BWCAW Quota Permit — Magnetic Lake (EP57)

Magnetic Lake (EP57): what makes it different

Magnetic Lake is the Gunflint Trail entry for the Granite River route to Saganaga Lake. You launch from a public ramp on big, motorboat-friendly Gunflint Lake, paddle just under a mile north into the wilderness, and then follow the river through the 2007 Ham Lake burn. Three permits a day are sold.^1,2,3

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP57 as overnight paddle only, in the Gunflint District, with access to Magnetic Lake and the Granite River from Gunflint Lake. Rec.gov's text says the same.^1,2

BWCA Wild gives the drive as about 43 miles up the Gunflint Trail (County Road 12) from Grand Marais, then a right onto South Gunflint Lake Road (County Road 50), a few hundred feet past the Gunflint Lake overlook. Follow the gravel half a mile to the Gunflint Lake public water access and turn left into the lot.³

The lot is ample, with room for paddlers' cars and boat trailers, and there is a restroom near the back. You can unload right at the lake. The page asks drivers to leave room for trailers, because the ramp is sometimes busy. Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters is about 500 feet down the road.³

A box at the far right of the entry sign holds day permits for day trips.³

The first leg

There is no portage from the lot. Magnetic Lake lies just under a mile almost due north of the landing and can be paddled into directly through a narrows. If the wind is up on Gunflint Lake, BWCA Wild suggests hugging the shoreline, which makes the paddle longer.^3,7

North of Magnetic the route follows the Pine River. BWCA Wild lists a 15-rod portage to Magnetic Lake and a 100-rod portage to Clove Lake, called the Pine Portage across Pine Island. Little Rock Falls is the most scenic short carry.⁵

Terrain and difficulty

Gunflint Lake is 4,009 acres, about 200 feet deep, and sits at 1,544 feet. It runs about 12 miles east to west along the Canadian border and is outside the wilderness, so motors are allowed on all of it. BWCA Wild says its size and orientation can build big rolling waves.⁴

Past Magnetic Lake you enter many miles of forest burned by the 2007 Ham Lake Fire. BWCA Wild says the burn reaches nearly to Saganaga Lake.^3,6

Friends of the Boundary Waters calls the Granite River Journey to Saganaga easy: three days, about 22 miles, 11 portages totalling 391 rods, the longest 115 rods. It warns that low water in late summer and fall can change the route a lot.⁷

The Granite River runs about 10 miles from Clove Lake to Saganaga Lake and drops only about 30 feet. The Swamp Portage, between Granite Lake and Granite Bay, is muddy after rain even with boardwalks over many sections.⁶

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Magnetic Lake (EP57), overnight paddle: 3 groups a day. This was the most common daily total on Rec.gov across May to September 2026. About 22 July dates read zero when checked.²

Rules specific to this entry point

No motors on the permit. Rec.gov lists the method of travel as paddle. Motorboats are common on Gunflint Lake before you reach the wilderness, because that lake lies outside the wilderness boundary.^2,3,4

Where it leads

The river route is Magnetic, Clove, Gneiss, Maraboeuf and then Saganaga Lake. Clove Lake is where Friends of the Boundary Waters suggests a first night, and Larch Lake, a portage east of Clove, has three more sites and is quieter.⁷

On the Granite River, Gneiss Lake has several campsites and Maraboeuf Lake about half a dozen. The Maraboeuf area usually has the heaviest canoe traffic on the river.⁶

Gunflint Lake has six campsites. The Paulson Mine trestle once crossed the narrows to Magnetic Lake and its pylons are still visible underwater.⁴

What trip reports say

In a 2013 trip planning thread on the bwca.com forum, a first-time couple planned this route in early August. Replies said the portages follow the river, so you travel with the current. One poster counted four from Magnetic to Clove, one of about 110 rods and the others short.⁸

Posters in the same thread called the carries rocky more than long, with steep ups and downs that get tricky when wet, and said good shoes matter. One warned that skipping portages left a wet, bailing-heavy canoe.⁸

One family of six took about 3.5 to 4 hours to get to Clove. Several posters said to start early because Gunflint is large and gets rough in wind, while Magnetic is moderate and the river north of it is sheltered.⁸

The southwest campsite on Clove drew praise, as did Little Rock Falls as a swim spot, though one poster said it gets crowded. Another mentioned that the first carry north of Little Rock Falls is hard to spot, and to watch for the border marker.⁸

When to go from here

Water level changes this route more than most. Friends of the Boundary Waters says low water in late summer and fall can drastically alter its character.⁷

A poster in the bwca.com thread said blueberries were plentiful on several portages in July, and a mid-August trip found few.⁸

Compare with nearby entry points

• South Lake (EP58): South Lake (EP58) also launches from Gunflint Lake, but the Forest Service describes a 10-mile paddle and two short portages before the lake. Magnetic Lake is under a mile from the landing.^1,3
• Saganaga Lake (EP55): Saganaga Lake (EP55) is the other end of the Granite River route. The Forest Service lists it as paddle or motor with a 25 horsepower limit and no motors west of American Point, while Magnetic Lake is paddle only.^1,7
• Seagull Lake (EP54): Seagull Lake (EP54) is a large lake with several campsites, entered at a landing on Seagull. It allows motors of 10 horsepower except in paddle-only areas, unlike Magnetic Lake.¹
• Larch Creek (EP80): Larch Creek (EP80) is also paddle only and is entered from the canoe landing at Larch Creek, not from Gunflint Lake. A Larch Lake side trip from Clove is the quiet option on the Granite River route.^1,7

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, Magnetic Lake division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Entry Point 57 - Magnetic Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Gunflint Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Pine River, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Granite River, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Granite River Journey to Saganaga, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Read 2026-10-15.
8. BWCA Magnetic Lake - 57 (Trip Planning Forum thread, 2013), BWCA.com forum. 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 a Magnetic Lake (EP57) permit