BWCA Entry Point, Route, and Trip Report Blog
June 09 2026
Entry Point 30 - Lake One
Lake One entry point allows overnight paddle only. This entry point is supported by Kawishiwi Ranger Station near the city of Ely, MN. The distance from ranger station to entry point is 21 miles. Access is a canoe landing at Lake One.
Number of Permits per Day: 13
Elevation: 1230 feet
Latitude: 47.9391
Longitude: -91.4792
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Jordan to Splash Our pickup was at 10am at the Splash portage on Wednesday, so we wanted to get as close as we could to Splash the next day. We hadn't seen anyone on Sagus or Jordan the days we were camped there. So we got the solitude we were looking for. We saw 1 canoe peek around the corner across the bay when we were packing up to leave. Not sure if they were just fishing or looking to see if the site was open. The middle campsite was occupied when we went by, but the one near the portage was unoccupied. It's supposed to be pretty nice, but sees a lot of traffic. We crossed the portage to Cattyman and paddled across. There were some pretty flowers along the portages to Ensign.
First we noticed a couple of guys walking canoes through the water coming out from near the falls area. They had accidentally put in at the point where the trail turns and looks like the end of the portage. It's possible, but not easy, they said they didn't recommend it. 
Cattyman from portage to Gibson
There was a group of kids and a couple of adults eating lunch at the actual portage to work around. We chatted a bit, they were scouting type group from Fargo. They had carried the canoes across to see the falls from Ensign, not realizing that the falls could be seen mid portage. One of the kids was letting them know pretty endlessly he was not happy about it. When we got the second load over and were about to put in, another group was waiting for us to clear the portage. They were the same scout group as the other kids, but were staying at another campsite.They asked if we had seen them. They planned to leave their canoes at that end and walk over to see the falls. 
Cattyman Falls, I thought I got a better picture, apparently not.
We loaded up and started off for the Gibson to Ashigan portage. On the portage to Ashigan, 1 of the groups started going back through while we were coming back for the 2nd carry. They pushed off first and started for the Ashigan to Ensign portage. We decided to pull out our PB&J sandwiches to eat in the canoe and wait for them to clear the portage. When we got back for the 2nd load there, the 2nd group started on that portage. We caught up with the last kid who was dragging all the paddles across the rocks behind him.
When we got to Ensign, both groups were there with all their gear spread out over the end of the portage and fishing. They were definitely over the limit for the number of people, at least 12. We were irritated, but we aren't the enforcement officers, so we went in at the far open side without saying anything. Fortunately it is shallow and wide there, so we could get in without too much trouble. It wasn't the best group dynamic we have seen.
We set off and floated a ways out to the middle of the lake while we got the Garmin set up to navigate by and started the long 4 mile or so paddle down Ensign. We were paddling into about a 10mph wind so we ducked behind the islands for a little break a couple of times, but we made it through pretty fast. We thought we would probably end up on Sucker since it was after 4, but decided to check if the Splash site was open, I wasn't holding out much hope since it was so late. It's hard to see until you get to the other end of the lake, but as we turned the corner there we could see it was unoccupied. I walked up to check it out and was initially not too impressed. It was somewhat trashed with firewood scattered around, the sun was slanting in and baking the kitchen area and the logs are not in great shape and the tent pad was not too level. I got Dan to come up to check it out and we decided it would do for the night. We found a trail over to a large open area later that has a lot of room for more tents that were better, but we'd already set up the tent. We liked the site a lot better after we got it cleaned up a little, and got the gear organized to cook dinner. 
We were going to have grilled cheese sandwiches and make chicken vegetable soup like we had last time, but we realized the day before that real cheddar cheese gets moldy in 80 degree weather, so we switched to egg and bacon sandwiches. We pack a few extra packets of Ova Ezy eggs just in case. The soup is always appreciated on long travel days when we are feeling dehydrated. We could hear boats going by out on Sucker until dusk , but it would probably have been worse on the campsites out there.
We thought about putting the fishing poles together and going out fishing in the evening since we had scared off some nice sized fish on the way in, but decided to enjoy some down time instead. There were a lot of fish breaking the top of the water a little ways out near sundown. It would have been nice to see what was there, but it was a pretty intense trip, and relaxing was nice too. We got camp cleaned up and packed up for an early exit the next morning.
