From Ely, take a left at the Echo Trail sign just down the road past the Kawishiwi Ranger Station (this is County Road 88 - Grant-McMahan Blvd). Take a right turn in 2.2 miles at the Echo Trail (also called Ely-Buycks Road). Follow the Echo Trail for about 8 miles. Start looking for the left turn onto North Arm Road not long after passing the Fenske Lake Campground. Access to this entry point is off North Arm Road. Take a right when you get to the "Slim Lake" sign. This is not far past the entrance to the YMCA camp on Burntside Lake.
This entry point has a small parking lot that can result in a pretty tight fit during the busy summer season. The access road leading to the parking area has some good sized potholes and is only wide enough for a single car. Low clearance passengers cars can make it through, but take it easy. About midway along this access road is a pull out if two unlucky cars need to pass each other along its length. The access road also serves as the portage between the entry point parking lot and Burntside Lake making it possible to portage from Slim Lake to Burntside Lake and vice versa. It's about 60 rods from Burntside Lake to the Slim Lake entry point parking lot. Burntside Lake has it's own parking lot right at the lake's edge just across the North Arm Road from the Slim Lake access road.
The portage from the parking lot to Slim Lake is 80 rods and this portage is meticulously maintained and mostly flat over its entire length. The landing at Slim Lake is also very suitable for easy put ins and takeouts of canoes. The portage provides views of the creek that drains Slim Lake into Burntside Lake along its length.
There isn't a restroom here.
There are limited route options from this entry point. Most visitors stop at Slim Lake. There are three other relatively accessible lakes that can be reached from Slim Lake. These are Rice Lake, Hook Lake and Keneu Lake. To continue into the BWCA farther than this will require taking the 500+ rod portage to Big Rice Lake from Hook Lake. This is a very demanding portage.
Exploring the Entry Point
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The sign for Slim Lake along the North Arm Roadl. Just to the left of your view is the Burntside Lake North Arm parking lot. There is a boat launch here. You also pass through this entry point if you are portaging between Burntside Lake and Slim Lake.
A view down the access road from the Slim Lake entry point parking lot. North Arm Road is about 40 rods. Burntside Lake is about 60 rods from here, 20 rods past North Arm Road. This road is pretty rough in a passenger car. Note the puddles visible down the road. Some fill some pretty good holes.
The small parking lot at this entry point. It can be hard to find a spot on some busy weekends in the summer.
The modern bulletin board found at this entry point. This is the deluxe model. The box on the left is where you fill out a day permit. Just behind that box in your view you can just see the beginning of the portage trail that leads to Slim Lake.
The start of the portage to Slim Lake is visible on the left.
A walk down the 80 rod portage to Slim Lake. Portages don't come much nicer than this one. Forest Service has done a good job on it. (See this portage in both directions here.)
Slim Lake. A nice landing makes for an easy place to start a trip into the BWCA.
Now that you've reached the shore of the lake, visit:SLIM LAKE
