BWCAW Quota Permit — Lake One (EP30)

Lake One (EP30): what makes it different

Lake One is a paddle-only overnight entry point out of Ely with a canoe landing at the end of the Fernberg Road. It opens onto the chain of Lakes One to Four, Hudson and Insula, and it is also the east end of the Kawishiwi River route. A restricted variant, 30F, is listed as its own division on Recreation.gov.^1,2,3

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP30 as an overnight, paddle-only entry in the Kawishiwi District, run from Ely, with the access being a canoe landing at Lake One. No motors at all.^1,2

From Ely you take Highway 169 east, and it becomes the Fernberg Road. One guide calls the drive a good 15 miles, paved the whole way at 50 mph, ending at a dead-end lot. Snowbank Lake (EP27) is just back up the same road.³

You unload in a loading area close to the water, and there is a restroom on site. The landing itself is a sandy beach, and the walk from the lot to the water is 5 rods.³

The first leg

The landing sits on a wide stretch of the Kawishiwi River, not on the main body of Lake One. From the beach the lake looks like it stops, so you turn left (east) to find a small channel heading north, go through it, and turn right into open water.³

Lake One has 27-rod and 38-rod portages to Lake Two, a 44-rod portage to Confusion Lake, and a 20-rod portage down to the Kawishiwi River. Fourteen campsites are listed on the lake.⁴

Terrain and difficulty

Lake One is a reservoir. Two dams, Lake No. 1 and Lake No. 2, backed up the Kawishiwi River, so it is not a natural lake in its current form. It covers 814 acres and reaches 57 feet deep.^3,4

Only the south shore burned in the 2011 Pagami Creek Fire. A route guide notes the burn zone along the Lake Four loop is good for spotting birds and other wildlife.^4,7

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Lake One (EP30), overnight paddle: 13 groups a day. This was the most common daily total on Rec.gov across May to September 2026. The restricted 30F division showed no quota of its own on any of those dates.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Rec.gov sells a second division, Lake One #30F, described as a restricted Lake One permit. With 30F you may not camp on the Kawishiwi River west of Confusion Lake. East and south of the landing you may camp, including Lakes One through Four, Hudson, Insula and beyond.²

One guide asks that people who will not camp on the river pick 30F when it is available, so EP30 permits stay open for river trips. It says the two share one quota of 13.³

Where it leads

East of the landing, Lake Two is reached by the two portages from Lake One, and Lakes Three and Four follow without further carries. Friends of the Boundary Waters calls Lake Two a fine place to spend an evening or two.^4,6

Save the Boundary Waters lists a Lake One to Lake Four loop with a Fire Lake extension, rates it easy, and suggests a side trip to Insula Lake.⁷

What trip reports say

One July 2016 trip on Miles Paddled finished at the Lake One launch after seven days from Kawishiwi Lake, about 44 miles. The last day was 2.25 miles in roughly an hour and a quarter, after a final rapids portage into Lake One.⁵

The same trip put two nights on an island site on Lake Insula and called it the favorite stop. The writers report one day of bad wind, minor headwinds on others, and rain on the last two days.⁵

The Lake One lake page on BWCA Wild says you will not find solitude on the lake except off season. It calls Lake One one of the busiest BWCA entry points, and notes heavy fishing pressure.⁴

When to go from here

Rec.gov showed 13 overnight paddle groups a day for Lake One from May to September 2026, and the lake itself lists only 14 campsites. If you want a quieter night, plan to pass through Lake One rather than sleep on it.^2,4

Compare with nearby entry points

• Farm Lake (EP31): Farm Lake (EP31) is a boat landing that allows paddle or motor, up to 25 horsepower, while Lake One is paddle only. Farm Lake gives paddlers a way onto the North Kawishiwi River, and Lake One heads you east into the numbered lakes or west down the Kawishiwi.^1,3
• Snowbank Lake (EP27): Snowbank Lake (EP27) is a boat landing or canoe launch with a 25 horsepower limit and many trip options, reached just up the same Fernberg Road. Lake One has no motors and a 5-rod walk from the lot to a sandy beach.^1,3
• North Kawishiwi River (EP29): North Kawishiwi River (EP29) is also paddle only, but the Forest Service says you reach it through Ojibway and Triangle lakes using two portages. Lake One starts at a landing with no portage before the water.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, Lake One and Lake One #30F divisions, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Entry Point 30 - Lake One, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Lake One, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Boundary Waters Kawishiwi River, Miles Paddled. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Loop through Clearwater Lake and Lake One, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Read 2026-10-15.
7. BWCA Routes, Save the Boundary Waters. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Lake One (EP30) permit