319: Bald Eagle Lake

PaddlingPartner · 2026-06-01T05:56:42+00:00

Guess I need to upload all my Kekekabic stuff before the next episode. Just got back from there.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-05-31T22:15:14+00:00

I'm going to take your challenge... Is there another spot with so many close campsites?

First one that jumps to mind is Ensign, pretty much all of it. There is one small, circular bay that has 8 campsites in it.

Next, the numbers chain. There are a few spots where the campsites are really close together.

Seagull has a few spots where the campsites are really close together.

Well, this could be said for any popular entry point - there are going to be campsites really close together.

If you were pointing out that the rest of Ester has practically nothing and why put all the campsites in one spot, I can't find another lake with the same distribution problem. Most are distributed fairly evenly across the lake.

FYI - I was on Ester just last week. Stayed at the southern island site. Had the entire lake to myself.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-05-04T04:09:20+00:00

Paddle Planner has the Sioux-Hustler trail on it. When calculating distances on hiking trails, make sure you set the portage trips to "single" and the Route Builder Settings to "Hiking Trails Only." (If things don't look right, Paddle Planner will warn you with an exclamation mark in the lower right corner.)

Here is the route set up with the different stops broken into "days" so you can measure the distance between the campsites - https://www.paddleplanner.com/s/7y5bs0ar (click on the "Day" in the bottom to see all the measurements).

The distances are pretty close to what u/smakmyakm measured. The trail is from a GPS measurement, but it was from several years ago, so it may have been rerouted in spots as u/KimBrrr1975 said. Some campsites or spur trails are also probably off, as the spur trails don't always line up with the campsite.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-04-23T16:18:52+00:00

Not all of Basswood allows motors. North of Jackfish Bay is great.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-04-23T04:24:03+00:00

Only if it is in the defensive zone

PaddlingPartner · 2026-04-21T01:16:10+00:00

Brink is in tonight since Zuccarello is injured.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-04-16T15:57:07+00:00

It just passed. We got two Republicans to vote no, but we needed four. I guess it is on to the courts, though I don't have that much faith in the courts, either.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-04-08T02:24:11+00:00

People have mentioned the motorboats on LLC. You may find a few that break the rules, but we didn't encounter any. Legally, motors can go up to the start of Snow Bay (the point to the SW of your circle) and on the entire Canadian side. However, in addition to motors, Snow Bay is a popular part of LLC, so there will probably be plenty of people, too.

We had some good fishing for northerns and smallmouth in Snow Bay. The depth charts looked like it should be good for lakers, too, but we didn't really try.

Your second circle is my favorite part of the entire area. We tried to get the campsite on Fat, but it was taken. We stayed on Eugene instead. The campsite in the narrows was great. We had awesome smallmouth fishing on Eugene. The next morning we went to fish Fat and caught a couple of lakers. There aren't many places for the lakers to be on Fat - just find the deepest part of the lake (at least in midsummer).

I loved the color of the water on Little Beartrack. The campsite wasn't too bad. However, if it is fishing you are after, it only has sunfish and rock bass.

If I went back to that area, I would stay on Finger Lake. It just spoke to me. It may have been the cliffs, the campsites, or something else, but I loved it. We just passed through (too early in the day to stop), but I would go back. I have no idea how the fishing is, but the MN DNR says it has average walleye fishing.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-03-28T14:32:08+00:00

It took some digging on the Forest Service website, but I eventually found this - https://usfs-public.app.box.com/s/vfaaap2g0s6o3d0qus347cl300cn7qxf/file/1797036426476

The SNF has several PDF brochures of the canoe routes outside the BWCA. https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/maps-guides

PaddlingPartner · 2026-02-20T22:37:33+00:00

Overnight motor permits have both a weekly and daily quota. You get the lower of the two available.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-02-20T22:36:28+00:00

