Marble Lake
Have not yet visited this Primitive Management Area lake. The information displayed on this page are notes used for planning a future trip to this area. Use the information on this page at your own risk.
The large island in Marble Lake allows the imagination to see a cat’s eye marble that has been badly chipped when viewing this lake on a map. Marble Lake is the receptor of waters from several other lakes that drain out through its basin. All of this drainage eventually pours into Gabimichigami Lake.
Steep terrain lies to the north and northeast of Marble Lake. The summit of a small mountain lies one-third mile northeast of the lake with a maximum elevation of 2,019 feet. The highest point in Minnesota is 2,301 feet at Eagle Mountain (which also lies within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness).
In 1894, a relatively small fire burned the area between Pace Lake and Sprig Lake in what is now the Mugwump Lake Primitive Management Area within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Marble Lake could of had some of its shoreline burnt by this conflagration as it lies just northeast of Sprig Lake.
In 1875, a large fire complex called the Alice Lake/Ogishkemuncie Lake/Tuscarora Lake/Cherokee Lake Complex burned the area around all those major lakes. It probably started near Lake Insula or the Hog Lake area.
There was another large fire in this area around 1863-1864. This fire is known as the North Kawishiwi River/Alice Lake/Cypress Lake/Saganaga Lake Complex. Like the fire that burned this area in 1875, it began south of the current BWCAW's southern boundary.
Approach to Marble Lake
Continue along creek past Pouch Lake toward the west. Travel is upstream.
Bushwhack to Marble Lake
Assuming you have made it to Pouch Lake (see the bushwhack section for that lake), to get to Marble Lake, just continue west along the creek you have already been following. Another mile on, you will come to Marble Lake. The last 40 rods or so the creek may start to disappear into the peat bog, so you may be doing more bushwhacking than paddling during this stretch.
Exploring Marble Lake
The large island is an obvious stop on this lake. A large creek flows into Marble Lake’s west coast bringing with it the waters from Travois Lake. The route out to Travois Lake is a marshy slog. The stream flowing out of the southwest corner of Marble Lake can be followed much farther to the southwest and eventually to Sprig Lake.
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