Gunflint Lake
Gunflint Ranger District
Gunflint Lake stretches east-west about 12 miles along the international border between Canada and the United States.
This lake can create some big rolling waves due to its size and its east-west orientation.
Iron ore was discovered to the west of Gunflint Lake in the mid-1880's by Henry Mayhew (for whom Mayhew Lake is named). John Paulson, a Minneapolis-based businessman, presided over the American Realty Company. He financed Mayhew's operations at the Paulson Mine in 1888. You can see some of the relics of this mining operation along the Centennial Trail (the eastern end of the Kekekabic Trail), a short hike in from the road.
The Port Arthur, Duluth and Western Railway was being built on the Canadian-side of the border. Paulson and Mayhew convinced the PD&W investors to extend their railroad across the international border to supply service for their mine. This railway crossed the narrows between Magnetic Lake and Gunflint Lake on a wooden trestle bridge that stood about 20 feet high and around 100 feet in length. The pylons for the bridge are still visible under the water. The mining operation was short-lived and ended around 1893 (Pauly).
Gunflint Lodge and Outfitters is located near the public water access. Heston's Lodge and Borderland Lodge are also located on the lake.
Motorboats are allowed on the entire lake, as it isn't within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
Water flows east to west through Gunflint Lake. Gunflint Lake lies just west of the Laurentian Divide. The Height of Land portage, a place of historical significance, divides the watersheds along the international boundary east to west.
References:
Beymer, Robert, Boundary Waters Canoe Area – Volume 2 – Eastern Region (Berkeley: Wilderness Press, 2006), 201, 204, 208, 212.
Pauly, Daniel, Exploring the Boundary Waters (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005), 357-358.
Exploring Gunflint Lake
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The Superior National Forest overlook along the Gunflint Trail.
Distant view of Gunflint Lake from the overlook.
Historical information about the Paulson Mine and the former bridge that spanned the channel between Magnetic Lake and Gunflint Lake.
This is the public boat access for Gunflint Lake. This is also the launching point for paddlers who hold permits for either BWCA Entry Point 57 - Magnetic Lake or BWCA Entry Point 58 - South Lake. If you are headed to Magnetic Lake, you'll head almost straight north from this point across Gunflint Lake. If you have a permit for South Lake, proceed to the right. It's only a 10 mile paddle to the east end of Gunflint Lake...
Route Connections for Gunflint Lake
From Gunflint Lake, you can paddle into either Little Gunflint Lake (via the Pine River) or Magnetic Lake.
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