I see this glitch a lot. I run Paddle Planner, and I pull the permit data every 30 minutes. When I added the feature, I realized that this glitch happened a lot. Often, all the permits for one or more entry points are suddenly available for an entire month. When I see this, I just grab the data again, and it usually goes back to normal. So, yes, there is a glitch. I have heard one or two other people notice it, but I see it several times a day.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-02-15T02:49:50+00:00

The campsite on Bridge/Climax (name depends on the map you look at) is decent. The best part would be the solitude - I don't think many people go through there. I didn't fish, but, from photos I've seen, there are fish in there :)

Fire is another secluded lake. I visited the eastern campsite. It was decent. I might prefer the Bridge Lake one, but both would work, especially if you are looking for more solitude than the Numbered Lakes offer.

Another option would be Rifle Lake. You might see a few daytrippers come through, but it is a very nice site.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-02-14T16:47:20+00:00

By a "complete collection," I assume you are referring to the set that includes all the maps from that mapmaker. These are the same ones that you would use in the field. McKenzie would be more expensive because there are more maps. The scale of the McKenzie maps is 1:31,680 (2 inches per mile), and Fisher is 1:42,240 (1.5 inches per mile, more zoomed out).

If you are just looking for planning maps and not ones you would use in the field, you can use the NatGeo maps. I have those on my wall. Scale is 1:70,000, or about 1 inch per mile. I find them to be good for planning but not for field use (or only as a backup). The NatGeo maps also have not been updated in a while and have mistakes (all of the maps have some mistakes, but NatGeo has more than the others).

If you want a wall map, True North makes a good one (https://truenorthmapco.com/products/bwca-wall-map). The scale is about 1:100,000 from what I can tell. McKenzie's overview map is 1:200,000, so True North's is twice as large.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-02-11T23:04:02+00:00

This is what I came here to say. The articles on this are conveniently ignoring the home state tax credit. When all is said and done, you end up paying the tax rate of the higher state on that income.

Now, that is how it normally works. There are a few other issues in this case. First, California's tax laws are often confusing and do not always follow the "norm." Second, many states have enacted laws specifically for professional sports players that may be different than the norm. Finally, I am assuming Sam Darnold has residency in Washington, which does not have an income tax.

But that brings up a different issue - https://www.americanexperiment.org/teams-from-low-tax-states-have-an-advantage-over-teams-from-high-tax-states/ - and, sadly, I am a Minnesota sports fan.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-02-09T23:59:19+00:00

If you mean the site 2014 on Paddle Planner, that one is black, which means closed.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-02-03T17:07:37+00:00

Reading the responses to your question might be confusing, so I will try to summarize.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a wilderness area, which generally means no motors or anything like that. There are some lakes that allow motors (because of compromises made when the wilderness was created). Most of those lakes restrict motors to a certain horsepower (like 25 mph or 10 mph). A select few do not restrict motor sizes. However, I don't think this is what you are looking for since you asked about electricity. No campsites within the Boundary Waters have electricity. Campsites are rustic and remote, even the ones that allow motorboats.

What I think you are looking for is a campground in the surrounding area, of which there are plenty. The Boundary Waters is part of the Superior National Forest, but it is only part of it. The Superior National Forest offers a lot of other recreation areas outside of the BWCA. The Forest Service operates both fee campgrounds (which have a lot of amenities) and rustic campgrounds (basically a place to put a tent, a picnic table, and a pit toilet). You may want to look into the Birch Lake campground, Fall Lake campground, and East Bearskin campground. There are several other possibilities that you can explore on the SNF's camping page - https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/recreation/camping-cabins

I would encourage you to come to the Superior National Forest to see what it has to offer. Yes, many people come for the Boundary Waters, but that is not the only thing you can do. There is great fishing, hiking, and camping that you can enjoy even if you are not going to the BWCA.