Jordan to Cattyman 44 Rods, Cattyman to Gibson 27R, Gibson to Ashigan 111R, Ashigan to Ensign 54 R, Ensign to Splash 5R 6.7 miles Paddling, 2.3 portaging Total: 9 miles
Number of Permits per Day: 13
Elevation: 1230 feet
Latitude: 47.9391
Longitude: -91.4792
Tuesday, June 24, 2025 Jordan to Splash Our pickup was at 10am at the Splash portage on Wednesday, so we wanted to get as close as we could to Splash the next day. We hadn't seen anyone on Sagus or Jordan the days we were camped there. So we got the solitude we were looking for. We saw 1 canoe peek around the corner across the bay when we were packing up to leave. Not sure if they were just fishing or looking to see if the site was open. The middle campsite was occupied when we went by, but the one near the portage was unoccupied. It's supposed to be pretty nice, but sees a lot of traffic. We crossed the portage to Cattyman and paddled across. There were some pretty flowers along the portages to Ensign.
First we noticed a couple of guys walking canoes through the water coming out from near the falls area. They had accidentally put in at the point where the trail turns and looks like the end of the portage. It's possible, but not easy, they said they didn't recommend it. Cattyman from portage to Gibson
There was a group of kids and a couple of adults eating lunch at the actual portage to work around. We chatted a bit, they were scouting type group from Fargo. They had carried the canoes across to see the falls from Ensign, not realizing that the falls could be seen mid portage. One of the kids was letting them know pretty endlessly he was not happy about it. When we got the second load over and were about to put in, another group was waiting for us to clear the portage. They were the same scout group as the other kids, but were staying at another campsite.They asked if we had seen them. They planned to leave their canoes at that end and walk over to see the falls. Cattyman Falls, I thought I got a better picture, apparently not.
We loaded up and started off for the Gibson to Ashigan portage. On the portage to Ashigan, 1 of the groups started going back through while we were coming back for the 2nd carry. They pushed off first and started for the Ashigan to Ensign portage. We decided to pull out our PB&J sandwiches to eat in the canoe and wait for them to clear the portage. When we got back for the 2nd load there, the 2nd group started on that portage. We caught up with the last kid who was dragging all the paddles across the rocks behind him.
When we got to Ensign, both groups were there with all their gear spread out over the end of the portage and fishing. They were definitely over the limit for the number of people, at least 12. We were irritated, but we aren't the enforcement officers, so we went in at the far open side without saying anything. Fortunately it is shallow and wide there, so we could get in without too much trouble. It wasn't the best group dynamic we have seen.
We set off and floated a ways out to the middle of the lake while we got the Garmin set up to navigate by and started the long 4 mile or so paddle down Ensign. We were paddling into about a 10mph wind so we ducked behind the islands for a little break a couple of times, but we made it through pretty fast. We thought we would probably end up on Sucker since it was after 4, but decided to check if the Splash site was open, I wasn't holding out much hope since it was so late. It's hard to see until you get to the other end of the lake, but as we turned the corner there we could see it was unoccupied. I walked up to check it out and was initially not too impressed. It was somewhat trashed with firewood scattered around, the sun was slanting in and baking the kitchen area and the logs are not in great shape and the tent pad was not too level. I got Dan to come up to check it out and we decided it would do for the night. We found a trail over to a large open area later that has a lot of room for more tents that were better, but we'd already set up the tent. We liked the site a lot better after we got it cleaned up a little, and got the gear organized to cook dinner.
We were going to have grilled cheese sandwiches and make chicken vegetable soup like we had last time, but we realized the day before that real cheddar cheese gets moldy in 80 degree weather, so we switched to egg and bacon sandwiches. We pack a few extra packets of Ova Ezy eggs just in case. The soup is always appreciated on long travel days when we are feeling dehydrated. We could hear boats going by out on Sucker until dusk , but it would probably have been worse on the campsites out there.
We thought about putting the fishing poles together and going out fishing in the evening since we had scared off some nice sized fish on the way in, but decided to enjoy some down time instead. There were a lot of fish breaking the top of the water a little ways out near sundown. It would have been nice to see what was there, but it was a pretty intense trip, and relaxing was nice too. We got camp cleaned up and packed up for an early exit the next morning.
