BWCAW Quota Permit — East Bearskin Lake (EP64)

East Bearskin Lake (EP64): what makes it different

East Bearskin Lake (EP64) is a boat landing on the Gunflint Trail where you can paddle or run a motor of up to 25 horsepower. Only the two eastern arms of the lake lie inside the wilderness, so you share the first miles with motorboats before the carries to Alder, Moon and Crocodile Lakes. Recreation.gov showed 3 groups a day on both its paddle and motor overnight divisions in 2026.^1,2,3,4

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP64 as overnight, paddle or motor, in the Gunflint District, run from Grand Marais. Its remark says motors are allowed on East Bearskin Lake only, and not on Alder or Canoe Lakes.¹

From Grand Marais, one guide has you drive the Gunflint Trail about 27 miles to East Bearskin Road (County Road 146), where a large Bearskin Lodge sign marks the turn. Turn right, drive about a mile of gravel to the East Bearskin Lake Campground signs, turn right again, and follow the signs to the boat landing.³

The lot is big enough for BWCA groups and for motorboat trailers, with a short walk to the lake. A restroom sits between the lot and the shore, and there is an unloading area by the water. There is no portage from the lot. The Forest Service campground has its own separate lot where the road splits, and the guide suggests it as a place to sleep the night before.³

A box near the signs holds BWCA day-permit forms for day trippers. The Crocodile Lake entry point (EP66) shares this landing and lot, so the lot holds paddlers bound for different permits.³

The first leg

Paddle east from the landing. The east end of the lake splits into a north arm and a south arm, and the wilderness boundary does not start until you are nearly at the end of either arm. Until then you are on a lake that also holds motorboats, Bearskin Lodge and private cabins on the western part of the north shore.^3,4

The carries out of the lake are Alder Lake, 80 rods from the north arm and 48 rods from the south arm; Moon Lake, 103 rods; Crocodile Lake, 120 rods; and Flour Lake, 90 rods. The Crocodile carry leaves from the south shore near mid-lake and needs an EP66 permit, and Flour Lake lies outside the wilderness.^4,3

Sources disagree on which arm the Moon portage leaves from. The entry point page puts it at the north arm and the Alder carry at the south arm, while the lake page lists Alder carries from both arms. Check the McKenzie map 2 before you commit to an arm.^3,4

Terrain and difficulty

East Bearskin is about 593 acres and 66 feet deep at the deepest. Its south shore is undeveloped and mostly inside the wilderness, and the fish list runs from lake trout and smallmouth to crappie, northern pike and walleye.^4,3

The two ways into Alder feel different. A summer 2002 Quiet Journey log calls the 48-rod south carry easy and fairly flat and the 80-rod north carry steep up and down. BWCA Wild says the north carry goes over a ridge of about 100 feet and is lightly used, often overgrown, and sometimes has blowdown.^7,5

The Moon carry climbs steeply over rocky ground at first, with a set of sturdy stairs over the steepest part, then levels out and drops gently to the East Bearskin landing. A 2004 log measured it at 115 rods, while the lake pages list 103.^8,6

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at East Bearskin Lake (EP64), overnight paddle: 3 groups a day. The most common daily total on the paddle overnight division across May to September 2026. This is its own number and is not added to the motor total.²
• 2026 daily quota at East Bearskin Lake (EP64), overnight motor: 3 groups a day. The most common daily total on the overnight motor division across May to September 2026. Rec.gov also sells a separate day-use motor division for this lake.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Motors are limited to 25 horsepower and are allowed on East Bearskin Lake only. Alder and Canoe Lakes allow no motors.^1,2

A paddler who wants to cross to Crocodile Lake from here needs an EP66 permit, not an EP64 one, even though both entry points use the same landing.³

Where it leads

Alder Lake is about 529 acres and 72 feet deep with seven campsites. Campsite 708 is among the most sought after, and campsite 705 is more exposed since an October 2021 tornado damaged the area. A 2002 log counted only four campsites and praised the pines and rocky cliffs.^5,7

Moon Lake is about 148 acres and 30 feet deep with three campsites, numbered 694, 695 and 696. The western and middle sites are the better ones, and because three portages feed the lake you should expect more canoe traffic than on a typical lake.⁶

East Bearskin itself has just three BWCA campsites, numbered 697, 698 and 699. Site 697 is near the Crocodile portage, 698 on the south arm near the Alder carry and 699 at the east end of the north arm.⁴

What trip reports say

A summer 2002 Quiet Journey log by Paul Grizzell, written at high water, recommends the south arm for the Alder carry and says there was no luck fishing there.⁷

A summer 2004 log by FishDoctor describes the Moon to East Bearskin carry as average, with a steep rocky start and good stairs, and notes an eagle nest near the campsite west of the portage trail.⁸

When to go from here

Motor traffic is the thing to plan around. Motors run on the western part of the lake all open season, so a quiet start comes from leaving early and getting to the east arms. Moon Lake sees steady canoe traffic because three carries meet there.^3,6

Compare with nearby entry points

• Clearwater Lake (EP62): Clearwater Lake (EP62) is also paddle or motor, but its limit is 10 horsepower and motors are allowed on Clearwater only. Rec.gov showed 2 groups a day there in 2026, against 3 here.^1,2
• Duncan Lake (EP60): Duncan Lake (EP60) is paddle only, 2 groups a day, and starts with a carry from West Bearskin Lake. East Bearskin has no portage before the water and allows 25 horsepower motors on its own lake.^1,2,3

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, East Bearskin and Clearwater Lake divisions, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Entry Point 64 - East Bearskin Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. East Bearskin Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Alder Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Moon Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
7. East Bearskin to Alder, Quiet Journey. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Moon to East Bearskin, Quiet Journey. 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 an East Bearskin Lake (EP64) permit