Wabosons (Rabbit) 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.
Older maps name this as Rabbit Lake. Wabosons is likely a derivative of the Ojibwa (Algonquian) word for snowshoe hare or rabbit. The Ojibwa word is 'waabooz'. Cottontail rabbit is manidoo-waabooz in the Ojibwe language. More specifically, Wabosons perhaps refers to the Ojibwa word 'waaboozoons' or 'little rabbit'. There is a Rabbit Lake in the BWCA and it is located just west of Ester Lake and southeast of Ottertrack Lake near the Pitfall Lake PMA.
Wabosons or Rabbit Lake, in whatever language you choose to use, is relatively easy to get to from Wednesday Bay on Crooked Lake. The portage between them was previously maintained by the U.S. Forest Service and appears on maps as recent as the 2011 McKenzie #11 map. Most maps list it at 120 rods. Another route into the south end of Wabosons Lake is from Thursday Bay of Crooked Lake via a creek. Coming from this direction is probably more difficult.
The fire history of this area includes the 1894 Chad Lake/Cummings Lake/Lac La Croix/Crooked Lake complex. This was one of two large fires that affected the western part of what is now known as the BWCA during that year. Another fire affected this area way back in 1822. This burn is known as the Hook Lake/Hegman Lake/Crooked Lake complex (Heinselman, 1999).
References:
Pauly, Daniel, Exploring the Boundary Waters (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2005), 157.
Approach to Wabosons (Rabbit) Lake
Most likely, you are visiting Wabosons Lake from Crooked Lake (either Thursday Bay or Wednesday Bay). From Thursday Bay, you will bushwhack and paddle up a creek. This route is reasonable if water levels are good. From Wednesday Bay, you take a well defined portage. If you are approaching it from Jackfish Lake from the south, visit the Jackfish Lake page on this website.
Bushwhack to Wabosons (Rabbit) Lake
From Crooked Lake, Thursday Bay: From the creeks mouth at Crooked Lake, you paddle or portage around a small rapids. From here, paddle south up the creek for nearly a mile until you come to a portage. This portage is 78 rods on the west side of the creek. Continue for nearly a mile until you almost reach the north end of Jackfish Lake. For this last stretch, it is likely you will have to do a minor bushwhack or two and perhaps bump over a beaver dam to reach your goal. When you reach Jackfish Lake, portage north 20 rods into Wabosons Lake. Yep, that's right, Jackfish Lake first, then back to Wabosons Lake.
From Crooked Lake, Wednesday Bay: This is a straightforward 120 rod portage. The portage is no longer maintained, but gets enough use to still be referred to as a portage rather than a bushwhack, so enjoy.
From Jackfish Lake: An easy 20 rod portage on a trail where you can actually carry the canoe all the way with the yoke.
Exploring Wabosons (Rabbit) Lake
Reckon that most people just blow right through Wabonsons Lake in order to get to the much larger Jackfish Lake. There is little information on Wabosons Lake, but an examination of it using satellite images shows a very diverse and intricate shoreline worthy of some exploration. There have never bee established campsites on Wabosons Lake, but imagine some spots to make a camp could be located with minor effort. Both Wabosons Lake and Jackfish Lake make a good "one off" place for those seeking more solitude than the fairly busy Border Route through Crooked Lake. Wabonsons Lake is only about a mile or so from Table Rock which is up on the north side of Wednesday Bay as you make your way around the point to the east.
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