Wish Lake
Gunflint Ranger District
The portage from Tuscarora Lake to Missing Link Lake goes right through/over Wish Lake. However, it is hard to know that you are even walking through a lake. Most of the lake is off to the west of the portage, but during periods of heavy rain or in early spring, the lake fills up closer to the portage trail. There is a short boardwalk over a marshy spot along the portage at the location where you cross this old lake bed.
References:
Beymer, Robert, Boundary Waters Canoe Area – Volume 2 – Eastern Region (Berkeley: Wilderness Press, 2006), 137, 146.
Exploring Wish Lake
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There is water in this part of Wish Lake only during rainy periods or in springtime. The main body of the lake is 700 feet to the east of this viewpoint. You can get a better view of this lake from the portage during spring and fall when the leaves are off the trees. Wish Lake is a eutrophic lake. Lakes go through three main stages: Oligotrophic, mesotrophic and eutrophic. Oligotrophic lakes have clear water with steep shorelines and low levels of nutrients. Mesotrophic lakes have more mildly sloped shorelines, water vegetation is prevalent and the nutrient levels are increased. The water is typically less clear than found in an oligotrophic lake. Wish Lake represents the last stage of a lake, eutrophic. After the eutropic stage, a lake becomes marsh and eventually disappears as it continues to fill in. Geologically speaking, lakes have relatively short lifespans.
Route Connections for Wish Lake
From Wish Lake, you can portage to Contest Lake, Missing Link Lake or Tuscarora Lake.
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