BWCAW Quota Permit — Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22)

Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22): what makes it different

Mudro Lake Restricted is the same lot, the same 30-rod creek portage and the same lake as EP23, with one difference that matters: a permit for EP22 does not let you camp on Horse Lake. The quota is 2 groups a day, against 5 for EP23. You start at Picket Lake's east shore and walk down Mudro Creek.^1,2,3,7

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP22 as overnight, paddle only, run by the Kawishiwi District in Ely. Three accesses into Mudro Lake have portages of 20 to 185 rods, and the stated restriction is no camping on Horse Lake.^1,2

From the Kawishiwi station on the east end of Ely, BWCA Wild sends you a quarter mile east on Highway 169, then 2.25 miles on Grant McMahan Boulevard to the Echo Trail, and right on the Echo Trail about 8 miles to North Grassy Lake Road just past Fenske Lake Campground. Follow North Grassy Lake Road a little over 4 miles to the Cedar Lake Road junction, then about 1.25 miles more to the lot.^3,4

The gravel road is passable in a passenger car, with ruts, washboard and several sharp turns that limit sightlines. The lot sits on the east shore of Picket Lake and has a restroom and an information board. EP22 and EP23 share a sign, the lot and the restroom.^3,4

The first leg

The portage is about 30 rods at good water, following the north side of Mudro Creek. The first half is a maintained gravel trail and the landing is on the creek. BWCA Wild says that at low water the carry more than doubles, adding 20 to 30 rods through tall grass and semi-boggy ground.^3,5

Mudro Creek runs about half a mile from Picket Lake to the west end of Mudro Lake and drops less than a foot. Late in the year you may walk much of it, over a muddy makeshift trail, and BWCA Wild lists an intermittent 2-rod liftover and extra carries around rocky sections for a loaded canoe at low water.⁵

Picket Lake is outside the wilderness, so you can camp there without a permit.^3,5

Terrain and difficulty

Mudro Lake is small: 94 acres and 76 feet deep. It has one campsite, number 1124 on the north shore, which BWCA Wild says is often occupied because a lot of canoe traffic passes through.⁶

Past Mudro the route to Fourtown Lake is three portages on Fourtown Creek. BWCA Wild lists them at 30, 141 and 30 rods and says the first is very rocky and the middle one has large elevation changes. A 2010 party measured the last carry at 10 rods and found it ended at a steep cliff.^6,8

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22), overnight paddle: 2 groups a day. This was the most common daily total for the restricted division on Recreation.gov from May to September 2026. The unrestricted Mudro Lake division showed 5.²

Rules specific to this entry point

The Horse Lake rule is the whole difference. Recreation.gov's division text says no camping on Horse Lake for the duration of your trip, and the Forest Service lists it as the restriction for EP22.^2,1

Paddle only, no motors.^2,7

Where it leads

Fourtown Lake lies north of Mudro. A 2010 party passed several people on it and camped on an island that holds two campsites. Other side routes from Mudro include an unmaintained 90-rod portage to Alruss Lake and an 80-rod portage to Sandpit Lake.^6,8

BWCA Wild's EP23 page points from Mudro either north to Fourtown Lake, which it calls less traveled, or east toward Basswood Lake and the Basswood River, which it calls busier.⁴

A Backpacker weekend route for this area runs Mudro to Sandpit to Tin Can Mike to Horse Lake and camps on Horse Lake, which an EP22 permit rules out.^12,2

What trip reports say

A party that used EP22 on September 3 to 6, 2010 arrived about 7:45 a.m., found a level sandy beach at the end of the 30-rod carry, then a narrow, shallow, rocky creek with sharp turns. Mudro Lake itself was sheltered from the wind, while Fourtown had whitecaps and 40 mph gust forecasts.⁸

A nine-day party in June 2014 used EP22 for a loop out to Lower Basswood Falls and Crooked Lake and back. They said few groups passed the falls and that they had several bays to themselves, and that the first 20 feet out of Fourtown were very difficult.⁹

A fall 2002 reviewer found low water and a creek end that needed care around large submerged rocks. A spring 2001 reviewer at high water called the carry short and flat across a marshy creek, with the landing on the right just before the creek narrows.^10,11

When to go from here

Water level is the variable. BWCA Wild shows photos from high water in 2015 and low water in 2019 and 2025, and a late-season visit may mean walking the creek.^3,5

Compare with nearby entry points

• Mudro Lake (EP23): Mudro Lake (EP23) uses the same lot, the same portage and the same creek. Its quota on Recreation.gov was 5 in 2026, against 2 here, and it has no Horse Lake camping restriction.^4,2,1
• South Hegman Lake (EP77): South Hegman Lake (EP77) can be reached from this lot through Picket and Nels Lakes outside the wilderness, a route BWCA Wild calls very difficult. EP22 takes the creek to Mudro Lake instead.⁵

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 Restricted and Mudro Lake divisions, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Entry Point 22 - Mudro Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Entry Point 23 - Mudro Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Mudro Creek, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Mudro Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Entry Point 22 - Mudro Lake (Restricted), Paddle Planner. Read 2026-10-15.
8. Last Trip of the Season, Paddle Planner (trip report by Auralee Strege). Read 2026-10-15.
9. Crooked Lake Loop, Paddle Planner (trip report by patphillips). Read 2026-10-15.
10. Entry #23 to Mudro (fall 2002 report), Quiet Journey. Read 2026-10-15.
11. Mudro to Entry #23 (spring 2001 report), Quiet Journey. Read 2026-10-15.
12. Boundary Waters: Mudro Lake to Horse Lake, Backpacker. Read 2026-10-15.
13. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permits, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.

Safety & planning

Alternatives to a Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22) permit