Superior National Forest, Minnesota route planning
Border Lakes Route Map: Moose Lake to Sea Gull Lake
The classic west-to-east border route, mapped from Superior National Forest entry points and USGS lake records.
The border route runs from the Moose Lake chain through Basswood, the Knife Lake corridor and Saganaga to the end of the Gunflint Trail. Entry permits are quota-controlled by entry point and date, so your launch is fixed before you leave home. Motor restrictions, portage lengths and campsite locations are on the Forest Service visitor map.
Access points and landmarks
The wilderness runs nearly 150 miles along the international boundary; a full traverse is typically 7 to 10 days. Every coordinate below links to the published source it came from. Recheck access, closures, and water levels with the managing agency before you launch.
| Point | Role | Coordinates | Notes and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moose Lake, Entry Point 25 | put in | 47.98770, -91.49969 | Busiest entry point in the wilderness, with a public landing east of Ely. Superior NF entry point 25 ↗ |
| Prairie Portage | waypoint | 48.05073, -91.43873 | Ranger cabin and Canadian customs point linking the Moose chain to Basswood Lake. USGS GNIS feature record ↗ |
| Basswood Lake | waypoint | 48.07489, -91.57512 | Large border lake shared with Quetico; wind exposure dictates crossings here. USGS GNIS feature record ↗ |
| Saganaga Lake | waypoint | 48.21151, -90.91730 | Big open border lake at the eastern end of the traverse; the coordinate is a lake reference point, not a landing. USGS GNIS feature record ↗ |
| Sea Gull Lake, Entry Point 54 (Trail's End) | take out | 48.14686, -90.86930 | Landing at Trail's End Campground at the end of the Gunflint Trail. Superior NF entry point 54 ↗ |
Shuttle planning runs between Moose Lake, Entry Point 25 and Sea Gull Lake, Entry Point 54 (Trail's End).
What we deliberately left off
- Knife Lake — the only GNIS match we could confirm is an unrelated lake in Kanabec County, so the border-route Knife Lake is left unpinned rather than mapped to the wrong feature.
Official sources
- Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (Superior NF) ↗
- BWCAW permits and quotas ↗
- Trail's End Campground ↗
Distances and mileage figures come from the managing agency. Conditions change; this page is a planning aid, not a navigation chart.
Back to the full Boundary Waters Border Lakes Traverse profile