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Sandman2009
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Brule lake - you can paddle away from the nice boat landing by the parking lot and find a campsite. Be careful though, West side is wide open and can get treacherous, east side is more sheltered.
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Northwoodsman
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Kawishiwi, Brule, Sawbill come to mind.
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bombinbrian
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Those are east side correct? I think he's looking for the Ely side lakes
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Jackfish
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He could go to Big Lake off the Echo Trail north of Ely. It's not in the BW, but it borders it. There's an island maybe a mile(?) from the landing with a couple campsites. We camped there once and it was a nice spot. First come, first served with no camping fees.
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Michwall2
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WHendrix: "If there is someone with him who can do all of the carrying then Sawbill to Alton is a very short portage where his partner could carry all of the stuff in three or four very short trips. The portage is like a dirt or gravel road and Alton is a very nice lake with some good fishing."
Sawbill to Kelso also allows for a very short wide portage to more campsites.
Kelso is also a smaller lake that would not have the wind issues Alton presents.
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tcoeguy
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Lots of lakes fit that description. Clearwater and Sawbill Lakes are 2 that I have gone through that come to mind. They have campsites on the entry point lake and have the benefit of having an outfitter on the lake. Clearwater Lake is a good lake trout lake. I am sure others will give many more suggestions.
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gravelroad
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HowardSprague: "Not really on the Ely side, but kind of in between, is Isabella."
Isabella requires a portage (70 rods/just under a quarter mile) before you’re on the water and en route to any of its campsites.
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straighthairedcurly
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Clearwater Lake
Seagull Lake
Sawbill Lake
There are quite a few, but these are a couple I like.
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x2jmorris
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Sawbill to Alton would be my pick for you. Also if you are up to you can go a portage or two in with him carrying nothing. I went right after my disc herniation and I could only walk 50 feet before I needed a rest. It sucks but it can get you to some more isolated areas :)
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Garny
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Brule, Sawbill, Seagull, Clearwater.
East Bearskin has a super easy, flat, short portage that goes to Alder Lake. Decent fishing, too. From Alder, you can float through a small channel to Pierz most of the year.
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inspector13
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On the Ely side are Snowbank, Lake One, Moose-Newfound-Sucker, and Fall Lake entry points. Those EPs that opportunity, but are also pretty busy, and all but Lake One may have motorboat traffic.
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WHendrix
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If there is someone with him who can do all of the carrying then Sawbill to Alton is a very short portage where his partner could carry all of the stuff in three or four very short trips. The portage is like a dirt or gravel road and Alton is a very nice lake with some good fishing.
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Michwall2
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Kawishiwi Lake allows you to paddle a short distance and choose a campsite. In fact, I think there is a campsite that is walking distance back to the parking lot. Day trips down the Kawishiwi River to Square Lake would allow for some different scenery also.
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lindylair
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Lake One and Moose Lake both have many campsites accessible from the entry point without portaging and are near Ely. Fall lake near Ely also has a national forest campground and sites on the lake accessible from the entry point. 6 sites in the BWCA and a few outside of it as well. Parts of Fall are motorized, not sure how much or if all of it is .
There are two more that are not Ely but not east side either, access is from the Sawbill Trail. Homer Lake has 3 campsites on it, all nice and two are actually not in the BWCA but you wouldn't know it. The BWCA starts about 3/4 across the lake to the west. Two easy portages from there will get you to Vern (thinking daytrip with you carrying the canoe) and an awesome opportunity to explore and fish the Vern River. The other one is Kawishiwi Lake which has 7 campsites on it, most are nice.
Slim Lake (near Ely) has a very easy and mostly flat 100 rod portage to enter it and is a beautiful lake with decent fishing and 4 campsites, all pretty nice. In this case you might have to double or even triple portage it yourself with your buddy carrying little to no gear. But it would still be a pretty easy entry, especially if you only double portage it.
Another option would be Lake Jeanette campground which is a SNF campground but also has 6 dispersed sites on the lake that you paddle to from the launch. Not BWCA but similar experience. Extensive network of hiking trails nearby.
Lake Jeanette campground
Bear Head Lake State Park near Ely also has a couple paddle(or boat) in campsites and the plus with those is that they are reserveable.
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RT
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I will throw in Big Sag to the list with other. Its at the end of the Gunflint Trail out of Grand Marais. Huge lake that you can just throw the canoe into and easily take a week exploring. And the camp sites are plentiful.
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HowardSprague
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Not really on the Ely side, but kind of in between, is Isabella.
Slim Lake just has the one initial portage, rated easy from what I see on the maps.
Snowbank has some nice places to camp as well. The motorboat traffic is by no means obnoxious.
Farm Lake to South Farm Lake (there's 2 campsites) or part of the Kawishiwi (looks like there's 1 campsite within non-portaging reach).
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bombinbrian
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I have a buddy that has a bad back. He wants to take a trip, but he really can't portage. He's looking for an entry point on a lake that he could just paddle and pick a campsite, with no other portaging. Any ideas?
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VaderStrom
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On the northeastern BWCA section, I'd say East Bearskin with a very short walk to Alder would be a great option. Landings are easy and it's a well used path through the woods. A few good campsites on Alder with fantastic day trip options to Johnson Falls. You can leave your canoe and just take the hike portion to turn this into a walk through the woods and not a portage.
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billconner
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Going up Moose you can paddle into Birch. You need to get try to get a site early in busy season.
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Grandma L
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Out of Ely - Take a tow on Moose from LaTourell, paddle some on to the non-motor area and set up camp. You can always get a tow back if you make arrangements. When I had my last back surgery (fusion L3-4-5), I took a tow, stayed just on the edge of the motor side, they dropped me off and came back in 5 days to get me. Worked really well!!
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kuddus87
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Adding a few more to your list
Snowbank
Basswood
Moose
Gunflint
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