling of wonder. There is a campsite up on a rock to the northeast of the portage end. Very good campsite, but I think it gets a lot of use. The other campsite we have used is way in the northwest corner. It is tucked back and you almost have to be on it to see if anyone else is there, but worth the paddle. Maybe it is just me, but I always get turned around paddling the islands on the west end of South Temperance.

Cowdoc is right. For spot with only 3 permits per day, there can be a lot of activity here. But remember that the Sawbill entry is only a day's travel away from Kelly Lake and the Brule Lake entry offers very easy access to South Temperance Lake. We have found South Temperance full in August.

I have gone from Burnt to South Temperance and from Baker to South Temperance in a medium day of paddling and portaging. But, I can also make the case for a stop on Jack Lake on your way north. Either way, if you have not been through here, put it on your list.

I used this entry for my first overnight trip early last September. (More pictures here.)

I camped on the north site on Kelly and the peninsula site on Jack. The Kelly site was nice at that time of year because there was very little bug activity. My sons spent a lot of time fishing the creek between Jack and Kelly which can be accessed from the camp site. It is near a portage so you will see and hear people using the portage during the day.

The site on Jack is elevated and also a nice site. I heard wolves howling the night I spent on Jack. I didn't catch any fish on Jack even though we went out in the canoe and tried for awhile.

I had good luck with the smallies on Kelly. Caught enough for a snack one morning and dinner one evening.



Rocks? Yes the portages are full or rocks. I will never forget the rocks.

Nice memories for me for this lake and area. Went there in 1990 with 2 of my children and the church group nearby which found themselves in a sponsor problem due to the death of a sponsor's dad. One of my kids was one year older than the age group, and the other a year younger. They were more than happy to have me as the trip would have collapsed if not for someone stepping up. Great trip including a moose sighting as he swam near weird lake. One other trip through the area some years later also.

Comment: Put-in or take-out from the Baker Entry is nicely kept. Also wide enough & roomy at landing to accommodate two parties and their gear. You essentially back your vehicle to the water from a short distance of the parking area.

Really nice area... but they all are :)

We have never gone in at Baker, but we did cover this area quite well on our long trip.

Long Trip 1992

Jack, Kelly, Weird (stayed at the campsite, had moose all around us for two days), and South and North Temperance--all some of my very favorite places in the BWCA.

mjmkjun: "Comment: Put-in or take-out from the Baker Entry is nicely kept. Also wide enough & roomy at landing to accommodate two parties and their gear. You essentially back your vehicle to the water from a short distance of the parking area. "

Sounds like the Kawishiwi Lake entry.

Did my first solo trip from this entry a couple years ago. It is a beautiful little series of lakes with good chance of some fish and wildlife. Saw my first couple Moose in the area at the north end of Jack. Hoping to get back there as I didn't get as much time as I hoped.

All BWCA trips are great... but I think the best one I've had was Baker to a basecamp on Jack with big duckling when she was 9. It was a late June trip.

From the EP to our campsite on Jack we saw 5 moose. On Jack there were 2 different cow moose with calves and a Bull hanging out on Jack that we saw many times during our 3 day stay.

We were there during a very hot walleye bite. It's the most fish I've ever caught. My daughter and I were catching double after double. It was so fast and my daughter was so happy I just put my rod down and enjoyed watching the show and manning the net.

It is busy even though the Baker EP is a fairly easy permit to get. I booked my permit for a Wed. two weeks before the trip. We planned on camping on Kelly but all sites were full and there had to be at least 20 canoes floating around on Kelly. We got the icky site on Jack, but it was open and for 2 people it was enough room. Low and buggy. On the way back to the EP on Sat. Kelly only had 1 site occupied and there were no canoes on the water.

It's a great area and one I want to get back to again. I'd like to do the Cherokee loop sometime in the shoulder seasons when it's not busy to see the parts of it that I haven't seen. I've been on Sawbill before and daytripped to Cherokee and back and I've camped on Smoke with little duckling before.

Little duckling doesn't like to do her trips where big duckling has been before... but I'm hoping I can talk her into a basecamp on Jack sometime to see if we can replicate the trip with big duckling.