BWCAW Quota Permit — Farm Lake (EP31)

Farm Lake (EP31): what makes it different

Farm Lake (EP31) is a boat landing outside Ely where you can paddle or motor, and where paddlers begin the North Kawishiwi River and the three-day Kawishiwi River Triangle. Its permits are split between a paddle division and a motor division, each showing 3 groups a day on Recreation.gov in 2026.^1,2,3

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP31 as overnight, paddle or motor, with a 25 horsepower limit, in the Kawishiwi District, run from Ely. The access is a boat landing on Farm Lake that also reaches South Farm Lake, and paddlers use it to get onto the North Kawishiwi River.^1,4

BWCA Wild's entry point list describes the access as a boat launch on the west side of the lake, off Highway 16 (the Kawishiwi Trail), with the nearest Forest Service office at the Kawishiwi Ranger Station in Ely.⁵

Minnesota DNR lists Farm Lake as a public boat ramp on a lake that connects to the Kawishiwi River. The listing prints no road directions, parking counts or fees, so none are given here.⁹

The first leg

On the Triangle route you cross Farm Lake from the landing to its northeast corner, where the Kawishiwi River enters. Friends of the Boundary Waters says the river there feels more like a wide lake than a river, with noticeable current only in the narrows.³

Coming the other way, a summer 2002 log of the last leg says that once the North Kawishiwi narrows, the river runs straight west to the Farm Lake entry with no more portages. Before that the log notes the river turning west past Haystack Rocks, a swift stretch in two narrows, and a Clear Lake portage in the bay south of the rocks.⁷

The first carry going upstream is a 10-rod portage on the west side of a set of rapids, described as easy and wide with good landings on both banks. A strong paddler can run the rapids instead. A separate carry to Pickerel Lake leaves from the north side of the river.⁷

Terrain and difficulty

Friends of the Boundary Waters rates the Triangle loop easy, at about 21 miles over three days, with 8 portages totaling about 541 rods. The longest is 210 rods on day one, and it is described as muddy and rocky. The two earliest carries are easier.³

On the South Kawishiwi side, short carries of 15, 15, 30 and 70 rods lead to Clear Lake, and a long portage then leads from Clear Lake over to the North Kawishiwi.³

A 2002 log of the 220-rod carry from the Kawishiwi River into the North Kawishiwi rated it difficult: narrow, rocky and steep, with a slick rock face at the first hill and a boardwalk across a muddy dip. Water was low. The lake that follows is narrow, usually gets a stiff west wind by afternoon, and is lined partly with big cliffs.⁸

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Farm Lake (EP31), overnight paddle: 3 groups a day. The most common daily total on the paddle overnight division across May to September 2026. About 23 dates in the window read 0.²
• 2026 daily quota at Farm Lake (EP31), overnight motor: 3 groups a day. The most common daily total on the overnight motor division across May to September 2026. Some dates read 1. The two divisions are counted separately and are not added together.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Recreation.gov's text for the Farm Lake divisions says motor use or even possession on South Farm Lake requires an overnight motor permit, with a 25 horsepower maximum.²

Sources differ on Farm Lake itself. Friends of the Boundary Waters says motorboats are allowed there with no horsepower limit because the lake is outside the wilderness. The Forest Service table and the Recreation.gov division text both print 25 horsepower, so plan on that limit.^3,1,2

Where it leads

The Kawishiwi River Triangle goes from Farm Lake up the North Kawishiwi, over to Clear Lake, and back down the South Kawishiwi. The first eight miles have few campsites, so cutting day one short is hard if the sites are taken. A longer day two can push on to Eskwagama Lake, and a 121-rod portage out of the south end of the South Kawishiwi reaches Gabbro and Bald Eagle Lakes.³

A 2016 fall trip listed on Paddle Planner used Clear Lake as a base for exploring the Triangle, and its author noted that starting one day later would have avoided permit fees.⁴

What trip reports say

Jim DeVries logged the stretch from Lake One to Farm in summer 2002 at low water. He called the 220-rod Kawishiwi River to North Kawishiwi carry hard and said only two campsites remained between that portage and Farm Lake.⁸

The same author found the last 10-rod carry before Farm Lake easy, with three known campsites nearby: one just south of the portage on the west side, and two close to the Farm Lake entry point.⁷

When to go from here

The South Kawishiwi is popular and gets paddlers from several entry points. In June and July Friends of the Boundary Waters says to start early to get a campsite, which matters more at Farm Lake because the first eight miles have few sites.³

Compare with nearby entry points

• North Kawishiwi River (EP29): North Kawishiwi River (EP29) reaches the same river from the other side, through Ojibway and Triangle Lakes with a 190-rod portage, and Rec.gov showed 1 group a day there in 2026. Farm Lake puts you on the river without that carry and shows 3 groups a day per division.^6,2,1
• Lake One (EP30): Lake One (EP30) is paddle only with 13 groups a day, at the end of the Fernberg Road. Farm Lake allows motors up to 25 horsepower and shows 3 groups a day, and it points you at the North Kawishiwi rather than the numbered lakes.^5,1,2
• South Kawishiwi River (EP32): South Kawishiwi River (EP32) is paddle only, and the Forest Service says its access is a 140-rod portage to the river. Farm Lake is a boat landing, and it allows motors up to 25 horsepower.¹

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, Farm Lake divisions, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Kawishiwi River Triangle, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Entry Point 31, Farm Lake, Paddle Planner. Read 2026-10-15.
5. BWCA Entry Points, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. BWCA Entry Point 29 - North Kawishiwi River, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
7. North Kawishiwi River to North Kawishiwi River - Farm, Quiet Journey. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Kawishiwi River to North Kawishiwi River, Quiet Journey. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Farm Lake boat ramp, How's Your River. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Farm Lake (EP31) permit