Seagull Lake (EP54) Gear Checklist
Seagull Lake sits at the end of the Gunflint Trail, ringed by two burn scars and crowded with islands, so the people we read spent more effort on wind, maps and bears than on exotic gear. They kept a printed map of every sheet, brought some way to call out from a place with no cell signal, and carried a tarp or a big tent for the days when the wind pinned them in camp. The surprises were small and specific, like a sleeping pad valve that stuck and a camp with no tree tall enough to hang food.
What shapes your gear on Seagull Lake
- Entry and motors
- Entry point 54 takes overnight permits for paddlers and motorboats and is served by the Gunflint district. The Forest Service puts Seagull on its 10 horsepower list, and no motor may be used or kept in the boat west of Three Mile Island. One extra motor of 6 horsepower or less may be carried.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points and Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations
- Two burn scars
- One 2020 trip writer says the 2006 Cavity Lake fire burned 31,830 acres and the 2007 Ham Lake fire burned 75,851, and that the Ham Lake fire began with a campfire that was not put out. A paddler who went through a few years after the fires says Cavity Lake took most of the south and west of the lake and Ham Lake took much of the east.
From Travel Near Travel Far and PaddlingLight
- Islands, wind and the launch
- A forum regular says wind direction and strength decide every route on this lake, and that launching beside Trails End gives better wind cover than Blankenburg Landing. A 2015 family put the island count at over one hundred. A father on a 2009 trip missed a turn at Fishhook Island on the way to Alpine Lake and lost somewhere between half an hour and an hour circling it.
From BWCA.com: BWCA Seagull Lake basecamp (Trip Planning Forum thread), eleanorglewwe.com and BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report)
- Getting there
- Drive times do not agree. One paddler puts the lake about 50 minutes from Grand Marais. A family that stopped at the outfitter at the end of the road said the Gunflint Trail took them an hour and a half after the turn inland at Grand Marais.
From PaddlingLight and eleanorglewwe.com
- Bears
- The Forest Service food storage order runs from April 1 to November 30. A 2020 report says a bear was working Alpine Lake, next door, and walked off with one camper's bear-proof container. A 2023 forum poster says bears here commute between islands and the mainland and can show up at any campsite.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations, Travel Near Travel Far and BWCA.com: BWCA Seagull Lake basecamp (Trip Planning Forum thread)
- No cell signal
- A 2009 group could not use their cell phones near the outfitter and fell back on a pay phone to sort out a fishing license. A 2020 family kept in touch with a daughter who worked at the outfitter through a satellite messenger.
From BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report) and Travel Near Travel Far
What the agency requires on Seagull Lake
Food, scented items and trash up high or in a certified container
Between April 1 and November 30, all food, its containers, trash and scented items like soap and toothpaste must either hang at least 12 feet off the ground and 6 feet out from a tree trunk, or sit in a container certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee.
Motor limits
Seagull is on the 10 horsepower list, one spare motor of 6 horsepower or less may be carried, and no motor may be used or possessed west of Three Mile Island.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points
Camp only at a designated site, and burn only in its grate
During the ice-free season, camping is allowed only at Forest Service sites that have a steel fire grate and a latrine. Fires belong inside those grates. The agency adds that a small stove heats food faster, leaves less impact and helps in rain, and that you may be told to use one during a fire restriction.
No cans or glass bottles
Carrying cans or glass bottles is banned, with exemptions for fuel, bug repellent and medicine. Pack drinks and meals in containers built for reuse.
A group of nine people and four boats at most
The limit applies on the water, on portages and in camp, all at once.
What hikers carry on Seagull Lake
Every map sheet for the route, at a scale you checked
One paddler made a navigation mistake near the end of Seagull while adjusting to the scale of a new set of maps, and on a later lake brought only the eastern sheet and could not see the whole shoreline. A 2009 father lost up to an hour circling Fishhook Island after a missed turn.
From PaddlingLight and BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report)
A satellite messenger with texting
A 2020 family used one for GPS tracking and text messages, which let them stay in touch with a daughter who worked at the outfitter. A 2009 group found their cell phones useless near the outfitter and used a pay phone instead.
From Travel Near Travel Far and BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report)
A tarp and a roomy tent for the wind and rain days
On a rainy second day a 2020 group waited out the weather with a card game, split between a tarp and the larger tent. When they tried a short paddle, rain and wind sent them back to camp. A 2009 group also spent an evening at cards in their tents.
