Only have time for a quick weekend get away?  Looking for a good starter trip that gives a good taste of what the BWCA has to offer?  The Long Island Base Camp route is for you!  After a half day of paddling and portaging, pick out a nice campsite on Long Island and settle in.  A great lake for fishing for lake trout and pike, Long Island is a great jumping off point for day trips as well.  Backtrack into Cross Bay Lake one day to fish for walleye and smallmouth.  Paddle over to Frost Lake for a little sandy beach relaxing.  Day trip south into Cherokee Lake to see some new territory.  Travel toward Banadad Lake for a little more solitude.  When your adventures are done, pack up and you’ll be back at Tuscarora in no time!

US Forest Service entry permit needed: #50 Cross Bay Lake

Maps for this route –

• • Fisher Maps – F12
  • McKenzie Maps – 7 & 4 – or – T1

(Route lines are an approximation and should not be used for navigation.)

The Long Island Base Camp canoe route starts at the Cross Bay Lake entry point just 300 yards up our driveway on the Cross River.

• • • Portage 50 rods into a small lake
    • Portage 40 rods into Ham Lake– a great lake to fish for walleye and hang out with 4 campsites
    • Portage 24 rods into Cross Bay Lake – this portage has been moved and is often wrong on maps. Be sure to stop in the office so we can mark it correctly on your map. Cross Bay Lake is typically home to at least one moose every year. It has two campsites and is a great lake to stop and fish for walleye, northern, and bass.
    • Portage 56 rods into Rib Lake– one campsite
    • Portage 37 rods into Lower George Lake
    • Portage 28 rods into Karl Lake – one campsite
    • Paddle or portage into Long Island Lake– with 15 campsites, this beautiful destination lake is a wonderful place to spend some time. It is home to lake trout and northern pike. Fishing can be challenging but the swimming is great!

Return by the same route.

---

Fishing on the Long Island Base Camp Canoe Route

Lake	Fish Species	Maximum Depth	Notes
Ham	Burbot, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye	40 ft
Cross Bay	Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye	10 ft
Karl	Burbot, Lake Trout, Northern Pike	70 ft
Long Island	Burbot, Lake Trout, Northern Pike	85 ft