Crab Lake & Cummings Lake (EP4) Gear Checklist
Crab Lake and Cummings Lake open with a crossing of Burntside Lake and then a carry of several hundred rods that every source measures differently. The writers we read were a family of three on a ten-day loop, a couple who base camped on Crab for four nights, and forum posters weighing a tow. They packed a tarp, a stove, fishing tackle for smallmouth and a second trip across the carry, and they regret a food barrel too heavy to lift alone, a tent pitched on low ground and a long hunt for the portage among the islands.
What shapes your gear on Crab Lake
- The carry from Burntside
- The Forest Service lists a 360-rod portage from Burntside Lake to Crab Lake. Other writers give different lengths. A 2007 couple saw 420 rods on the newest Fisher map and had seen 360 and 390 in print since the trail was rerouted. A 2019 family called it 408 rods, up from 370. Older reports from the QuietJourney portage database say 320.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points, BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report), Mama's Basecamp and QuietJourney
- Crossing Burntside
- The 2019 family opened with a long paddle across Burntside or a hired tow and chose the tow, after hearing about bad storm crossings and knowing an entry permit is good for one date only. A forum poster called the paddle very long, would take a tow next time, and paddled past the portage entrance three times among the islands before an island resident pointed it out. The 2007 couple also needed directions twice.
From Mama's Basecamp, BWCA.com: Crab Lake--Burntside lake access and BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report)
- Two landings on Burntside
- Forum posters named two put-ins. Most use the boat access off the Van Vac road. The other is off the Wolf Lake road, which one poster found more sheltered in a west wind. A later reply says the Forest Service removed about half of the Wolf Lake parking spots for trailer turnaround space, and that both crossings are exposed when it blows.
- Past Crab Lake
- The 2019 family went from Crab through a 19-rod carry into Little Crab, then down the Korb River and over 78 rods into Cummings. From Cummings they faced 470 rods toward Buck Lake, partly overgrown, and called the route a poor first trip for children. A 2007 couple stayed put on Crab and day-tripped to Little Crab and Korb.
From Mama's Basecamp and BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report)
- Nights and weather
- On the 2007 trip the pack thermometers read 37 degrees one morning and the evenings dropped to 43. A fire ban held all week, so dinner came off a stove. The 2019 family had rain during the first carry, hard wind on Crab that afternoon, mosquitoes at a Buck Lake camp that smoke from a fire kept down, and a soaking wet day nine back on Crab.
From BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report) and Mama's Basecamp
What the agency requires on Crab Lake
Paddle only
Entry 4 is listed as overnight and paddle only. Motors may not be used or even possessed on a paddle-only lake.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points and Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations
No cans or glass bottles
Any can or glass bottle is illegal in the wilderness, with exceptions for fuel, insect repellent and medicine. Food and drinks go in containers made for repeat use.
A bear-resistant container or a hang rope
From April 1 to November 30 food and scented items must hang at least 12 feet above the ground and not less than 6 feet horizontally from a trunk, or sit in a certified bear-resistant container. Never leave food unattended on a portage or in camp.
A small camp stove
Fires are allowed only in the steel grates at designated campsites, and a fire restriction can require a stove. The Forest Service calls a small stove a good idea for speed and for rainy weather.
Group size limit
The most allowed together are nine people and four watercraft.
What hikers carry on Crab Lake
A plan for two trips over the carry
The 2007 couple double portaged and finished in under two hours, saying the first part needs attention and the second half is a long, easy walk. The 2019 family also made double trips, and an older report from high water says two trips were needed to get everything across.
From BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report), Mama's Basecamp and QuietJourney
A booked tow or an early start across Burntside
The 2019 family hired a tow from an outfitter to avoid a storm crossing. The forum poster who paddled it himself would pay for the tow next time. The 2007 couple put in early, at calm and sunny conditions.
