WOOD LAKE CAMPSITES: Campsite 1 (#2195): Located on island on east side of south bay Campsite 2 (#1149): On southwest shore of south bay of lake Campsite 3 (#1152): This campsite is located in mid-lake narrows Campsite 4 (#1151): Campsite in north bay on south shore just east of Hula Lake portage
Campsite 5 (#1150): Not found. Map shows it would be in northwest bay of lake
Wood Lake is a sizeable shallow lake that is the home of BWCA Entry Point #26. The portage to the entry point parking lot extends south from the southern tip of the lake. You won't find much solitude on this busy lake.
All the campsites on this lake are pretty good. Keep in mind that there are few campsites along the route between Wood Lake and Basswood Lake. On Wood Lake, because the lake is so busy, most sites have been cleaned out of firewood, so you may have to do a bit of dead timber harvesting with the canoe. The campsites also lack few worthy food pack hanging trees too. The campsite near the middle of the lake seems to have the best accomodations for large groups. The campsite in the north arm of the lake closest to the Hula Lake portage offers the most solitude. There is one campsite on an island on the east side of the south bay of the lake. Another campsite is just across the south bay of the lake on the western shore. The two campsites in the south end of the lake are relatively close to each other (you will likely hear the other group).
The lake has a lot of shallow water which contain abundant aquatic vegetation. The bay at the northeast end of the lake is shallow. The lake is entirely within the BWCA and its shoreline forest consists of aspen, birch and balsam firs with a scattering of pines.
Madden Creek flows into the southwest part of Wood Lake. Another unnamed stream drains Rookie Lake and flows into the very south end of Wood Lake. Another small unnamed creek drains into the east side of the south arm of Wood Lake. Wood Lake itself drains through Madden Creek from its north bay into Hula Lake. Madden Creek passes through Wood Lake and Hula Lake before emptying into Basswood Lake in Wind Bay.
The lake supports a good population of walleye and a descent number of northern pike. Smallmouth bass and largemouth bass also inhabit the lake.
The only route from Wood Lake is to the north into Hula Lake via a 40 rod portage. A couple portages beyond Hula Lake is Basswood Lake. The Wood Lake entry point does not offer good loop route options as paddlers must come back through Good Lake, Hula Lake and Wood Lake to return to the entry point located here.
Maps of the lake show five campsites. However the campsite indicated on maps in the northwest corner of the lake may not exist (or just wasn't easy to see it while passing through).
The St. Croix Lumber Company had extensive logging operations in the first decade of the 1900's around Wood Lake. This logging work left behind a lot of slash. Slash is what remains of a forest that has recently been logged. This probably led to either the intentional or naturally ignited fire that occurred here in 1910 (Heinselman, 1999).
References:
Beymer, Robert, Boundary Waters Canoe Area – Volume 1 – Western Region (Berkeley: Wilderness Press, 2006), 163, 164, 167, 169.
Heinselman, Miron, The Boundary Waters Wilderness Ecosystem (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999), 100, 102, 103.
Pauly, Daniel, Exploring the Boundary Waters (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005), 158.
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PADDLING FROM BWCA ENTRY POINT 26 TO NEAREST CAMPSITE ON EAST SIDE OF LAKE
Wood Lake from the entry point landing on the very south tip of the lake. View is north. (Note: The canoe is probably an 18-foot Chief model. Chief Canoes are made in Florida.)
Paddling from BWCA Entry Point 26 landing to the island campsite on the east side of Wood Lake.
The shallow south end of Wood Lake. The island in this part of the lake is visible in the distance. Even in low water conditions, this area of the lake is still easily navigable. Visit the Campsite -or- Explore Another Route ***********************************************END OF ROUTE***********************************************
PADDLING FROM CAMPSITE ON EAST SIDE OF LAKE TOWARD SOUTHWEST TO CAMPSITE ON WEST SHORELINE
A view of the west side of the island in the south end of the lake just north of the BWCA Entry Point 26 portage. The mouth of Madden Creek is just to the left out of the field of view on the west side of the lake.
Paddling toward the southwest from the island campsite on the east side of the lake over to the campsite just north of the mouth of Madden Creek on the west side of the lake. Visit the Campsite -or- Explore Another Route ***********************************************END OF ROUTE***********************************************
PADDLING FROM CAMPSITE ON WEST SHORE NORTH AROUND POINT TO CAMPSITE NEAR HULA LAKE PORTAGE
Beginning at the campsite in the southwest part of Wood Lake (just north of the mouth of Maddden Creek), paddle to the northeast, around the mid-lake point, and then northwesterly to the campsite nearest to the Hula Lake portage.
This is a small, flower studded island found in the mid-lake narrows. Visit the Campsite -or- Explore Another Route ***********************************************END OF ROUTE***********************************************
PADDLING FROM CAMPSITE CLOSEST TO HULA LAKE PORTAGE NEARLY TO THE HULA LAKE PORTAGE
From campsite nearest to the Hula Lake portage in the central north bay of Wood Lake, paddle north around the point and then west to the Hula Lake portage (video ends about 100 yards shy of reaching the portage).
This is a shallow bay hidden in the northeast end of Wood Lake.
Entering the channel leading to the small bay in the far northeastern part of Wood Lake. If you are looking for a quiet area on this busy lake, this may be the place.
You are looking at the very eastern end of Wood Lake in the small back bay in the northeastern part of the lake. The entire bay is fairly shallow.
Aquatic plants growing in the northeastern bay of Wood Lake.
A paddle along the south shoreline (the lakes most rugged shoreline and has a few cliffs) of Wood Lake, beginning near the eastern end of the lake and heading west until reaching the campsite just south of the prominent mid-lake point.
Cliffs along the shoreline of Wood Lake. This is the south shoreline in the eastern part of the lake.
A large boulder just to the east of an island located in the eastern section of Wood Lake.
Northwestern bay of Wood Lake in the evening.
Route Connections for Wood Lake
From Wood Lake, you can portage to Hula Lake. You can also paddle up Madden Creek. Wood Lake also provides access to the BWCA Entry Point 26 parking lot over a fairly lengthy, but otherwise easy portage.
