Pitfall Lake
Have not yet visited this Primitive Management Area lake. The information displayed on this page are notes used for planning a future trip to this area. Use the information on this page at your own risk.
Pitfall Lake used to be called Trap Lake on some old maps. The remaining Trap Lake in Minnesota can be found just south of Crocodile Lake in the BWCA near the Gunflint Trail.
In the event you are too lazy to haul a canoe all the way out to Pitfall Lake, there is a rather prominent hill just south of Midas Lake that rises over 150 feet above Pitfall Lake and about 100 feet higher than Midas Lake. King Midas would have put his castle on top of this hill. The top of this hill would provide an awesome panoramic view of the area.
Pitfall Lake drains directly into Knife Lake through the small creek that exits the lake along its north shore.
The forest around this lake was impacted by the July, 2006 Cavity Lake Fire. This fire burned over 30,000 acres. Fire began on July 13.
A huge fire in 1863 or 1864 known as the Kawishiwi River/Alice Lake/Cypress Lake/Saganaga Lake complex burned the forests in this area.
Just after the turn of the 19th century, in 1801, another fire burned the area stretching from Gabimichigami Lake up through the Saganaga Lake area.
In 1727, area was burned by a fire that covered the region from Amoeber Lake to Sea Gull Lake.
1692 saw another large fire affect this area in what is now the BWCA.
Approach to Pitfall Lake
The route between Midas Lake and Pitfall Lake offers the shortest route. However, there is a hill inbetween the two lakes along that line. Another approach worth considering is from Bullfrog Lake's east bay beginning from the south tip. From there you can follow the burn line straight south.
Bushwhack to Pitfall Lake
Assuming you are coming from Bullfrog Lake, head due south following the burned edge of the forest. The topographic map shows relatively little elevation change along this route. This distance is about 150 rods, so no easy task. You should have good visibility along this route assuming the vegetation since the fire hasn't grown up too much. You will probably want to come in a little to the east of the creek that flows out of the north shore of Pitfall Lake. The shoreline near the creek has what appears to be some fairly high cliffs on satellite images.
Exploring Pitfall Lake
This is a nice sized lake, but there is no information on it to be found about it.
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