BWCAW Quota Permit — South Lake (EP58)

South Lake (EP58): what makes it different

South Lake is a paddle-only overnight entry point at the far end of the Gunflint Trail, and the permit begins only after you cross Gunflint Lake and North Lake and carry over the Height of Land Portage. The quota is 2 groups a day, and South Lake is a deep border lake with eight campsites.^1,2,4,5

Getting to the start

The Forest Service lists EP58 as overnight, paddle only, in the Gunflint District, reached from Gunflint Lake with a 10-mile paddle and two short portages. Rec.gov repeats that text.^1,2

From Grand Marais, one guide has you follow the Gunflint Trail (County Road 12) about 43 miles, then turn right onto South Gunflint Lake Road (County Road 50), a few hundred feet past the Gunflint Lake roadside overlook, and go about half a mile on gravel to the public water access. The Forest Service gives the same turn at 43.7 miles and a further 0.4 miles.^4,3

The ramp lets you unload next to the lake. It is sometimes busy and motorboats are common, so leave room for trailers. The lot is ample, with circular roads at each end, a restroom near the back, and Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters about 500 feet down the road. There is no portage from the lot.⁴

A BWCA permit is required when you use the launch to enter the wilderness at EP57 or EP58, but not to visit Gunflint Lake or Little Gunflint Lake. Gunflint Lake is outside the wilderness, so motorboats are allowed on all of it.³

The first leg

Paddle east about 6.5 miles down Gunflint Lake to its east end, then a short way up the river into Little Gunflint Lake and across to its northeast corner, about 1.5 miles for that section. A very short portage, or a pull upstream through a channel, takes you into Little North Lake, then a channel leads into North Lake.^4,6

Then comes about 3 miles nearly due south across North Lake to the Height of Land Portage. The guide puts the total from the public access to South Lake at over 11 miles and recommends an early start.⁴

The Height of Land Portage is listed as about 75 rods on the BWCA Wild entry point page and as 80 rods on its South Lake page, at Friends of the Boundary Waters and on Wikipedia. It crosses the Laurentian Divide, and South Lake drains by the Arrow River toward Lake Superior.^4,5,6,9

There is a second way to reach South Lake without the big water. Drive to the end of Mayhew Lake Road, carry 180 rods to Topper Lake, paddle across it and carry 80 rods into South Lake. BWCA Wild calls this much quicker, and it skips Gunflint Lake.^4,5

Terrain and difficulty

South Lake covers 1,145 acres, reaches 140 feet deep, the 15th deepest lake in the BWCA, and sits at 1,550 feet. It holds lake trout and smallmouth bass, with a few brook trout.⁵

The lake's size makes it dangerous when the wind picks up. A June 2016 windstorm uprooted trees at most of the campsites, and the south side was hit hardest.^7,5

Gunflint Lake is long and deep and can have large rolling waves, so Friends of the Boundary Waters suggests starting early, when conditions are usually calmest. A west wind makes Gunflint and South lakes the risky crossings, and the lodge advises traveling west to east.^6,8

Quota at this entry point

• 2026 daily quota at South Lake (EP58), overnight paddle: 2 groups a day. This was the most common daily total on Rec.gov across May to September 2026, shown on 136 of 153 dates. The other 17 dates showed 0.²

Rules specific to this entry point

Motorboats have not been allowed on the U.S. side of South Lake since 1978. Motors are allowed on the Ontario side but are rarely seen, per BWCA Wild. North Lake is outside the wilderness, so motorboats can be met there.^5,6

The BWCA entry signs at the access include a day-permit box for day trips. Campsite 8 was closed by the Forest Service on December 1, 2016, according to a Clearwater Lodge review, a page that notes its information largely dates from 2016.^4,7

Where it leads

South Lake has eight numbered campsites. Site 1 is at the east end and connects to the South Lake Trail, which climbs about 0.4 miles up a steep ridge to the Border Route Trail. The Border Route Trail can also be reached from the Topper Lake portage.⁵

Portages leave South Lake to North Lake (Height of Land), to Rat Lake and to Topper Lake. Friends of the Boundary Waters lists the Rat Lake carry as 65 rods, level and easy, and a 4-rod carry on to Rose Lake, whose cliffs rise above the Stairway Portage to Duncan Lake. The BWCA Wild lake page lists 80 rods for the Rat Lake and Topper Lake portages.^6,5

Friends rates the Rose Lake round trip from EP58 as intermediate, 3 days, 36 miles, 8 portages totalling 328 rods with the longest 80.⁶

The lodge's route page says South Lake is usually very quiet and feels like a remote Boundary Waters lake. It lists smallmouth bass fishing on South, Duncan and Rose, and walleye between Little North and Gunflint.⁸

What trip reports say

BWCA Wild visited on July 17, 2022 and documented the access and route, and again on May 31, 2025, when Canadian wildfire smoke gave the sky a yellowish haze. It saw no wildlife that day.^4,5

Clearwater Lodge's campsite review rates the sites for tent pads, landing and fire grate. It calls site 4 near the North Lake portage a good landing with big eastern views and only one large tent pad, and site 7 on a point at the east end well sheltered from west winds with two tent pads. The same page calls the landing at site 3 very difficult and the one at site 6 one of the worst on the lake.⁷

When to go from here

Wind sets the pace here. Both the Friends route page and the lodge point to early starts and a west to east direction, because the open water of Gunflint Lake and South Lake gets rough when the wind comes from the west.^6,8

BWCA Wild's May 2025 visit noted wildfire smoke from Canada over the lake, so check air quality in a smoky year.⁵

Compare with nearby entry points

• Magnetic Lake (EP57): Magnetic Lake (EP57) uses the same Gunflint Lake launch and gives access to Magnetic Lake and the Granite River. A BWCA Wild map note says Magnetic Lake is much closer than South Lake, which is over 11 miles from the access.^1,4,3
• Duncan Lake (EP60): Duncan Lake (EP60) starts from West Bearskin Lake with a 70-rod portage to Duncan Lake and an 80-rod portage to Rose Lake. The lodge's West Bearskin Border Route names EP58 or EP60 as its two possible starts.^1,8
• North Fowl Lake (EP70): North Fowl Lake (EP70) starts on Little John Lake off the Arrowhead Trail and follows the Royal River east, while South Lake starts at the Gunflint Trail end of the road and runs through Gunflint and North lakes.^1,4

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, South Lake division, Recreation.gov. Read 2026-10-15.
3. Gunflint Lake, Superior National Forest, USDA Forest Service. Read 2026-10-15.
4. Entry Point 58 - South Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
5. South Lake, BWCA Wild. Read 2026-10-15.
6. Rose Lake Round Trip, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. Read 2026-10-15.
7. South Lake, Clearwater Historic Lodge. Read 2026-10-15.
8. West Bearskin Border Route, Clearwater Historic Lodge. Read 2026-10-15.
9. Height of Land Portage, Wikipedia. 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 South Lake (EP58) permit