Once you leave French Lake and enter Seahorse Lake, you are not likely to encounter many other paddlers between here and the south end of Flying Lake. This is a lightly traveled route. It could be that others have heard about the truly rugged portages found in this part of the BWCA...
The lake gets its name from its shape, which of course resembles a seahorse. The lake itself is a wide section of the Chub River. That river flows through Seahorse Lake and ends shortly after at French Lake, after cascading down some steep rapids/waterfall. Glimpses of these rapids and the waterfall at the end can be seen from along the portage, or from just off the end of the portage on the French Lake side. The Chub River flows out of the southern tip of Seahorse Lake right next to the French Lake portage (on the west side). A beaver dam extends across the Chub River where it exits Seahorse Lake. This dam raises or lowers the water level of Seahorse Lake depending on its condition. The south end of Seahorse Lake is not always narrow like it appears on the various maps of the BWCA. When the water is high (like in 2020), the wetland that extends to both the east and west sides of the south part of the lake fills up. It can be a little confusing since you may think you are already in the wider, northern part of the lake. The Chub River comes into the lake on the eastern side. There is no discernable current. The lake just sort of grades into the river as you head upstream to the east. The entire shoreline of Seahorse Lake was burned during the 2006 Cavity Lake Fire. Dense growth of young trees now covers the shoreline.
This lake is surprising deep (over 40 feet). There is no Minnesota DNR fishery data on the lake. Might contain northern pike.
No campsites are on this lake. Nearest campsite is on the north shore of French Lake and that campsite was in tough shape (as of 2020).
The Kekekabic Trail passes along the north side of Seahorse Lake. That trail comes right down to the edge of the northwest shoreline. It also crosses the long channel extending out of the north side of the lake over a beaver dam. There are no campsites for the Kekekabic Trail on Seahorse Lake.
The portage from French Lake to Seahorse Lake is uphill, but in pretty good condition. To the east, the paddle up the Chub River is easy (no current), but the portage into Warclub Lake is short and hard. The portages get even more grueling as you continue east.
References:
Beymer, Robert, Boundary Waters Canoe Area – Volume 2 – Eastern Region (Berkeley: Wilderness Press, 2006), 156, 158.
Pauly, Daniel, Exploring the Boundary Waters (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005), 331, 333, 334.
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PADDLING FROM THE FRENCH LAKE PORTAGE INTO THE CHUB RIVER (UPSTREAM)
Just to the left of your view is a beaver dam which extends across the Chub River where it exits Seahorse Lake. This is the view from the French Lake portage.
A view to the west of Seahorse Lake. This is from the vantage point of where the Chub River flows into the lake from the east.
Paddling from the French Lake portage until reaching the entrance to the Chub River (heading upstream toward the east). The route follows the east shore of Seahorse Lake.
Evidence of the Cavity Lake Fire of 2006. This is looking toward the southeast at the south shoreline of Seahorse Lake, close to where the Chub River enters the lake. Paddle into the Chub River -or- Explore Another Route **********************************************END OF ROUTE***********************************************
Route Connections for Seahorse Lake
From Seahorse Lake, you can portage to French Lake. You can also paddle into the Chub River.