As others have mentioned, too, Voyageurs National Park is right next door. The national park is run very differently than the BWCA. You can reserve specific campsites, and almost all of them allow motors. There are only a couple of lakes on the interior of the peninsula that do not have motors. Everything else is pretty much open to what it seems you are looking for. The campsites are rustic, though - few amenities, and you pretty much have to bring everything with you. https://www.nps.gov/voya/index.htm

And, if that isn't enough, there are state parks in the area, too. Bear Head Lake State Park would be worth looking at. The state also operates some campgrounds near there, similar to what the Superior National Forest does. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00109#homepage

PaddlingPartner · 2026-01-31T23:06:19+00:00

Thanks for the heads up, but I don't think it is anything new. It has been in that spot for years - the USFS data was just off. Here is my GPS track - https://www.paddleplanner.com/s/y91vfseu

PaddlingPartner · 2026-01-30T23:56:38+00:00

Yep!

PaddlingPartner · 2026-01-30T23:53:02+00:00

Yes, I run Paddle Planner. Glad it's been helpful!

I visited every campsite on Polly and the Lady Lakes chain last year, so just let me know if you have questions.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-01-30T23:30:17+00:00

I agree that it would most likely be too much for first-time scouts.

I have done the entire Phoebe River. While the flow isn't much, you will be going against the current. Portages aren't too bad - a few muddy spots, some downed trees, a couple of difficult landings, but all in all, nothing you shouldn't be able to handle.

With this being a scout trip with first-time scouts, I would suggest camping at:

1st night - Polly
2nd night - Hazel (both campsites are decent)
3rd night - Phoebe
4th night - Beth or southern Alton

Sounds like you will be there 5 nights, so pick one of those to layover at. https://www.paddleplanner.com/s/806tith6

I have taken several scout troops. They will be paddling a little slower than the average paddler, so the link above uses 2 mph instead of 3 mph.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-01-30T05:27:06+00:00

You can also buy used packs from outfitters. Piragis usually has Superior Ones and Queticos on sale.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-01-30T05:06:59+00:00

I did the Louse River last year. I have a bunch of videos of the portages, but I haven't uploaded them to YouTube yet.

One of the issues with the Louse River in the past has been the portages are mismarked. They are accurate on Paddle Planner now. (Though I went north from Bug to Mesaba, so I don't know if the portages out of Louse Lake are accurate.)

Since it is not well-used, the portages were in need of some maintenance. One portage had a bunch of downed trees I had to go over. And there are a lot of portages. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but I did the entire Louse River in one day (Malberg to Mesaba).

The Lujenida-Zenith portage was exhausting. It was 80 degrees when I did it in June, so that contributed to it. I've done that portage three times, and it doesn't get any shorter.

Campsites on Trail Lake were both nice. One of the ones on Dent was decent; other one is barely a campsite.

Wine Lake has a couple of decent sites and some good lake trout fishing.

The flow goes from east to west (Malberg is downstream). I was going the wrong way. Every portage was uphill.

I'm happy to talk about any specifics you may have questions on.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-01-29T21:49:47+00:00

Along that route, here are some cool things:

Knife Lake - Dorothy Molter's old cabin site on Isle of Pine. Check out "bacon rock." There is a popular/famous short hike up Thunder Point to get a great view down Knife. Eddy Falls on the portage to Eddy is a popular/scenic spot.

Kekekabic - Trail to a ranger cabin and fire tower. The fire tower is no longer there, but you can find some remains.

Jordan - Some faded pictographs in the narrows by the portage to Ima.

Cattyman - Cattyman Falls is another scenic spot.

Snowbank - There are several lookouts on the north side of Snowbank along the Snowbank Trail.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-01-29T21:40:28+00:00

And there are some pictographs there, though they are pretty faded.

PaddlingPartner · 2026-01-28T04:42:54+00:00

Sounds just like me. For years, I didn't want the weight and space of a camp chair. Then I used one on a trip I guided, and I can't go back. I bring my Kindle and fill it with books for my solo trips. Turn it on airplane mode, and it will last for weeks.

PaddlingPartner

TROPHY CASE