GORP - Boundary Waters - Paddling: From Moose Lake

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Boundary Waters
Paddling: From Moose Lake
By Robert Beymer

Excerpted from
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Vol. 1
by Robert Beymer

Location: Moose Lake is located sixteen miles northeast of Ely, a scant four miles south of the Canadian border. To get there, follow the Fernberg Road 16 miles from the International Wolf Center to Forest Route 438 (Moose Lake Road). Turn left and drive north on this good blacktopped road for nearly three miles to the Public Landing and large parking area.

Daily Permit Quota: 27

Description: A good public campground is at Fall Lake, just off the Fernberg Road, about 13 miles toward Ely. This offers a good place to spend the night prior to your canoe trip. There is a fee.

Getting to Moose Lake

Moose Lake is by far the busiest of all entry points into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. On more than one occasion I have passed well over 100 canoes on the Moose chain of lakes, and that includes neither those paddling in my direction nor the many motorboats used by fishermen in the area! Of the 3,410 permits issued in 1992, 16 percent were issued to groups using motors. This was due in large part to the fact that the Moose chain is one of two major routes to the ever-popular Basswood Lake (the other is from Fall Lake). Motorboats are limited to 25 hp. It is also the quickest link to Canada's Quetico Provincial Park, and that accounts for many of the paddlers using this busy entry point — the quickest access to Canadian Customs at Prairie Portage. Many resorts, outfitters, and private cabins are located at the southwest end of the lake, and most of the once good campsites on the chain are now closed due to overuse.

Nevertheless, if all of these facts do not drive you away, you will find that the busy Moose Chain does lead you to some of the most beautiful, interesting, and peaceful lakes and streams in all the BWCA. Don't expect to experience total solitude anywhere on either of the routes suggested below between Memorial Day and Labor Day, but, if sharing"your" lakes with other nature lovers doesn't bother you, you'll surely find these routes delightful.

Entry from the Fernberg Road

The Fernberg Road is probably known by more visitors to the BWCA than any other highway. Three of the six most popular entry points for the entire wilderness are served by this road, including Moose Lake, the most heavily used entry point in all the BWCA.

To get there, follow State Highway 169 northeast from the International Wolf Center in Ely, past the small town of Winton, and across the Lake County line. This highway becomes the Fernberg Road, an extension of Highway 169 into Lake County.

The road surface is blacktop all the way to its end at the Lake One landing. Generally, it is a good road, with relatively few sharp curves. Locals who are familiar with the road drive it quite fast, so beware . . .

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