Big Rice Lake
Making Connections
- Paddle North, down the Portage River, to Lapond
- Portage South & East, 520 rods, to Hook
- Bushwhack Southwest, 180 rods, up Medley Creek,
to Medley Lake
Maps
- Fisher
F-9, Cummings,
Big Moose, Fourtown Lakes
- McKenzie
No. 16, Burntside
Lake
Links
- DNR Lake No. 690178
- Lake Map No. C0832
- Lake Table No. 1
- MDH Fish Consumption
Advisory - N/A
- MPCA Water Quality
- N/A
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Scale 1:21420
Full image approximately 2
miles square |
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Description
Big Rice is a moderate size, very shallow
lake at the head of the Portage River, 26¾ miles southeast of Crane
Lake and 12½ miles northwest of Ely. Over a mile long and up
to ¾ mile wide, its 420 acres have a maximum depth of but 5'.
Along the southwestern shore is the mouth of Medley Creek, down from Medley
Lake, ½ mile upstream and 20' above Big Rice. Opposite,
on the northeastern shore, is the mouth of Hook Creek, meandering for some
2¼ miles through low and soggy terrain on its course down from Hook
Lake. The unreliable navigability of Hook Creek makes necessary
the 520 rod (over 1½ mile) portage between Big Rice and Hook.
That portage originates along the southeastern shore of Big Rice, gaining
some 110' of elevation in the first 400 rods, then dropping 50' into the
western arm of Hook.
The area around Big Rice burned in the Civil War era fires of 1863-64,
and most of this forest burned again in the fire of 1894, the exception
being stands along the northeastern and southeastern shores, which somehow
evaded the later blaze. The Independence Day windstorms of 1999
had no significant impact here.
Campsites
Big Rice supports just one established
campsite, on the point of the eastern shore. Plan on filtering your
water on Big Rice. It's likely to be teeming with all sorts of fascinating
little critters.
Planning Considerations
Big Rice sits on the Big Lake/Burntside
route, which crosses this portion of the BWCAW north/south and border-to-border,
running through Big, Lapond,
Big Rice, Hook, Rice, and
Slim, to Burntside.
It also has connection, by way of the Portage River, Lapond, and Big
Moose, with Cummings and the many route
options which radiate from that big lake. Big Rice also provides an
excellent opportunity for exploring Medley Creek up to Medley
Lake. The more adventuresome might like to investigate just how
navigable Hook Creek might be. (If you do so, let us know how it goes
- even if it doesn't).
Big Rice is included in Beymer,
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, vol. 1, The Western Region, routes
6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 21.
Wildlife
Big Rice supports populations of Golden
Shiner (Notemigonus
crysoleucas), Northern Pike (Esox
lucius), White Sucker (Catostomus
commersoni), and Yellow Perch (Perca
flavescens). The shallow waters and boggy margins should also
make for good moose habitat.
Notes and Comments
The broad shallows of Big Rice make it an
ideal habitat for Wild Rice (Zizania
aquatica), hence the name. |
Last updated on
11 April, 2004
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