This is a small, densely vegetated lake between Ahsub Lake and Adventure Lake. The lake is covered with lilypads by late summer. If water levels are low and the lilypads are thick, it can take some extra effort to paddle through this lake.
As you approach the Adventure Lake portage, you may not be able to see how you will get through the marsh and floating peat bog to land your canoe. Be assured though that there is always fairly obvious route through. The landing on the Ahsub Lake side is often muddy, if the water is low. The remains of an old log dock can help with footing here.
Jitterbug Lake contains northern pike and has a maximum depth of about five feet. There are no campsites here and most paddlers just quickly pass through this little lake.
References:
Beymer, Robert, Boundary Waters Canoe Area – Volume 1 – Western Region (Berkeley: Wilderness Press, 2006), 173, 175, 196.
Pauly, Daniel, Exploring the Boundary Waters (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005), 176, 177.
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PADDLING FROM THE AHSUB LAKE PORTAGE TO THE ADVENTURE LAKE PORTAGE
Jitterbug Lake from the Ahsub Lake portage landing. Just to right of center at the bottom of your view, you can see three logs sticking up out of the water. These form the end of the old log dock that is here. This dock is handy when water levels are low on Jitterbug Lake, to avoid having to slog through thick mud to land or launch your canoe.
View of Jitterbug Lake just as you get out into the main part of the lake, when coming from the Ahsub Lake direction. Your view here is due east. To get to the Adventure Lake portage, you would head to the left.
From the Ahsub Lake portage landing, take a left and paddle across the north half of Jitterbug Lake to the east making for the Adventure Lake portage. (Note: This video is cut just short of the Adventure Lake portage landing to avoid recording some other paddlers.)
This is your view toward the west once you are standing on the portage landing that leads to Adventure Lake. You follow the channel you can see here to the left, which then bends sharply to the right, to get out into the main part of Jitterbug Lake.
