BWCA Bushwhack: Cross Bay Lake to Fool Lake

You carry your canoe uphill from Cross Bay Lake, around a small waterfall, and eventually reach a scenic unnamed lake. There is a wall of rock next to the waterfall that requires climbing up the rock and then pulling your gear and canoe up. Paddling across the unnamed lake will bring you to the creek on its opposite shore that leads farther into the Hairy Lake PMA; namely to Fool Lake, Jester Lake and Lucky Pay Lake (the Gambler Lakes? or Royal Court Lakes?).

Upon reaching the south shore of the the unnamed lake, you head upstream along a little creek. As you reach an area with high cliffs on the left, you notice that when looking away from the cliffs in the other direction, there is a beaver run that leads back toward the forest edge. This is the way to Fool Lake. Continuing along the creek past the beaver run at the base of the cliff takes you to a small rapids where the bushwhack begins to Lucky Pay Lake.

Bushwhack and Paddle along Stream through the Forest

From the fairly large cliffs along the creek, south of the unnamed lake, you find and head up a beaver run going through the marsh grass, back toward the forest line. A short paddle up this beaver run and you spot a surprisingly good portage landing. You unload and start your bushwhack. You soon come to an evil mudhole below a beaver dam. The dam holds back a small pond. This little pond is visible on your BWCA map. Unfortunately, while looking down at your map, you stepped into the mud. Do not step in the mud!

This is the "Mud Hole" you extricated your leg from. The mud is deeper than your paddle is long. It was difficult just getting your lower leg and foot out so...take care not to step in this hole. This is really quicksand and you may be in trouble if you went in waist deep and had nobody along to help you out.

Looking across the the small pond that you just crossed on the way to Fool Lake. Directly across the pond, to the left of the rock outcrop, is a beaver dam. Below this beaver dam is the "Mud Hole".

Starting from the small pond, you paddle onward to the otherside and then begin the next section of the bushwhack. There is a faint trail to follow still. It is less obvious now, but the creek guides you. After a quick bushwhack, you put the canoe back into another section of creek and paddle forth. Through this section you have to perform a few beaver dam liftovers. You are no doubt an expert at this now, barely breaking stride (er, stroke). You polish off the bushwhack to Fool Lake with another carry. This ends at the northern tip of Fool Lake in a swampy bay.

Now that you've made it over the bushwhack, visit: FOOL LAKE

Bushwhack from Fool Lake into: Jester Lake

RETURN TO THE LIST OF BWCA CANOE PORTAGES