Swamp Lake
Gunflint Ranger District
Swamp Lake serves as an alternate route to Caribou Lake to the more heavily traveled Lizz Lake route. Going through Swamp Lake is more difficult than traveling through Lizz Lake if you are heading to Caribou Lake. This route is probably best used by paddlers starting from the eastern end of Poplar Lake, rather than the Poplar Lake public water access at the west end of the lake.
Note that the portage from Poplar Lake to Swamp Lake is placed incorrectly on some BWCA maps. It is located in the middle of the three bays in the southeastern corner of the lake. There is a dock and home just east of the portage landing. Some old maps place the portage in the easternmost (and by far the largest) of these three bays (which looks like a small lake, as it is barely connected to Poplar Lake).
Despite being called "Swamp Lake", the lake isn't all that swampy. However, it is relatively shallow with a maximum depth of 10 feet. The walleye don't seem to mind the lack of depth though, as the lake holds a good population of the toothy critters.
The shoreline around Swamp Lake was logged between 1946 and 1963. This logging was done by several smaller logging companies (Heinselman).
Swamp Lake flows out through a small creek exiting the southeastern corner of the lake. This creek flows about two miles before draining into Poplar Creek, which is itself a tributary of the Brule River.
Exploring Swamp Lake
Click on the photos below to see the full resolution image - Use your browsers back button to close photo and return to this page.
This is a view of Swamp Lake as seen from the Caribou Lake portage landing.
Route Connections for Swamp Lake
From Swamp Lake, you can portage to either Caribou Lake or Poplar Lake.
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