Fall Lake (EP24) Gear Checklist
Fall Lake is the busy, easy door into the Boundary Waters from Ely. It is a motor lake, the portages to Newton Lake and Pipestone Bay allow wheels, and most trips head for Basswood Lake with day-trip crowds and boat noise for company. People who write about it carry for wind on open water, rain on the long days to Jackfish Bay, and bugs and bears at camp, and they plan around Fall Lake campsites filling up early.
What shapes your gear on Fall Lake
- Motors and wheels
- Fall Lake, Newton Lake and most of Basswood Lake allow motors up to 25 horsepower, and portage wheels are allowed over the Fall, Newton and Pipestone portages into Basswood. Day motor permits are sold for Fall Lake only, or for Fall, Newton and Basswood together.
From USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points
- How long the portages are
- Sources do not agree. The first carry from Fall Lake into Newton Lake is given as 40, 80 or 83 rods, and the second carry into Pipestone Bay as 85 or 90 rods. A forum poster who has done the trip says both are easy, and a 2004 portage entry calls the Newton to Fall carry wide and well traveled but a little rocky and hilly. Check a current map.
From Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, Boundary Voyage, BWCAwild.com, BWCA.com: Fall Lake to...Pipestone Bay (Trip Planning Forum) and QuietJourney
- Wind on Fall Lake
- A paddler who posted an 11-day solo trip from Fall Lake in June 2010 met a south wind on the last day that put 2 to 3 foot waves on the Fall Lake shore. A guide who fishes Basswood says wind is usually strongest at midday.
From BWCA.com: Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days) and Boundary Voyage
- Camps close to the landing
- Eight designated campsites sit on the northern quarter of Fall Lake and suit a first or last night. They are often taken in busy weeks, so arrive early. Newton Lake has two designated sites on this route.
- Boat traffic
- Posters on the bwca.com forum say Pipestone Bay has a lot of boat and motor noise and traffic. Motorboats are not allowed past the narrows where Jackfish Bay and Pipestone Bay meet, so that is where the paddle-only water starts.
From BWCA.com: Fall Lake to...Pipestone Bay (Trip Planning Forum) and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
- Water and bears
- The Forest Service planner says to treat all drinking water by boiling, filtering or a chemical made for the job. It also says never to leave food unattended on portage trails or in camp, and to use a bear-resistant container or a rope to hang food packs.
From USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: BWCAW Trip Planning Guide
What the agency requires on Fall Lake
A quota permit for overnight trips
From May 1 to September 30 a quota permit is required for any group camping overnight, and for any day visit with a motorboat. The group enters on the date and through the entry point written on the permit, and the leader collects it either one day ahead or on that morning.
From USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: BWCAW Trip Planning Guide
No cans or glass bottles
Having any can or glass bottle with you is against the rules. Fuel, bug repellent and medicine may stay in their own containers. Pack food and drinks in containers made for repeated use.
A life jacket for every person
Minnesota law requires one wearable Coast Guard-approved life jacket on board and within reach for each person in the canoe or boat.
From USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: BWCAW Trip Planning Guide
A group of nine or fewer in four or fewer boats
The group limit applies on the water, on portages and in camp. All members of a permit group camp together, in one designated campsite with a steel fire grate and a latrine.
What hikers carry on Fall Lake
Portage wheels for a heavy boat or a lot of gear
Wheels are allowed on the Fall to Newton to Pipestone carries. A forum poster says the carries are very easy and could almost be driven over. A fishing guide pushes a 16 foot boat over them on wheels, though the second carry has a hill he calls heart attack hill.
From BWCA.com: Fall Lake to...Pipestone Bay (Trip Planning Forum), Boundary Voyage and USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations
Rain gear in the pack, whatever the forecast
A veteran on the forum told a first-timer heading to Jackfish Bay and Basswood Falls to bring lunch, rain gear and an early start. The 2010 solo paddler met rain on the first evening and again on the second day.
From BWCA.com: Fall Lake to...Pipestone Bay (Trip Planning Forum) and BWCA.com: Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days)
A tent that goes up fast and a rope for the food bag
When storms moved in on the first evening, the solo paddler hurried to pitch a dry tent and hang the food bag high before the rain. He found two snapped saplings near that bag the next morning and guessed a bear had passed.
