Kekekabic Trail itinerary
Every mile marker on the Kekekabic Trail route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one, and which permit each stretch needs. To set alerts for your dates, go to the Kekekabic Trail BWCAW permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The Kekekabic Trail. One reservation is a trailhead or zone plus an entry date; you roam after that, issued by reservation.
- Stops mapped
- 14
- Across the markers
- 39.0 mi
- Published route length
- 39 mi
- Ascent, at least
- 337 ft
How long it takes: 3-5 days. That is the figure the permit publishes. This page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
The Kekekabic Trail route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
1,481 ft
Kekekabic Trail East Trailhead (Fernberg Road / Snowbank Lake)
Eastern access point near Ely, off the Fernberg Road, shared with the Snowbank Lake BWCAW entry point.
8.5 miles · 87 ft up to Drumstick Lake
Mile 8.5
1,568 ft
Drumstick Lake
2.5 miles · 16 ft down to Medas Lake
Mile 11.0
1,552 ft
Medas Lake
7.0 miles · 28 ft up to Strup Lake
Mile 18.0
1,580 ft
Strup Lake
0.7 miles · 27 ft down to Whist Lake
Mile 18.7
1,553 ft
Whist Lake
3.9 miles · 110 ft up to Harness Lake
Mile 22.6
1,663 ft
Harness Lake
0.9 miles · 3 ft up to Bushwah Lake
Mile 23.5
1,666 ft
Bushwah Lake
8.0 miles · 15 ft up to Chip Lake
Mile 31.5
1,681 ft
Chip Lake
0.8 miles · 6 ft up to Seahorse Lake
Mile 32.3
1,687 ft
Seahorse Lake
1.3 miles · 5 ft up to Warclub Lake
Mile 33.6
1,692 ft
Warclub Lake
1.0 mile · 10 ft up to Fay Lake
Mile 34.6
1,702 ft
Fay Lake
0.8 miles · 35 ft up to Bingshick Lake
Mile 35.4
1,737 ft
Bingshick Lake
1.5 miles · 38 ft up to Mine Lake
Mile 36.9
1,775 ft
Mine Lake
2.1 miles · 31 ft down to Kekekabic Trail West Trailhead (Gunflint Trail / Round Lake)
Mile 39.0
1,744 ft
Kekekabic Trail West Trailhead (Gunflint Trail / Round Lake)
Western terminus on the Gunflint Trail corridor, where the Kek meets the Border Route Trail system.
Getting a Kekekabic Trail for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. Kekekabic Trail dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations. They return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag checks Kekekabic Trail around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.