Jordan to Cattyman 44 Rods, Cattyman to Gibson 27R, Gibson to Ashigan 111R, Ashigan to Ensign 54 R, Ensign to Splash 5R 6.7 miles Paddling, 2.3 portaging Total: 9 miles
Lake One to Insula
by Windlaker
Trip Report
Entry Date:
June 17, 2005
Entry Point:
Lake One
Number of Days:
7
Group Size:
8
Trip Introduction:
Report
Friday, June 17th
Our group included my brother Scott and his son Derek, my brother Steve and his son Alex, my neighbor Paul and his son Danny, myself and my son Sam.
Left Milwaukee @ 6:10 AM. Arrived in Ely about 2:30, which included a gas stop in Eau Claire. Went right to Kawishiwi Lodge to check in and unload. Went back into Ely to shop & eat. Kids all bought T-Shirts. I treated myself to an early Father's Day present at Piragis - a new filet knife (Henry's?). Had a Mexican feast at Cranberry's. Bought leeches and licences and got back to the lodge around 8:00. Loaded up the canoes and got ready for bed. Finally got to sleep around 11:00.
Saturday, June 18th
Awoke @ 5:00, cleaned up the bunkhouse, and left the dock @ 6:00. A beautiful day for paddling. Never got above 80 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, wind not too bad. We finished the 105 Rod portage into Insula about 1:30. Pretty good time I thought considering we had a 9 year old paddling for the first time. The campsite we originally wanted was taken, so we took the next campsite North. We arrived here about 2:45. Had Brats & Hot Dogs for supper.
We all caught about 12 walleyes total - only 2 keepers: Alex a 20", and myself a 16". Both on a leech/floating jig behind a big splitshot.
Nice breeze, so bugs weren't too bad. 45-50 degrees overnight.
Sunday, June 19th - Father's Day
Slept in til about 9:00. Sunny, breezy, 75 degrees. Had fish, oatmeal and some leftover brats for breakfast. Gathered and cut firewood, set up out tarp. Kids went out fishing, about 12:45. I retired to the hammock and started "Paddling with the Cree" - a must read!
Had pork chops for supper & mashed spuds for supper.
Sam & I went out fishing about 6:30. Tried to find a hump with the sonar. Once we did find it, the wind made it tough to fish. We only managed one keeper, on a leech/spinner hookup. I released him when I found out it was the only keeper caught that night.
Had a couple snorts of Blackberry to celebrate Father's Day, and went to bed around 11:00. Again, the bugs were kept at bay due to the wind.
About 2:20, awoke to the "Father's Day Storm". High winds, lots of lightning, lots of rain. It finally let up about 3:30. Our tents held up fine, our tarp ripped a couple of grommets, but other than that all was well.
Monday, June 20th
Cloudy morning, sunny by Noon. Sam and I went to the Kawishiw River, right below the rapids out ol Lake Alice. Arrived there about 11:00. Caught only two Smallmouth, about 10 inches or so. No other remarkable daytime fishing to report. Had Filet Mignon & mashed spuds for supper.
Sam and I fished a different shoreline, only caught one 16 inch walleye. Steve and Alex each caught a 20 inch walleye. Paul & Danny caught about 30 walleyes, with 6 of them being legal size. Scott & Derek stayed cold.
Had a couple more snorts and went to bed around 11:15. Once again, no bugs due to the wind.
Tuesday, June 21st - Full Moon tonight
Woke to another beautiful day - sunny 70-ish, breezy. Had Walleye for breakfast. Went fishing (all did poorly), ate lunch, went swimming, took naps. A pretty lazy day.
Had eggs & slab bacon for supper (bacon was thawed, lot of fish for breakfasts).
Very poor night for fishing - NO keepers by anyone. I dropped Sam off at camp at 9:30 and went back out solo. Should have stayed in camp - not a bite. Bugs got pretty bad; no wind tonight.
Wednesday, June 22nd
Everyone but Scott & Derek awoke @ 5:00 AM to go fishing. A beautiful morning - 60-ish, no wind. Steve & Alex caught 6 walleyes, no keepers. Paul & Danny caught 4 SM Bass & 1 Walleye - no keepers. Danny lost an 18 to 20 SM Bass at the boat. I caught a 22.5 inch, 3.5 pound walleye about 7:00. We all had eggs & fish for breakfast.
Radio says it'll be 80 to 85 today w/ chance of showers. 75 and clear after breakfast.
Paul and I went fishing for Northerns - Paul with a stick bait, me with my fly rod & a big frog popper. Paul got 4 or 5, nothing over 18". I had one hit, bite-off. Was too windy for my average-at-best fly casting. Adults took naps, kids played Texas Hold'em.
Had chili & cheesy flatbread for supper.
