Nearest Ranger Station: Gunflint Ranger Station, Grand Marais, MN along Hwy. 61 on the North Shore
Portage Length from Parking Lot: None
Restroom at Entry Point: Yes
Entry Point 64 - East Bearskin Lake
Gunflint Ranger District
From Grand Marais, Minnesota, follow the Gunflint Trail for about 27 miles to East Bearskin Road (Country Road 146). There is a big sign for Bearskin Lodge at the turnoff, so hard to miss it. Take a right and drive about 1 mile on the gravel road until you reach the signage for the East Bearskin Lake Campground. Take a right and follow the signs down to the boat landing on East Bearskin Lake.
The U.S. Forest Service offers the East Bearskin Lake Campground if you need a place to sleep the night before your travels. Also, Bearskin Lodge is located on East Bearskin Lake (you pass it on the way to the boat landing).
From East Bearskin Lake, there are portages to Alder Lake, Crocodile Lake and Moon Lake that lead into the BWCA. You can also portage to and from Flour Lake, which is a lake outside of the BWCA.
Motorboats are common on East Bearskin Lake. Along the north shore of the lake's western end are many private cabins. The south shore of the lake is totally undeveloped and much of it lies within the BWCA.
East Bearskin Lake offers several nice route options into some spectacular lakes that spread out mostly to the north and east of it.
From the entry point landing, paddle east to get into the BWCA. The eastern end of East Bearskin Lake is split into a north arm and a south arm. The north arm leads to the Moon Lake portage. The south arm takes you to the Alder Lake portage. You don't actually enter the Boundary Waters until you have nearly reached the eastern end of either of these two arms.
The portage to Crocodile Lake lies along the south shoreline near mid-lake if you have a permit for BWCA Entry Point 66.
Exploring the Entry Point
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The entry point is just west of the East Bearskin Lake Campground.
Directional sign.
Campground kiosk.
The road splits. Campground and entry point parking are separate.
Generous sized parking lot. Accomodates BWCA groups and folks with motorboat trailers. Short walk to the lake. The restroom is between the parking lot and the lake. Parking for the U.S. Forest Service campground is at a different lot.
Tour of this entry point.
Handy restroom. All the bigger entry points have a full-sized restroom. The entry points with low permit quotas tent to have pit latrines or no bathroom at all.
View down the road from the parking lot to the lake.
Unloading area down by the lake shore.
The usual signage found at BWCA entry points.
Note that this entry point hosts paddlers heading for BWCA Entry Point 64 or BWCA Entry Point 66. The box on the left holds the BWCA day permit forms if you are just day tripping.
Zooming in to the bulletin boards map display.
A few bunches of big leafed aster grow around the parking lot.
