Lake One (EP30) Gear Checklist
Lake One is a canoe landing with no portage at the start, but the lake itself is confusing, and paddlers have turned into dead-end bays on the way to Lake Two. The trip reports we read were mostly pushes to Lake Four, Hudson or Insula, with portage-heavy second days. Their kit was a bear barrel, a big tarp, layers for cold wind and rain, hammocks, and head nets that mattered more in some seasons than others. They also disagree on whether bugs were a problem.
What shapes your gear on Lake One
- How you start
- The Forest Service lists Entry 30 as overnight and paddle only, with access from a canoe landing at Lake One. A BWCA lake directory calls it one of the busiest entry points and says Lake One confuses many paddlers.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points and BWCAwild.com
- Getting lost on the first lake
- Two groups lost time to the lake's shape. A May 2010 couple went into a dead-end bay twice, the first time where low water hid the narrows. An early-July party turned east too soon and paddled about a mile out of the way, blaming a map split across two sheets. A third group, on a Mother's Day week trip, called the start an arabesque of narrow passages.
From BWCA.com and PaddlingLight
- First portages are not the same length everywhere
- Two trip reports put the portages from Lake One to Lake Two at 30 and 40 rods. A lake directory lists them at 27 and 38 rods, with a 20-rod carry to the Kawishiwi River and a 44-rod carry to Confusion Lake. The May 2010 couple took the northeast water route into the lake instead of three short portages, and later did three short carries into Hudson at 25, 25 and 10 rods.
From BWCA.com and BWCAwild.com
- Day-one distance
- An August 2009 family reached Hudson Lake about 10 miles in on the first day and Insula about 15 miles from the landing on the second. The May 2010 couple called 14 miles a rough first day for a newcomer, and the Insula portage from Hudson is 105 rods.
- Weather in the trip reports
- Conditions ranged widely. A May 2010 start was in the 40s F with highs in the 50s and frost at dawn. A Mother's Day week trip hit howling wind, rain and half-inch hail. An early-July party had swarms of mosquitoes at a Lake Four camp. An August 2009 family had 79 degrees on day one and a headwind for the first two days.
From BWCA.com, PaddlingLight and MPR News
What the agency requires on Lake One
No cans or glass bottles
Any can or glass bottle is illegal in the wilderness, with exceptions for fuel, insect repellent and medicine. Food and drinks go in containers made for reuse.
A bear-resistant container or a hang rope
From April 1 to November 30 food, containers, scented items and trash must hang at least 12 feet up and 6 feet out from the trunk, or sit in a certified bear-resistant container. Never leave food unattended on a portage or in camp.
A small camp stove, and a folding saw instead of an axe
Fires are allowed only in the steel grates at designated campsites, and a fire restriction can require a stove. The Forest Service says dead wood that breaks by hand or with a small folding saw removes the need for an axe, and never to cut a live tree.
Group size limit
The most allowed together are nine people and four watercraft, on water, portages and campsites alike.
What hikers carry on Lake One
A bear barrel and dry packs
The May 2010 couple carried three packs, a large vinyl dry pack, an internal frame pack for gear they wanted handy and a bear barrel for food and the cook kit. The barrel started near 45 pounds and rode on the back for portages.
From BWCA.com
A big tarp
A 15-foot tarp was what one group credited when wind and rain kept them in camp, and again when three bouts of half-inch hail came in. Tents stayed dry under it.
From PaddlingLight
Warm layers, rain jackets and hand warmers
The May 2010 couple wore rain jackets and life vests for insulation at the start in the 40s F, and handed out hand warmers after standing wet on a portage. The Mother's Day week group wore every layer plus rain suits to ride out a day of storm in camp.
From BWCA.com and PaddlingLight
A map case, and a GPS as a backup
The May 2010 husband was glad to have a case for his map while steering through islands that merged at low water. The Mother's Day week group pulled out a GPS only once in a trip of confusing narrows. An early-July party blamed a map seam for a wrong turn on Lake One.
From BWCA.com and PaddlingLight
Hammocks and straps
A 2016 Labor Day trip had everyone in hammocks, with no tents, on a Lake Three point with open ground under trees. An early-July father and son and the May 2010 couple also carried hammocks.
From Canoetripping.net and BWCA.com
Head nets and repellent, depending on the month
An early-July party fought swarms of mosquitoes while pitching tents at Lake Four. The May 2010 couple saw only a few mosquitoes and gnats and noted that Memorial Day visitors would need plenty of repellent. The Mother's Day week group had no bugs at all.
From BWCA.com and PaddlingLight
A light canoe
An August 2009 family rented lightweight Kevlar canoes from an outfitter on Lake One and still said they packed too much. One group's Kevlar hulls came back marked from the Canadian Shield rocks. The May 2010 couple borrowed a 17-foot aluminum canoe under 70 pounds.
From MPR News, PaddlingLight and BWCA.com
A fishing rod, even for a day trip
A 2016 trip fried walleye in camp, and the May 2010 husband regretted leaving his rod behind on a day trip when he saw a pike of about 30 inches caught.
From Canoetripping.net and BWCA.com
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 Lake One
A saw or hatchet during a fire ban that lifted
The May 2010 couple expected the fire ban to last, left the saw and hatchet home, and then found the ban lifted at noon the first day. The Forest Service says a folding saw is enough, so one belongs in the kit.
From BWCA.com and Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations
Sunglasses without a neck strap
A pair of sunglasses slipped into a pocket instead of onto a neck strap and went over the side. On the way out the glare hid shallow rocks until the canoe was on top of them.
From BWCA.com
Too much gear for the portages
The August 2009 family said they packed too much even with light canoes. The May 2010 couple switched to double portages after the first 30-rod carry, and the Insula portage left them tired.
Hammocks left hanging at the old camp
An early-July father and son paddled past their campsite before they noticed both hammocks were still hung between trees, and had to land again.
From BWCA.com
Camp chairs with backs
The Mother's Day week group said backed chairs were the thing they missed most after days in camp. They made do with ground-level chairs.
From PaddlingLight
Gear questions for Lake One
Do you need a bear barrel for Lake One?
A barrel is not the only choice. From April 1 to November 30 the Forest Service allows a hang at least 12 feet up and 6 feet from the trunk, or a certified container. The May 2010 couple carried a barrel, and another group did not mention one.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and BWCA.com
Is Lake One easy to get lost on?
Several paddlers say it is. A lake directory calls it confusing, and three trip groups ended up in dead-end bays or a mile out of the way. Low water made two of the wrong turns harder to spot.
From BWCAwild.com, BWCA.com and PaddlingLight
Can you bring canned drinks on a Lake One trip?
No. Cans and glass bottles are illegal in the wilderness, except for fuel, repellent and medicine.
Do you need a stove at Lake One?
The Forest Service calls a small stove a good idea and says a fire restriction can require one. The May 2010 couple's fire ban lifted at noon on their first day, but they had packed an alcohol stove anyway.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and BWCA.com
Sources
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations · Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points · Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Entry Point 30 - Lake One (trip reports incl. Insula Base Camp, May 2010) · BWCA.com, HikingStick · Trip report
- Last Day in Paradise: A Boundary Waters Trip Report · PaddlingLight, Richard Doc Gams · Trip report
- 4 man solo trip to the BWCA over Labor Day weekend · Canoetripping.net · Forum thread
- What I did on my summer vacation · MPR News · Blog
- Lake One in the BWCA · BWCAwild.com · Blog