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Entry Point 77 - South Hegman Lake

Kawishiwi Ranger District

This is the first BWCA entry point along the Echo Trail when you come from Ely, Minnesota. The sign for this entry point is not too far down the road from where the Echo Trail goes from a paved surface to a dirt road. It will be on your right side. The parking lot for South Hegman Lake is rather small, but adequate since the quota is only one or two permits per day. It is common for much of the parking to be used by day permit holders.

The most popular reason for using this entry point is because it is a relatively easy paddling/portaging trip out to the North Hegman Lake pictographs. The pictographs and the cliff that they are drawn on are both very interesting and beautiful, but both of the Hegman Lakes are also quite pretty in general. You can also take a relatively long portage over to Little Bass Lake. Hopkins Lake and Holy Lake may be accessible from Little Bass Lake, but will require some bushwhacking to reach.

If you plan to use the South Hegman Lake entry point as a way to avoid the 716 rod Angleworm Lake portage/trail, you may want to rethink that strategy. If you haven't ever seen the North Hegman Lake pictographs and your party has an interest in doing so, then by all means enter here. However, if you are just planning to paddle through and on up to Angleworm Lake, the Angleworm Lake portage is an easier (in a relative sense) route. The Trease Lake to Angleworm Lake Trail portage is a 428 rod rugged, deadfall covered, swampy, rocky, buggy, hilly and overgrown path. After you finish the Trease Lake to Angleworm Lake Trail portage, you still have to complete the remainder of the Angleworm Lake portage which runs conterminously with the Angleworm Lake Trail. So you don't save much distance, have to do a lot of extra paddling and two other portages. Also, the Angleworm Lake entry point always seems to have permits available for last minute folks.

Exploring the Entry Point

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The sign along the Echo Trail for Hegman Lake. This is the first entry point coming from Ely along the Echo Trail.

The ubiquitous bulletin board found at every BWCA entry point. The portage starts just to the right of this sign (September 2020).

Older version of the sign (April 2016).

View of the parking lot. Bulletin board is in the distance. The portage of 86 rods down to South Hegman Lake (downhill) is just right of the bulletin board.

This is the way to the lake. It is 86 rods, mostly downhill. Of course that means it is predominantly uphill on the way back (September 2020).

Similar view as above, but sign has changed in intervening period (April 2016).

Taking a quick walk around BWCA Entry Point 77 (July 11, 2023).

Older video footage of this BWCA entry point (September 27, 2020).

The portage down to the shore of South Hegman Lake. (See this portage in both directions here.) (July 11, 2023.)

Older video footage of this portage (September 27, 2020).

South Hegman Lake looking to the east/northeast. You would paddle left around that point in the center of your view if heading up toward North Hegman Lake, staying with the west shoreline (to your left).

Now that you've reached the shore of the lake, visit: SOUTH HEGMAN LAKE

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