BWCAW Quota Permit — Snowbank Lake (EP27)

Snowbank Lake (EP27): what makes it different

Snowbank Lake (EP27) puts you on a big, deep, wind-prone lake with no portage to launch, then a choice of carries out: Parent, Disappointment, Boot or Flash. It is paddle or motor, 25 horsepower at most.^1,2,5

Getting to the start

From Ely, take Minnesota 169 east, which becomes the paved Fernberg Road. About 15 miles along, look for the Snowbank Lake sign; the pavement ends at Lake One a quarter mile later. Snowbank Lake Road is unpaved and twisty but usually in decent shape.⁵

Kawishiwi Ranger Station is 24 miles from the landing. You can unload close to the water and launch beside the dock. The restroom is at the motorboat landing, a couple hundred yards away. EP28 groups use this same landing.^3,5,1

The first leg

No portage is needed to launch. The Parent Lake carry is 80 rods, beside Wilderness Bay Lodge, and it is the closest and most sheltered choice. From Parent, a second carry to Disappointment is 85 rods in one guide and 80 in another.^5,6,7

The direct way to Disappointment is one well-worn 140-rod carry that crosses the Snowbank Lake Trail. Boot Lake is about 3.5 miles up the lake, over an hour for most groups, then 80 rods, a pond and 55 rods. A 145-rod carry to Flash Lake opens a loop back to Moose Lake.^5,6

Terrain and difficulty

Snowbank is about 4,655 acres and 150 feet deep, with 13 campsites listed, cabins and two lodges on its non-wilderness shore. The north end near Boot Lake is the most exposed, and storm blowdown from 1999 and 2016 shows on the north shore and along the Disappointment portage.^6,5

Parent Lake has clear water. The second Parent carry is mostly downhill and a little rocky.^5,7

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at Snowbank Lake (EP27), overnight paddle: 8 groups a day. Read from the Recreation.gov calendar; it is a separate pool from the overnight motor permits.²
• 2026 daily quota at Snowbank Lake (EP27), overnight motor: 8 groups a day. A second pool beside the paddle permits, not added to them.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Motors run up to 25 horsepower on Snowbank, and one spare motor of 10 or less may ride along if the running total stays at 25. Using or carrying a motor needs the overnight motor permit, and motors are allowed on Snowbank only.^2,1

A day-use motor entry, zone H, shares the lake, so expect fishing boats.^1,6

Where it leads

Disappointment Lake is the usual first goal, with pike, smallmouth, largemouth and walleye listed. Ahsub Lake is a trout lake with two campsites that needs a trout stamp.^3,7

Friends of the Boundary Waters lists a 3-day, 17-mile loop out through Boot Lake and back through Disappointment and Parent: 13 portages, 519 rods, longest 74.⁷

What trip reports say

A 2018 solo report on BWCA.com by the handle Ausable took the 140-rod carry on outfitter advice. From launch to paddling on Disappointment took just under 2 hours on a hot morning, and the first camp was on Jordan Lake, 7.5 miles from the landing.⁴

On the way out, the same report waited on Disappointment until about 1 p.m. for a storm and white-capped waves to ease, then crossed Snowbank with small following waves and reached the landing before the 4 p.m. shuttle.⁴

The BWCAwild field guide, from 2015 and 2021 visits, says most groups start early to beat the rollers, and wind often settles near dusk, though the lake can be nasty at any hour.⁵

When to go from here

Wind matters more than weather here. Cross at first light, and keep Parent Lake in mind as the better place to be in a gale.⁵

Friends of the Boundary Waters suggests reversing its loop in bad weather so you follow the protected southern shore to Parent first.⁷

Compare with nearby entry points

• Snowbank Lake Only (EP28): Same landing, different rule. EP28 is paddle only and you must camp every night on Snowbank, with day paddles to other lakes allowed. EP27 lets you portage out and sleep elsewhere. The 2026 calendar shows 1 EP28 permit a day against 8 paddle and 8 motor here.^1,2
• Moose Lake (EP25): Moose is also paddle or motor at 25 horsepower, but releases 27 overnight permits a day to Snowbank's 8, and has more trip options with extra portages.^1,2
• Lake One (EP30): Lake One is paddle only, from a canoe landing, with 13 overnight permits a day. Snowbank shares its water with motorboats.^1,2

Sources

1. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Entry Points, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
2. Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Permit, Snowbank Lake divisions and 2026 calendar, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. BWCA Entry Point 27 - Snowbank Lake, BWCA.com. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Solo Trip to Raven Lake (Mugwump PMA 8) 2018, trip report by Ausable, BWCA.com. Read 2026-10-15.
5. Entry Point 27 - Snowbank Lake in the BWCA, BWCAwild.com. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Snowbank Lake in the BWCA, BWCAwild.com. Read 2026-10-15.
7. Loop through Parent and Disappointment Lakes, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. 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 Snowbank Lake (EP27) permit