BWCAW Quota Permit — Little Indian Sioux River North (EP14)

Little Indian Sioux River North (EP14): what makes it different

Little Indian Sioux River North is a paddle-only overnight entry on the Echo Trail with a 40-rod carry down to a boulder landing. The only way out is north down the river, through the Pauness lakes and on toward Loon Lake and Lac La Croix. BWCA Wild calls it the shortest way to Lac La Croix and warns that the Pauness campsites fill.^1,3,2

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP14 as overnight and paddle only, run by the LaCroix District in Cook, with a 40-rod portage heading north from the Echo Trail. Recreation.gov adds that many trip options open up with additional portages.^1,2

The entry sits about 39 miles west of Ely on the Echo Trail, just past EP9. BWCA Wild says it is a couple hundred feet down the road on the right. The lot is large and has a restroom, and day permits are in a box on the right side of the bulletin board.^3,6

The first leg

The portage trailhead is just right of center near the end of the log barrier. The 40 rods run mostly downhill, cross several patches of bare rock, and finish on wide steps just before the river.³

The landing is not great. BWCA Wild describes lots of boulders, and its river page calls it a mass of boulders with unstable footing. A fall 2001 Quiet Journey reviewer found the put-in wide with few mud spots but with small rocks and boulders that can scrape a hull.^3,5,9

From the landing the only route is north, downstream. The first portage on the river is Elm Portage at 60 rods, then the route opens at Upper and Lower Pauness lakes.^3,5

Terrain and difficulty

On the way to Loon Lake the river drops about 9.5 feet per mile. BWCA Wild says the section below EP14 is the busiest part of an otherwise lightly traveled river.⁵

The Pauness portages are the hard part. The Upper Pauness carry is rocky and steep with rapids, and the longest carry on the route, from Lower Pauness down past Devil's Cascade, is 160 rods. A 2005 reviewer at low water found it mostly downhill going north, with a short level stretch and a campsite overlooking the river about halfway.^5,10,7

That same reviewer said the 160-rod trail is much easier heading north than coming back south, and rated it difficult. Plan for the return carry to be the worse one.¹⁰

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Little Indian Sioux River North (EP14), overnight paddle: 4 groups a day. This was the most common daily total on Recreation.gov from May to September 2026. BWCA Wild's page prints 4 in its header and six groups in its body, so trust the booking calendar.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Recreation.gov sells EP9 and EP14 as two divisions of one river. The EP9 division text says to use EP14 for travel on the Little Indian Sioux north of the Echo Trail.²

BWCA Wild states the limit from the other direction: an EP14 permit cannot go upstream past EP9.⁵

Where it leads

Upper Pauness Lake is about 1.5 miles past the first rough-water portage, and one guide lists 8 designated campsites there, and warns that sites can move from year to year.⁷

Past Lower Pauness the river runs another 1.5 miles to open into Loon Lake, where motors are allowed and boat traffic can be heavy. One guide lays out the whole outing as 3 days and 2 nights.⁷

Devil's Cascade is visible from the portage between Lower Pauness and the lower river, just before Loon Lake. The Sioux-Hustler Trail joins the river at the Devil's Cascade portage.^3,5

BWCA Wild also names a 220-rod portage to Shell Lake as one option from the Pauness lakes.³

What trip reports say

A 2009 Wilderness Volunteers crew entered at EP14 headed for Shell Lake, found the landing on the Shell portage underwater, and camped on the north end of Heritage Lake instead. They later called East Loon Lake the best campsite in the BWCAW, with a sand beach and a long view north.⁸

On their day off the same crew paddled up Loon Lake, crossed the Beatty portage into Lac La Croix, and found faint red pictographs below the high-water line.⁸

A group of Outbound readers wrote a 3-day trip from EP14 to Loon Lake. Two paddlers reached the lake on day one, caught 6 northern pike and 3 bass on day two, and paddled out the same way on day three.⁷

When to go from here

Water level matters at the landing and at Shell Lake. A 2009 crew found the Shell Lake landing under water, and a 2005 reviewer on the 160-rod portage was there at low water.^8,10

BWCA Wild warns the place can get busy, and that Upper and Lower Pauness lakes are often busy with campsites that fill.³

Compare with nearby entry points

• Little Indian Sioux River South (EP9): EP9 is a few hundred feet back up the road, has no restroom, and takes a group every other day heading south to Bootleg Lake. EP14 has a restroom, a 40-rod carry and a quota of 4 heading north.^4,3,2
• Moose/Portage River North (EP16): Moose/Portage River North (EP16) is also north of the Echo Trail and also paddle only, but starts with a 160-rod portage, and BWCA Wild lists a quota of 5. EP14's first carry is 40 rods.^1,6
• Lac La Croix Only (EP12A): Lac La Croix Only (EP12A) reaches the same big border lake from Crane Lake, with no portages before the lake but a long open-water day. BWCA Wild calls EP14 the shortest route to Lac La Croix.^3,1

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, Little Indian Sioux North division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Entry Point 14 - Little Indian Sioux River North, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Entry Point 9 - Little Indian Sioux River South, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Little Indian Sioux River, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. BWCA Entry Points, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Canoe to Loon Lake from Entry #14, The Outbound. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Boundary Waters Wilderness, MN (2009), Wilderness Volunteers. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Entry #14 to Little Indian Sioux River (fall 2001 report), Quiet Journey. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Lower Pauness to Little Indian Sioux River (summer 2005 report), Quiet Journey. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Little Indian Sioux River North (EP14) permit