BWCAW Quota Permit — Moose River South (EP8)

Moose River South (EP8): what makes it different

Moose River South is a paddle-only overnight entry off the Echo Trail that exists mostly to reach one lake, Big Moose Lake. The carry from the car to the river is a few rods. The hard parts come after, with a long first portage and a second one into the lake, and the lake has only five campsites for a quota of one group.^1,2,3,6

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP8 as overnight, paddle only, run by the LaCroix District out of Cook. It describes a canoe landing heading south from the Echo Trail and three portages to get into Big Moose Lake.^1,2

From Ely you follow the Echo Trail west to its junction with Forest Road 464, about 32 miles out. Turn left and drive roughly four more miles on gravel that BWCA Wild says any car can handle. The small lot has room on both sides of the road, the bulletin board is on the south side, and there is no restroom.³

The Little Indian Sioux River South lot sits on the Echo Trail near Forest Road 464, and BWCA Wild notes that the Moose River landing is visible from that lot.⁴

The first leg

The carry from the parking area down to the Moose River is 4 rods, which BWCA Wild calls trivial. Everything that makes this entry hard happens on the river and at the lake.^3,5

Big Moose Lake sits a bit over two miles up the Moose River from the lake's northwest corner. The river carries you to a long first portage, then to a 64-rod portage that drops you into the lake.^6,5

Sources disagree on the long portage. BWCA Wild's entry page prints 176 rods for it, and two paddlers on Quiet Journey measured it at 166 rods, so expect somewhere in that range and plan a double carry.^3,8,9

Terrain and difficulty

Big Moose Lake covers 1,025 acres and is only 23 feet deep at its deepest, so most of it is shallow and rocky. Its elevation is 1,393 feet, the same as the Moose River's headwaters.^6,5

The Moose River runs about 12.4 miles from Big Moose Lake down to Nina Moose Lake and falls about 11 feet per mile. BWCA Wild describes the upper part as unmaintained and rarely traveled, with beaver dams to lift over, downed trees, and rapids you may need to walk around.⁵

The long portage climbs. A 2001 reviewer called it fairly easy but mostly uphill with a stretch of ledge rock, and said the last 60 rods into the lake are easy.⁸

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Moose River South (EP8), overnight paddle: 1 group a day. This was the daily total on the dates Recreation.gov listed from May to September 2026. BWCA Wild describes it as one group every other day.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Paddle only. Rec.gov's division text says to use EP16 for Moose River travel north of the Echo Trail, so an EP8 permit is the south-side entry only.^2,1

Where it leads

Big Moose Lake is the destination. It has 5 campsites, and BWCA Wild says nearly all the traffic comes through EP8. Fishing is reported as consistently good for walleye, with smallmouth bass and northern pike also listed.⁶

Leaving Big Moose by any other way means long carries: 645 rods to Cummings Lake, 490 rods to Duck Lake, or about 740 rods up the Big Moose Trail to EP76. BWCA Wild says that is why you rarely meet paddlers coming in from other routes.^6,3

What trip reports say

A fall 2001 reviewer on Quiet Journey went in at high water, rated the route average, and warned against attempting it if the river is low. He found the lake large, shallow and very rocky, with small walleye and smallmouth.⁸

A summer 2002 reviewer found the river too low in late July and walked in on the hiking trail from EP76 instead. On the way out the group hit bottom several times in both sections of the river.⁹

That same 2002 visitor met a 20 mph west wind that pushed fishing to the east side of the lake, and took a limit of smallmouth bass in about four and a half hours.⁹

When to go from here

Water level decides this trip. Both Quiet Journey reviewers tie their trips to it, one calling for high water and the other turning back to the hiking trail in late July. Check the river before you drive 36 miles of the Echo Trail and forest road.^8,9

Compare with nearby entry points

• Moose/Portage River North (EP16): Moose/Portage River North (EP16) is also paddle only but sits north of the Echo Trail, starts with a 160-rod portage, and runs down to Nina Moose Lake, a route BWCA Wild says can be fairly busy. EP8 goes upriver to a lake with few visitors.^1,5,7
• Little Indian Sioux River South (EP9): Little Indian Sioux River South (EP9) is also on the Echo Trail, 39 miles from Ely, also paddle only, and also a quota of one. It has an 8-rod carry and leads to Bootleg Lake, nine river miles away, while EP8 leads to Big Moose.^4,2

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, Moose River South division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Entry Point 8 - Moose River South, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Entry Point 9 - Little Indian Sioux River South, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Moose River, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Big Moose Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
7. BWCA Entry Points, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Entry #8 to Big Moose (fall 2001 report), Quiet Journey. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Entry #8 to Big Moose (summer 2002 report), Quiet Journey. Read 2026-10-15.
10. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Moose River South (EP8) permit