From Travel Near Travel Far and BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report)
A bear-resistant food container, or a rope and a plan for a tall tree
A 2009 group had trouble finding a tree to raise the food pack on their island because of too few suitable trees. A 2020 report describes a camper whose bear-proof container was carried off by a bear. The Forest Service allows either a certified container or a hang at 12 feet up and 6 feet out.
From BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report), Travel Near Travel Far and Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations
One shared pack for a light two-person trip
Two paddlers with a single pack and a canoe crossed a portage once, while a group of six carrying bags needed three carries over the same trail. The writer counted about 500 rods of walking for them against 100.
From PaddlingLight
A light composite canoe
A 2015 family renting from the outfitter took two light composite canoes, made no portages, and said carrying one beats lifting an 80-pound canoe.
From eleanorglewwe.com
A spare sleeping pad or a repair kit
One family member's pad lost air overnight and its valve would not close, so that person slept little. The family handed over one of their own pads in the morning and let them sleep late.
A life jacket worn on the lake, even in May
A forum poster who knows the lake says the wind funnels through the islands, caution is warranted for inexperienced paddlers, and the water is still very cold in mid-May.
From BWCA.com: BWCA Seagull Lake basecamp (Trip Planning Forum thread)
9 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Seagull Lake
No plan for hanging food on a low island
A 2009 group camped on a small island with few suitable trees. They had a hard time finding a branch for the food pack and had to cut larger fallen logs for firewood with real effort.
From BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report)
Counting on a campfire
A paddler on a hot week went without a fire any night, since it felt too warm for one. The Forest Service also says fires are allowed only inside the steel grates and may be restricted.
From PaddlingLight and Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations
Three carries over one portage
Seeing a six-person group move its bags and canoes in three trips along a 100-rod carry, a paddler with one pack called going light the main benefit of crossing only once.
From PaddlingLight
No spare day for wind
After a stiff northwest wind, the 2009 group found whitecaps on Alpine Lake on the way back and spent at least twice as long on it as on the way out. They split the return into two days.
From BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report)
Gear questions for Seagull Lake
Can you use a motor on Seagull Lake?
Yes, east of Three Mile Island. The Forest Service lists Seagull on its 10 horsepower list, allows one extra motor of 6 horsepower or less, and bars any motor from being used or kept in the boat west of Three Mile Island. A forum poster remembered the limit as 10 horsepower on the south stretch only, so follow the agency wording.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations, Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points and BWCA.com: BWCA Seagull Lake basecamp (Trip Planning Forum thread)
Do you need a bear canister on Seagull Lake?
Not by name. From April 1 to November 30 the Forest Service wants food, scented items and trash hung 12 feet up and 6 feet from the trunk, or kept in a certified bear-resistant container. Paddlers here mention bears that took a container, and campsites where finding a hanging tree was hard.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations, Travel Near Travel Far, BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report) and BWCA.com: BWCA Seagull Lake basecamp (Trip Planning Forum thread)
How windy does Seagull Lake get?
Windy enough to set the route. A forum regular says wind direction and strength drive every routing choice here. A paddler met sustained headwinds near 15 mph with gusts of 20 mph or more and whitecaps on lakes with room for waves, while a 2009 group faced northwest wind and whitecaps on Alpine Lake.
From BWCA.com: BWCA Seagull Lake basecamp (Trip Planning Forum thread), PaddlingLight and BWCA.com: Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report)
Can you have a campfire on Seagull Lake?
Yes, but only inside the steel grate at a designated site, and a fire restriction can require a stove instead. The lake's history makes people careful, since one writer says the Ham Lake fire started from a campfire that was not put out.
From Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service): Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations and Travel Near Travel Far
Sources
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points · Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Rules and Regulations · Superior National Forest (USDA Forest Service) · Agency
- Sea Gull Lake Loop Trip Report · PaddlingLight, Bryan Hansel · Trip report
- Seagull Lake Trip: BWCA from the perspective of a novice · Travel Near Travel Far, Kevin and Roxanne · Blog
- Seagull to Ogishkemuncie and back (trip report) · BWCA.com, rmpeterson2 · Trip report
- BWCA Seagull Lake basecamp (Trip Planning Forum thread) · BWCA.com · Forum thread
- The Boundary Waters (September 2, 2015) · eleanorglewwe.com, Eleanor Glewwe · Blog