BWCAW Quota Permit — Island River (EP34)

Island River (EP34): what makes it different

Island River (EP34) is a paddle-only overnight entry point in the Tofte District where you put in at a wooden bridge on a gravel logging road, with no portage between the lot and the water. It is about a mile before the Isabella Lake entry point and lets you reach the same Isabella River routes. Recreation.gov showed 2 groups a day in 2026.^1,2,3

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP34 as overnight, paddle only, in the Tofte District, run from Tofte. Its access line says the Island River has two small portages leading to the Isabella River, and Recreation.gov repeats that wording.^1,2

From the North Shore you take Highway 1 to the town of Isabella and leave town on Forest Road 912, with signs at almost every intersection showing mileage to the entry points. The access road is Tomahawk Road, a gravel forest road named for a logging company that worked the area from the 1940s to the early 1960s.³

The lot sits beside the river and the wooden bridge that Tomahawk Road crosses. There is no portage from the lot. You paddle under the bridge, and the BWCA boundary is just past it. A newer bulletin board has been installed, then later moved to the other side of the lot.³

There is no restroom at the landing. The nearest is about a mile away at the Isabella Lake entry point (EP35).³

The first leg

Only a short stretch of the Island River is inside the wilderness. It runs about 1.5 miles from the entry point downstream to the Isabella River. The whole river is listed at 13.9 miles, and there are no campsites on the BWCA part of it.^3,4

The Forest Service and Recreation.gov count two small portages on the way to the Isabella River, and neither source gives their lengths in rods. A route guide from Friends of the Boundary Waters says the early carries on the Island River to Perent trip go around rapids that cannot be paddled.^1,2,7

Terrain and difficulty

The site is very exposed. BWCA Wild describes no trees, only charred stumps, grass fields and river, so wind can make paddling hard. It sits inside the 2011 Pagami Creek Fire burn, and by 2021 new trees were coming back, many 10 to 12 feet tall.^3,4

Water level swings. The July 2021 visit came in a drought with low water at the bridge, and a May 2023 visit found flood-level water from heavy snowmelt. The Isabella River below is shallow and boulder-strewn near Isabella Lake.^3,6

Some campsites on the Isabella River and Isabella Lake were destroyed or damaged by the fire, and the page notes some may have been restored. There are two campsites upstream of the entry point, but they are outside the BWCA.⁴

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Island River (EP34), overnight paddle: 2 groups a day. The most common daily total on Rec.gov across May to September 2026. About 17 dates in the window read 0.²

Rules specific to this entry point

No motors. Both the Forest Service table and Recreation.gov give the method of travel as paddle only.^1,2

BWCA Wild says that if you cannot get a permit for Isabella Lake (EP35), this entry point offers nearly the same routes to Isabella Lake and the Isabella River, so the two work as backups for each other.³

Where it leads

Isabella Lake is the usual first stop, about 1,257 acres with twelve listed campsites. Friends of the Boundary Waters suggests a first night on Isabella Lake, then the Perent River portages the next day to Perent Lake and out through Hog Creek, a trip of about 21 miles over two days that needs two vehicles or an outfitter shuttle.^5,7

Downstream, the Isabella River runs about 13.6 miles to Bald Eagle Lake, with 10 listed campsites and a longest portage of about 140 rods. The river page warns that at least 2 of those campsites may be closed.⁶

Upstream, outside the wilderness, a pictograph site with unusually large images lies about 4.5 miles from the entry point, and two portages are needed to reach it. You go the other way from the lot to find it.^4,3

What trip reports say

In an October 2024 thread on Canoetripping.net, a poster asked about put-ins at EP84, EP75 and EP34 for the Isabella River, noting that 34 goes onto the Island River. Replies from people who had paddled the river said the current flowing into Bald Eagle is not strong, that many beaver dams were reported toward the east end, and that the Snake and Little Isabella were probably very low that fall.⁸

BWCA Wild's author visited in July 2016, July 2021 and May 2023. The 2021 and 2023 photos show the same bridge at drought level and at flood level, and the author notes that the Island River's mouth meets the Isabella River about 1.5 miles downstream.^3,4

When to go from here

Wind and water decide this one. The put-in has no trees to block weather, so a windy day is hard going, and the river shape changes between a drought summer and a snowmelt spring. In fall the thread says the smaller rivers run low.^3,8

Compare with nearby entry points

• Isabella Lake (EP35): Isabella Lake (EP35) is a little under a mile further down the road and starts with a 70-rod carry to the lake. It has a privy at the lot. Island River has no portage and no restroom, and both showed 2 groups a day in 2026.^1,3,2
• Little Isabella River (EP75): Little Isabella River (EP75) is another way onto the Isabella River. Recreation.gov's text gives a 20-rod portage to that river and several short carries after it, and it showed 1 group a day in 2026, half the Island River's.²

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, Island River and Little Isabella River divisions, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. BWCA Entry Point 34 - Island River, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Island River, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. BWCA Entry Point 35 - Isabella Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Isabella River, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
7. One Way to Perent Lake, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Isabella River forum thread, October 2024, Canoetripping.net. 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 Island River (EP34) permit