BWCAW Quota Permit — Little Vermilion Lake (EP12)

Little Vermilion Lake (EP12): what makes it different

Little Vermilion Lake is the western-edge entry from Crane Lake, open to paddlers and to motors with no horsepower limit. There is no portage before the water, because you cross Crane Lake and enter through the Little Vermillion Narrows. It is the gateway to the Loon River, Loon Lake and Lac La Croix, and it shares its lake with plenty of motorboats.^1,2,5

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP12 as overnight, paddle or motor, in the LaCroix District out of Cook, with the instruction to enter from Crane Lake. It adds that this is not the entry for Trout Lake (EP1).^1,2

Crane Lake is 27 miles northeast of Orr, reached on County Highway 23 to Buyck and then County 24. The public launch near Handberg's Marine has free overnight parking. The Forest Service page lists no restrooms or drinking water at the lake, and three backcountry campsites on Crane Lake itself.³

BWCA Wild's entry list recommends a shuttle or tow across Crane Lake to Little Vermilion Lake and the Loon River. The Friends of the BWCA route page, adapted from a 2004 guidebook, describes the paddle to Little Vermillion as taking only a few hours.^4,5

The first leg

There is no first portage. The route starts on Crane Lake, passes through the Little Vermillion Narrows to enter the wilderness, and then opens onto Little Vermillion Lake. Friends of the BWCA rates the 2-day, 18-mile outing easy, with zero portages.⁵

A 2015 party's route went Crane Lake, King Williams Narrows, Sand Point Lake and Little Vermilion on the first day, and camped on Little Vermilion that night.⁶

Terrain and difficulty

Little Vermilion is a lake route, not a river or portage route. The step up is the Loon River, which Friends of the BWCA suggests as the bigger challenge, leading to Loon Lake.⁵

On the 2015 trip the Loon River needed a portage into Loon Lake and then on into Lac La Croix. The writer said the water seemed high coming down the falls and noted Picture Rocks near the portage.⁶

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Little Vermilion Lake (EP12), overnight paddle: 6 groups a day. This was the most common daily total for the paddle division on Recreation.gov from May to September 2026.²
• 2026 daily quota at Little Vermilion Lake (EP12), overnight motor: 6 groups a day. The motor division has its own quota of 6. The two are separate pools and do not add up to 12.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Motor use or even possession needs an overnight motor permit, with no horsepower limit. On the U.S. side motors are allowed only up to the edge of Snow Bay on Lac La Croix.^2,1

EP12A, by contrast, makes you camp every night on Lac La Croix. The EP12 listing carries no such requirement.^2,1

Where it leads

Little Vermilion Lake itself is the short trip. From it the Loon River leads to Loon Lake, and Loon Lake leads to Lac La Croix, which the 2015 party used to reach Iron Lake and Crooked Lake.^5,6

An eleven-day 2015 loop used this entry to run Little Vermilion, Loon Lake, Lac La Croix, Iron Lake, Crooked Lake, Horse River, Fourtown Lake, Friday Bay and back through the same lakes to Crane Lake.⁶

What trip reports say

An October 2022 reviewer on Friends of the BWCA started and ended a 7-day trip at the south end of Crane Lake, spent two nights on Little Vermillion, and counted about 10 boats on the lake at a time with many loons. Campsites had elevated ground, some level space, good views and sand landings.⁵

The same reviewer found Crane Lake busy in late August with powerboats, houseboats and floatplanes, and said the traffic dropped off once they entered the channel to Little Vermilion. They also criticized shuttle boats running at full throttle, including a close call on the Loon River, where the river is about 40 feet wide.⁵

A September 2015 party camped on the north end of Little Vermilion by the narrows on its last night, and had a short paddle back to the car on Crane Lake the next morning. They called the fall weather great, apart from one wind and rain storm on day four, far from here on Crooked Lake.⁶

When to go from here

Late August brings the most boat traffic on Crane Lake according to the 2022 reviewer, while the September 2015 trip found great fall weather. The motor division showed a daily total of 6 on most dates.^5,6,2

Compare with nearby entry points

• Lac La Croix Only (EP12A): Lac La Croix Only (EP12A) starts at the same Crane Lake landing but requires every night on Lac La Croix and is for use only after EP12 is full. EP12 lets you camp on Little Vermilion or move on.^1,2
• Trout Lake (EP1): Trout Lake (EP1) is a different gateway off Lake Vermilion, a 60-rod canoe portage or 180-rod wheeled portage, with a 25 horsepower limit. Both the Forest Service and Recreation.gov say not to use EP12 for it.^1,2

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, Little Vermilion Lake divisions, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Crane Lake, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. BWCA Entry Points, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Exploration of Little Vermillion Lake, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Read 2026-10-15.
6. BWCA West Sept 14-24, Canoetripping.net forum. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Little Vermilion Lake (EP12) permit