BWCAW Quota Permit — Baker Lake (EP39)

Baker Lake (EP39): what makes it different

Baker Lake is a tiny paddle-only entry point up the Sawbill Trail from Tofte, with a free Forest Service campground at the landing. The lake has no campsites of its own, one narrow exit north over a portage to Peterson Lake, and a quota of just two groups a day.^1,2,3,4

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP39 as overnight and paddle only, run by the Tofte District, with a boat landing on Baker Lake. No motors.^1,2

From Tofte you follow the Sawbill Trail north. The pavement turns to dirt after a few miles, and Temperance Lake Campground is on the left about 12 miles from town. Past it you reach a signed intersection and follow the Baker Lake signs.³

The turnoff sits near a bridge over the Temperance River. You can drive down beside the water to unload, then take the car back to the parking lot. There is no portage from the lot, a restroom building stands on the left, and a bulletin board marks the start of the trail to the campground.³

The Baker Lake Rustic Campground at the landing is run by the Forest Service, costs nothing, takes no reservations and has limited services. BWCA Wild warns that it is small and may be full if you arrive late.^3,4

The first leg

Baker has one way out. You paddle north to a portage into Peterson Lake, which the Forest Service and Rec.gov both describe as a 10-rod carry to reach the first campsite. BWCA Wild measures it at 35 to 70 rods depending on the water.^1,2,4

At low water the carry gets longer and harder, and you may have to paddle a short stretch between two carries. One low-water route described on the Peterson Lake page meant paddling into the Temperance River and carrying along its riverbed until it was deep enough to float a canoe.^4,5

Peterson is a 94-acre lake with a single campsite on the east shore. A 5-rod portage at its north end leads to Kelly Lake, and that short carry can sometimes be skipped when the water is high.⁵

Terrain and difficulty

Baker covers roughly 20 acres and is about 10 feet deep. Northern pike and walleye live in it, and the Temperance River drains out the south end of the lake.⁴

The Frank Johnson Mine, from the 1890s, lies along the portage between Kelly and Jack Lakes, and the Kelly Lake sites are all strung along the south shore.^3,7

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Baker Lake (EP39), overnight paddle: 2 groups a day. This was the most common daily total on Rec.gov across May to September 2026.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Baker Lake has no campsites, so every night of an overnight trip is spent past the portage. The lake itself works only as a launch, apart from the free campground beside the landing.⁴

Where it leads

From Kelly Lake you can continue north along the Temperance River, or go west into the Fire Lakes, which are Burnt, Smoke and Flame. A 100-rod portage west of Smoke Lake reaches Sawbill Lake.³

Friends of the Boundary Waters rates the Cherokee Lake loop from Baker intermediate: four days, about 26 miles and 18 portages. The fourth carry into South Temperance is long but easy at 240 rods, and Cherokee Lake has 19 campsites.⁷

The same guide calls the stretch from Burnt Lake back to Kelly Lake the most demanding part of that loop, with repeated climbs and drops.⁷

What trip reports say

One reviewer on QuietJourney, in the summer of 1999, called the first Peterson carry 15 rods and easy at high water. It starts about a quarter mile of paddling from the landing, on the left side of the fast water.⁶

That reviewer found that windstorm-downed trees had pushed the trail a few yards downstream of where it used to be. Fallen trees also blocked the river, which ruled out riding the river back as an option.⁶

Because Baker is so small and the first carry is so variable, the three sources disagree on its length: 10 rods from the agency, 15 from the 1999 reviewer and 35 to 70 from BWCA Wild. Treat the number as a function of water level.^1,6,4

When to go from here

Water level is the thing to watch here. In drought the river section gets thin and the first carry can double up, and at very high water BWCA Wild advises caution when launching or landing at the Peterson portage. The quota is only two groups a day.^5,2

Compare with nearby entry points

• Sawbill Lake (EP38): Sawbill Lake (EP38) is also paddle only, but it opens onto a boat landing on a real lake. Baker's exit is a river and a portage, though you can reach Sawbill from Baker by a 100-rod carry west of Smoke Lake.^1,3
• Kawishiwi Lake (EP37): Kawishiwi Lake (EP37) is the other Tofte District boat landing that is paddle only. Baker adds a free campground at the water but a lake with no campsites and a 10-rod-plus carry before the first site.^1,4

Sources

1. Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permit, Baker Lake division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. BWCA Entry Point 39 - Baker Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Baker Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Peterson Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Baker to Peterson, QuietJourney portage database. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Cherokee Lake Loop, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Baker Lake (EP39) permit