BWCAW Quota Permit — Brule Lake (EP41)

Brule Lake (EP41): what makes it different

Brule Lake is a paddle-only entry at the end of Brule Lake Road, where you can drive to the water and launch into the largest lake in the wilderness that bans motors. A gentle gravel beach, seven groups a day and a second, camp-on-Brule-only permit make it a popular base for wind-sensitive day loops.^1,2,3,4

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP41 as overnight and paddle only, run by the Tofte District, with a boat landing on Brule Lake. Rec.gov repeats that, and the lake allows no motors.^1,2

The landing is at the very end of Brule Lake Road (Forest Road 326). From Lutsen, one guide has you take County Road 4 (Caribou Trail) 17 miles, the first 7 paved, to The Grade (Forest Road 153), turn left for 1.5 miles, then turn right on Brule Lake Road for 5 miles. That works out to roughly 23.5 miles of driving from the Caribou Trail turnoff.³

The lot is fairly large and shared with the Brule Lake hiking trail and the Brule Lake Only entry. Each of the entries has its own bulletin board. There is no portage from the lot, and you can drive right to the water to unload.³

The landing is smooth, fine gravel in a small bay with shallow water, and the guide calls it a very nice launch. A restroom stands at the entry point, and the same page says it was unpleasant in warm August weather and better in spring.³

The first leg

There is no first portage. The usual departure is northwest, to the right of the landing, and Jock Mock Point lies about 2.5 miles west.³

From the lake you have four standard directions. East follows the South Brule River down to Vernon and Swan Lakes. North loops through Lily, Winchell, Davis and the Cone Lakes. West explores the Temperance River drainage, with Cherokee Lake as a day trip. A mile of road also leads to Homer Lake.³

Terrain and difficulty

Brule covers 4,272 acres, reaches 78 feet deep and holds northern pike, smallmouth bass and walleye. BWCA Wild lists 28 numbered campsites and calls it the largest non-motorized lake in the wilderness.⁴

The shore carries the history of logging, which ran from about 1919 to 1931. A 1929 slash fire burned about 25,000 acres and a 1996 lightning fire burned about 4,450 acres.⁴

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Brule Lake (EP41), overnight paddle: 7 groups a day. This was the most common daily total on Rec.gov across May to September 2026. The Brule Lake Only division showed no quota of its own on any of those dates.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Rec.gov sells a second division, Brule Lake Only, for the same landing. With it you must camp every night on Brule Lake, but day trips to other lakes are allowed. A permit for EP41 has no such limit.^2,4

Some campsites sit close to the landing. BWCA Wild warns that the site nearest it picks up vehicle noise and loud visitors, and another close site had barking dogs on one visit.⁴

Where it leads

A Save the Boundary Waters write-up praises an island campsite south of Cone Bay for sunrise and sunset views and suggests Brule for a weekend or a layover day.^8,4

For basecamping, BWCA Wild suggests a loop north through Lily, Grassy, Mulligan, Wanihigan and Cliff Lakes and back south through the three Cone Lakes. It also says the paddle between EP41 and Homer Lake (EP40) is about 1.5 miles.⁴

Friends of the Boundary Waters rates the Brule to Long Island loop challenging: four days, about 29 miles and 17 portages, with a long 176-rod carry into Davis Lake.⁷

What trip reports say

A QuietJourney reviewer in summer 2002 found Brule too windy at times, but said South Cone was sheltered enough to fish. Spinners on the east side of an island there gave three meals of 16 to 18 inch walleyes.⁶

That reviewer rated the Brule to South Cone carry easy at 10 rods, and said a 12-year-old on a first trip handled it. BWCA Wild lists the same carry as 15 rods and optional.^6,4

BWCA Wild says late arrivals can easily find a campsite, and warns that Brule is not a good lake to cross in strong wind. It notes that rapids lie just past the landing on the Temperance River portage, so you should not paddle on beyond it.⁴

When to go from here

Wind decides the day. Friends of the Boundary Waters says a west wind can build rollers too big for open canoes, advises crossing early in the morning, and tells you to plan for a wind-bound day.⁷

Compare with nearby entry points

• Baker Lake (EP39): Baker Lake (EP39) is the other Tofte District paddle entry that connects to Brule. BWCA Wild calls the Temperance River out of Baker a scenic route up to Brule, but Baker takes only 2 groups a day and its own lake has no campsites.^5,2
• Sawbill Lake (EP38): Sawbill Lake (EP38) is also a paddle-only boat landing out of Tofte. The Save the Boundary Waters write-up says you can reach Brule from Sawbill, whereas EP41 puts you on Brule Lake itself with no portage.^1,8

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, Brule Lake and Brule Lake Only divisions, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Entry Point 41 - Brule Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Brule Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Baker Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Brule to South Cone, QuietJourney portage database. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Brule to Long Island Loop, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Lake of the Week: Brule Lake, Save the Boundary Waters. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Brule Lake (EP41) permit