Left for fishing around 7:00. Sam and I had lots of action, but no keepers. Action stopped abruptly about 9:15. Derek caught a 16 inch walleye (his 1st keeper this week), Steve & Alex caught three 16 inch walleyes, Paul & Danny caught 5 walleyes, all in the 16 inch range. We all hit the rack by 9:30. Planning on waking up at 5:00 again tomorrow.
Beautiful weather. Last three nights slept with the flaps & vestibules open. I'm falling asleep with a full moon shing in our tent.
Thursday, June 23rd
Woke up to high winds @ 5:00 AM. Crawled back to bed. Finished cleaning up about 9:30. Used up the last propane can as soon as the last filets were cooked. Played Hold'em all morning. Sam won two games, Scott won the 3rd.
About 85 degrees, very windy. Small, biting flies are starting to show up and irritate our ankles. Made campfire pizza for supper (Boboli crust & sauce, pepperoni, Velveeta cheese & spices). Really good, no dishes (wrapped in foil, olive oil on foil to prevent crust from sticking).
Started to cloud up around 7:00. With this and the high winds, we started packing up early. Had everything ready to load into the canoes by 8:30. Listening to WELY, Alvin Packsacker (?), we found out there were tornado warnings. That guy is really a trip to listen to. We finished our adult beverages (just so we didn't have to carry all that extra weight), and went to bed around 11:00. Wind never died down, and it rained for about 5 minutes all night.
Friday, June 24th
Awoke to clouds and high winds, out of the West. Guess with direction we have to travel out today? Broke camp, left at 6:30 sharp. Had a hell of a day paddling; whitecaps on Hudson, Lakes Four, Three and Two. Made it back to Kawishiwi Lodge about 2:30. Not too bad considering the wind.
Got into town (after loading the van & truck & showering) about 4:30. Went to Ely Steakhouse, then for an ice cream. Got back to the lodge about 7:00. Had a couple of beers, and fell asleep about 9:00.
Trip summary.....
Great weather, despite the storms on both ends.
Average fishing. Got fewer than our last trip up, but bigger fish this time.
Bought way too many leeches. We bought a pound per person. 1/2 pound would be plenty.
Most fish were caught on floating jig/splitshot setup.
Got caught short on propane. Next time, 4 cans per 4 people.
Our group included my brother Scott and his son Derek, my brother Steve and his son Alex, my neighbor Paul and his son Danny, myself and my son Sam.
Left Milwaukee @ 6:10 AM. Arrived in Ely about 2:30, which included a gas stop in Eau Claire. Went right to Kawishiwi Lodge to check in and unload. Went back into Ely to shop & eat. Kids all bought T-Shirts. I treated myself to an early Father's Day present at Piragis - a new filet knife (Henry's?). Had a Mexican feast at Cranberry's. Bought leeches and licences and got back to the lodge around 8:00. Loaded up the canoes and got ready for bed. Finally got to sleep around 11:00.
Saturday, June 18th
Awoke @ 5:00, cleaned up the bunkhouse, and left the dock @ 6:00. A beautiful day for paddling. Never got above 80 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, wind not too bad. We finished the 105 Rod portage into Insula about 1:30. Pretty good time I thought considering we had a 9 year old paddling for the first time. The campsite we originally wanted was taken, so we took the next campsite North. We arrived here about 2:45. Had Brats & Hot Dogs for supper.
We all caught about 12 walleyes total - only 2 keepers: Alex a 20", and myself a 16". Both on a leech/floating jig behind a big splitshot.
Nice breeze, so bugs weren't too bad. 45-50 degrees overnight.
Sunday, June 19th - Father's Day
Slept in til about 9:00. Sunny, breezy, 75 degrees. Had fish, oatmeal and some leftover brats for breakfast. Gathered and cut firewood, set up out tarp. Kids went out fishing, about 12:45. I retired to the hammock and started "Paddling with the Cree" - a must read!
Had pork chops for supper & mashed spuds for supper.
Sam & I went out fishing about 6:30. Tried to find a hump with the sonar. Once we did find it, the wind made it tough to fish. We only managed one keeper, on a leech/spinner hookup. I released him when I found out it was the only keeper caught that night.
Had a couple snorts of Blackberry to celebrate Father's Day, and went to bed around 11:00. Again, the bugs were kept at bay due to the wind.
