BWCAW Quota Permit — Mudro Lake (EP23)

Mudro Lake (EP23): what makes it different

Mudro Lake is a paddle-only overnight entry out of Ely, reached by a short carry along Mudro Creek from a gravel-road lot beside Picket Lake. It drops you onto a deep 94-acre lake with a single campsite, and from there the route runs north toward Fourtown Lake or east toward Horse Lake and the Basswood River.^1,2,3,4

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP23 in the Kawishiwi District, run from Ely, as an overnight paddle-only entry. Recreation.gov says three accesses lead into Mudro Lake, with carries from 20 to 185 rods.^1,2

From the Kawishiwi Ranger Station in Ely, one guide has you go a quarter mile east on Highway 169, turn left on Grant McMahan Boulevard for about 2 1/4 miles, then right on the Echo Trail. After about 8 miles, just past Fenske Lake Campground, you turn right on North Grassy Lake Road.³

North Grassy Lake Road is gravel, with sharp turns and short sight lines. You stay on it past the Cedar Lake Road junction (a little over 4 miles in) and go about another 1 1/4 miles to the lot. The same guide calls the road passable in any passenger car.³

The lot sits on the eastern shore of Picket Lake and is shared with Entry Point 22. There is a restroom in the lot and an information board at the entry. The Forest Service ranger station for this entry is the Kawishiwi station in Ely, 218-365-7561 per the Recreation.gov listing.^3,2

The first leg

The first carry is about 30 rods at normal water, and BWCA Wild calls it easy. It follows the north side of Mudro Creek, which drains Picket Lake under the road and into the west end of Mudro Lake.^3,4

Water level changes the job. In low water the carry can double, with another 20 to 30 rods through marsh grass and several spots where you step into the creek. A June 2025 visit at near-normal water still had that extra marsh stretch.³

A spring 2001 paddler said the trail stays easy even in high water, and that you can float the first part of the creek if your canoe handles tight bends. A fall 2002 paddler in low water found the creek twisty, with big submerged rocks where it meets Mudro Lake.^5,6

Terrain and difficulty

Mudro is small and deep: 94 acres, 76 feet at the deepest, at 1,370 feet above sea level. High cliffs line the south shore, and three beaver lodges sit along the northwest shore.⁴

The lake has no recorded fire history. Fires were set on purpose near Sandpit and Fourtown lakes in the early 1900s to clear logging slash, and bald eagles are often seen near the gorge between Fourtown and Mudro, especially in spring.^4,3

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Mudro Lake (EP23), overnight paddle: 5 groups a day. Five was the most common daily total on Rec.gov across May to September 2026; four showed on a handful of dates. BWCA Wild also lists a daily quota of 5.^2,3

Rules specific to this entry point

A 2002 report on a paddlers' portage database says holders of an EP23 permit may not camp on Mudro Lake, and that the lake's one known site goes with an EP22 permit. That report is old, so ask the Kawishiwi Ranger Station before you plan a night on Mudro.⁶

Picket Lake, where you park, lies outside the wilderness. BWCA Wild says you can camp there without a permit.³

Where it leads

North leads to Fourtown Lake through Fourtown Creek, in three carries of 30, 141 and 30 rods. From Fourtown you can go on toward Crooked Lake or west, which BWCA Wild calls the less traveled options.^4,3

East takes you to Sandpit Lake by an 80-rod carry and on toward Horse Lake, then the Horse River and the Basswood River, which has many rapids and falls and is often busy.^4,3

An unmaintained 90-rod carry to Alruss Lake starts from Fourtown Creek between Mudro and Fourtown.⁴

What trip reports say

Three older portage-database posts, from spring 2001, fall 2002 and spring 2004, all rate the carry from the lot to Mudro easy. They give 30 rods, 30 rods and 20 rods, and one says the trail slopes gently downhill the whole way.^5,6,7

None of the three posts says anything about fishing on Mudro. The fall 2002 writer called the lake very deep and passed straight through without fishing, and the 2004 post lists onward carries to Sandpit and Fourtown.^6,7

BWCA Wild last visited on June 22, 2025. Its write-up says a lot of canoe traffic passes through Mudro, that the single campsite is often occupied, and that the entry is popular with two good routes.^4,3

When to go from here

The one campsite is on a point on the north shore (#1124) with room for a big group and wind exposure. Because it is the only site near the entry, it fills early, so a camp farther along the route is the safer plan.⁴

Water level shows up at the first carry, so spring high water and a dry late summer give you very different first hours. Check the creek before you commit to a heavy canoe.^3,6

Compare with nearby entry points

• Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22): Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22) uses the same lot and the same three accesses, but Recreation.gov says you may not camp on Horse Lake for the whole trip, and it issues fewer permits a day (2 on Rec.gov, against 5 here).^2,1
• Angleworm Lake (EP20): Angleworm Lake (EP20) is also paddle only out of Ely, but its entry is one long carry of 640 rods. Mudro starts with about 30 rods of creek-side trail.¹
• Fall Lake (EP24): Fall Lake (EP24) is a boat landing that allows paddle or motor up to 25 horsepower and opens trips to Newton, Basswood and Mud lakes. Mudro allows no motors and starts with a carry.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, Mudro Lake and Mudro Lake Restricted divisions, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Entry Point 23 - Mudro Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Mudro Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Entry #23 to Mudro, Quiet Journey portage database. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Entry #23 to Mudro, Quiet Journey portage database. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Entry #23 to Mudro, Quiet Journey portage database. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Mudro Lake (EP23) permit