Flash Lake
Tofte Ranger District
Flash Lake is not in the BWCA. However it serves as the middle link between the two portages connecting Flash Lake to Snowbank Lake and Moose Lake. Traveling through Flash Lake allows for a loop starting from Moose Lake and coming back through Snowbank Lake or the opposite route of starting on Snowbank Lake and returning through Moose Lake.
Important: If you hold a BWCA permit for Moose Lake, you cannot start your trip by portaging directly over to Snowbank Lake. Likewise, if you have a BWCA permit for Snowbank Lake, you cannot paddle straight to the Flash Lake portage and head on over to Moose Lake. You need to arrive at Moose Lake from Snowbank Lake by traveling through the BWCA (Example Route: Snowbank Lake to Boot Lake to Ensign Lake to Splash Lake to Newfound Lake to Moose Lake, and then through Flash Lake back to Snowbank Lake).
The portage between Moose Lake and Flash Lake is over a mile long. The actual portage starts at the parking lot for the Secret/Blackstone Trail. This is along Moose Lake Road about 0.2-miles before reaching the Moose Lake entry point parking lot. The portage is 260 rods by itself. But you must also carry about 100 additional rods from the Secret/Blackstone Trail parking lot to the shoreline of Moose Lake. This last 100 rods involves walking along Moose Lake Road and then cutting across the large Moose Lake parking lot.
The portage from Flash Lake to Snowbank Lake is just a typical BWCA-like portage.
There are no designated campsites on the lake, but since it is not in the BWCA, you can disperse camp along the shores of Flash Lake.
Flash Lake is connected to Blackstone Lake via a small creek. There doesn't seem to be an outlet from either of these lakes.
Exploring Flash 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.
View of Flash Lake from the Snowbank Lake portage landing (May 21, 2024).
This is Flash Lake from the Moose Lake portage landing (May 1, 2024).
Route Connections for Flash Lake
From Flash Lake, you can portage to either Snowbank Lake or Moose Lake. Also the Snowbank Lake Trail is accessible from the Snowbank Lake portage because the trail intersects it.
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