About 2:20, awoke to the "Father's Day Storm". High winds, lots of lightning, lots of rain. It finally let up about 3:30. Our tents held up fine, our tarp ripped a couple of grommets, but other than that all was well.
Monday, June 20th
Cloudy morning, sunny by Noon. Sam and I went to the Kawishiw River, right below the rapids out ol Lake Alice. Arrived there about 11:00. Caught only two Smallmouth, about 10 inches or so. No other remarkable daytime fishing to report. Had Filet Mignon & mashed spuds for supper.
Sam and I fished a different shoreline, only caught one 16 inch walleye. Steve and Alex each caught a 20 inch walleye. Paul & Danny caught about 30 walleyes, with 6 of them being legal size. Scott & Derek stayed cold.
Had a couple more snorts and went to bed around 11:15. Once again, no bugs due to the wind.
Tuesday, June 21st - Full Moon tonight
Woke to another beautiful day - sunny 70-ish, breezy. Had Walleye for breakfast. Went fishing (all did poorly), ate lunch, went swimming, took naps. A pretty lazy day.
Had eggs & slab bacon for supper (bacon was thawed, lot of fish for breakfasts).
Very poor night for fishing - NO keepers by anyone. I dropped Sam off at camp at 9:30 and went back out solo. Should have stayed in camp - not a bite. Bugs got pretty bad; no wind tonight.
Wednesday, June 22nd
Everyone but Scott & Derek awoke @ 5:00 AM to go fishing. A beautiful morning - 60-ish, no wind. Steve & Alex caught 6 walleyes, no keepers. Paul & Danny caught 4 SM Bass & 1 Walleye - no keepers. Danny lost an 18 to 20 SM Bass at the boat. I caught a 22.5 inch, 3.5 pound walleye about 7:00. We all had eggs & fish for breakfast.
Radio says it'll be 80 to 85 today w/ chance of showers. 75 and clear after breakfast.
Paul and I went fishing for Northerns - Paul with a stick bait, me with my fly rod & a big frog popper. Paul got 4 or 5, nothing over 18". I had one hit, bite-off. Was too windy for my average-at-best fly casting. Adults took naps, kids played Texas Hold'em.
Had chili & cheesy flatbread for supper.
Left for fishing around 7:00. Sam and I had lots of action, but no keepers. Action stopped abruptly about 9:15. Derek caught a 16 inch walleye (his 1st keeper this week), Steve & Alex caught three 16 inch walleyes, Paul & Danny caught 5 walleyes, all in the 16 inch range. We all hit the rack by 9:30. Planning on waking up at 5:00 again tomorrow.
Beautiful weather. Last three nights slept with the flaps & vestibules open. I'm falling asleep with a full moon shing in our tent.
Thursday, June 23rd
Woke up to high winds @ 5:00 AM. Crawled back to bed. Finished cleaning up about 9:30. Used up the last propane can as soon as the last filets were cooked. Played Hold'em all morning. Sam won two games, Scott won the 3rd.
About 85 degrees, very windy. Small, biting flies are starting to show up and irritate our ankles. Made campfire pizza for supper (Boboli crust & sauce, pepperoni, Velveeta cheese & spices). Really good, no dishes (wrapped in foil, olive oil on foil to prevent crust from sticking).
Started to cloud up around 7:00. With this and the high winds, we started packing up early. Had everything ready to load into the canoes by 8:30. Listening to WELY, Alvin Packsacker (?), we found out there were tornado warnings. That guy is really a trip to listen to. We finished our adult beverages (just so we didn't have to carry all that extra weight), and went to bed around 11:00. Wind never died down, and it rained for about 5 minutes all night.
Friday, June 24th
Awoke to clouds and high winds, out of the West. Guess with direction we have to travel out today? Broke camp, left at 6:30 sharp. Had a hell of a day paddling; whitecaps on Hudson, Lakes Four, Three and Two. Made it back to Kawishiwi Lodge about 2:30. Not too bad considering the wind.
Got into town (after loading the van & truck & showering) about 4:30. Went to Ely Steakhouse, then for an ice cream. Got back to the lodge about 7:00. Had a couple of beers, and fell asleep about 9:00.
Trip summary.....
Great weather, despite the storms on both ends.
Average fishing. Got fewer than our last trip up, but bigger fish this time.
Bought way too many leeches. We bought a pound per person. 1/2 pound would be plenty.
Most fish were caught on floating jig/splitshot setup.
Got caught short on propane. Next time, 4 cans per 4 people.