From Mama's Basecamp, BWCA.com: Crab Lake--Burntside lake access and BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report)
A rain tarp
The 2007 couple strung a tarp when thunderstorms were forecast, cooked and slept under it, and took it down on the last day. The 2019 family sat under theirs through a wet day on Crab and napped in a chair there.
From BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report) and Mama's Basecamp
A stove for a fire-ban week
A fire ban was in effect during the 2007 trip, so the first dinner was a steak cooked on a stove. The writer missed the campfire on the last cool night.
Fishing tackle for smallmouth and northern pike
The 2007 writer learned to hook leeches on a jig at an Ely bait shop, then caught smallmouth from 10 to 21 inches on a jig and by trolling a big-lipped lure on 4-pound line. Northern pike hit the lure in a cove too. The 2019 family found someone's abandoned skillet, grill, fishing gear and bucket at a Chad Lake camp and had no room in their packs to take it out.
From BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report) and Mama's Basecamp
Camp chairs and a reflector oven
The 2019 family napped in camp chairs under the tarp and baked blueberry muffins in a reflector oven on the first evening, then made cornbread at Buck Lake beside a fire.
From Mama's Basecamp
Drinks in plastic bottles
Because cans and glass are illegal, the 2007 couple bought their beverages in plastic containers in Ely before leaving.
Shoes that can get wet on the planks
An older report from a high-water summer found the plank walkways on the carry about a foot under water, which meant a nice soaking in boots.
From QuietJourney
Warm layers for 37-degree mornings
Late-August mornings on the 2007 trip read 37 degrees on the pack thermometers, and the family in 2019 started with a cold wind and rain on the first day.
From BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report) and Mama's Basecamp
9 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Crab Lake
A food barrel too heavy to lift alone
A ten-day, three-person barrel is too full at the start for one person, so the mother who worried about her husband's back would have had to unpack it and carry the food in portions.
From Mama's Basecamp
A tent pitched on low ground
On the last full day on Crab the tent went onto low ground in a family vote, rain came, and the tent sat in a puddle until it was moved to higher ground.
From Mama's Basecamp
Not locating the portage before paddling off
One group passed the carry three times among the islands. The 2007 couple twice paddled in the wrong direction and asked fishermen and an island resident. Landmarks from an outfitter helped them.
From BWCA.com: Crab Lake--Burntside lake access and BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report)
Taking children on a long first trip
The 2019 writer says the 408-rod carry and the longer, overgrown ones past Cummings would cause a mutiny with a first-time child.
From Mama's Basecamp
Gear questions for Crab Lake
How long is the portage from Burntside Lake to Crab Lake?
It depends on who measured. The Forest Service says 360 rods. A 2007 trip report saw 420 on the latest Fisher map, a 2019 family wrote 408, and older database reports say 320. The trail was rerouted, which is why the numbers moved.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points, BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report), Mama's Basecamp and QuietJourney
Should you hire a tow across Burntside Lake to reach Crab Lake?
People split. One family hired a tow to dodge storm risk and a forum poster who paddled it would hire one next time. The 2007 couple paddled it on a calm, sunny morning and still needed directions to the portage.
From Mama's Basecamp, BWCA.com: Crab Lake--Burntside lake access and BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report)
Are fires allowed at Crab Lake?
Fires are allowed only in the steel grates at designated campsites, and restrictions can require a stove. A fire ban held during a late-August 2007 trip, and that couple cooked on a stove all week.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and BWCA.com: Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report)
Do you need a bear canister at Crab Lake?
No, a hang is allowed. From April 1 to November 30 food must hang 12 feet up and 6 feet from a trunk, or sit in a certified bear-resistant container. The 2019 family used a food barrel.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and Mama's Basecamp
Sources
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations · Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points · Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- 2019 10-Day Family Trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness · Mama's Basecamp · Blog
- Crab Lake: A Jewel (August 2007 trip report) · BWCA.com · Trip report
- Crab Lake--Burntside lake access · BWCA.com · Forum thread
- Burntside to Crab (portage report, summer 2000) · QuietJourney, MTSabbath · Trip report