From BWCA.com: Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days) and USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: BWCAW Trip Planning Guide
A water filter
The solo paddler mixed filtered water into his breakfast and drinks on the trip. The Forest Service planner asks everyone to treat water against giardia.
From BWCA.com: Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days) and USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: BWCAW Trip Planning Guide
Cord for field repairs
Extra lanyard fixed a broken boot zipper and later the suspenders on his rain pants on the same trip. It weighs almost nothing.
From BWCA.com: Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days)
Pliers, gloves and a steel leader for pike
A Basswood fishing guide carries needle nose pliers and gloves to get a lure out of a pike without cutting a hand, and uses a steel leader after losing too many lines. The solo paddler also caught pike on his Basswood Lake trip, and his reel froze up one cold day until a little olive oil freed it.
From Boundary Voyage and BWCA.com: Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days)
Insect repellent
The solo paddler wrote that the mosquitoes told him it was bedtime at 9:30 on a still-bright June night. The Forest Service planner suggests a repellent with 20 to 30 percent DEET.
From BWCA.com: Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days) and USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: BWCAW Trip Planning Guide
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 Fall Lake
Waiting to find a campsite in the afternoon
The Fall Lake and Newton Lake sites fill with day-trippers and motorboat fishers. A paddler heading home told the solo traveler to grab the first campsite that no motorboat had claimed, and the route guide says to arrive early.
From Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and BWCA.com: Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days)
Paddling open water in the afternoon wind
On the way back the solo paddler crabwalked the canoe along the shore of Fall Lake past Mile Island because the waves were so big. A Basswood guide says wind peaks around midday and schedules his canoe fishing for morning and evening.
From BWCA.com: Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days) and Boundary Voyage
Counting on quiet
Forum posters warn that Newton Lake and Pipestone Bay carry motorboats and anglers, and one says fishing below Pipestone Falls draws lots of boats and lots of people. A group that wants silence should plan to pass the narrows into Jackfish Bay.
From BWCA.com: Fall Lake to...Pipestone Bay (Trip Planning Forum) and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
Gear questions for Fall Lake
Can I use portage wheels from Fall Lake to Basswood Lake?
Yes. The Forest Service allows wheels over the Fall, Newton and Pipestone portages into Basswood Lake, and a forum poster calls both carries very easy.
From USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and BWCA.com: Fall Lake to...Pipestone Bay (Trip Planning Forum)
Are there motorboats on Fall Lake?
Yes. Fall Lake and Newton Lake allow motors up to 25 horsepower, and so does most of Basswood Lake. Motorboats are not allowed past the narrows at the meeting of Jackfish Bay and Pipestone Bay.
From USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness
Do I need a permit to camp overnight from Fall Lake?
Yes. From May 1 to September 30 an overnight group needs a quota permit for its entry date and entry point, and the leader collects it one day ahead or on the morning of entry.
From USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest: BWCAW Trip Planning Guide
How long are the portages from Fall Lake to Pipestone Bay?
Sources give different figures. The first carry into Newton Lake is listed as 40, 80 or 83 rods, and the second into Pipestone Bay as 85 or 90 rods. Both are described as easy.
From Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, Boundary Voyage, BWCAwild.com and BWCA.com: Fall Lake to...Pipestone Bay (Trip Planning Forum)
Sources
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations · USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest · Agency
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points · USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest · Agency
- BWCAW Trip Planning Guide · USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest · Agency
- Fall Lake to...Pipestone Bay (Trip Planning Forum) · BWCA.com · Forum thread
- Trip report, Fall Lake entry, June 2010 (solo, 11 days) · BWCA.com, walleyed · Trip report
- Exploration of Basswood Lake · Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness · Blog
- The Best Boundary Waters Fishing Experience: Exploring Basswood Lake · Boundary Voyage · Blog
- BWCA Entry Point 24, Fall Lake · BWCAwild.com · Blog
- Newton to Fall (portage database) · QuietJourney, Portage Man · Forum thread