Burntside Lake
Making Connections
- Portage Northwest, 140 rods, to Slim
- Portage Northwest, 320 rods, to Crab
Maps
- Fisher
F-2, Bear
Head Park, Eagle's Nest, East Vermilion; F-9, Cummings,
Big Moose, Fourtown Lakes
- McKenzie
No. 16, Burntside
Lake
Links
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Scale 1:85682
Full image approximately 8
miles square |
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Description
Burntside is a very large, deep lake
in the Vermilion drainage basin, 30½ miles southeast of Crane Lake
and but 3 miles northwest of Ely. All of Burntside's 7139 acres lie
outside of the boundaries of the BWCAW but its western shore is adjacent
to the wilderness and provides access to entry points #6 to Slim
Lake and #4 to Crab and Cummings.
From Entry Point 6, a 140 rod portage follows the creek up to the end of
a narrow arm off the southeastern shore of Slim. Off the western
shore of Burntside, the mile long Crab Lake portage (320 rods) climbs steadily,
gaining some 40' of elevation over the first 250 rods. The trail the
turns more sharply upward, gaining another 85' in only 65 rods before dropping
back 25' to the southeast end of Crab.
Campsites
Burntside supports numerous established
campsites along its western shore and in the North Arm.
Planning Considerations
Burntside is a terminus of the Big Lake/Burntside
route, which crosses this region of the BWCAW border-to-border, from Big
in the north, by way of Lapond, Big
Rice, Hook, Rice, and
Slim, to the North Arm of Burntside. Burntside
offers two BWCAW entry points, #6 to Slim and #4 to Crab.
The Slim Lake entry may be reached by gravel road along the North Arm of
Burntside while the Crab Lake entry requires paddling across the big lake
from one of the public access points to the portage landing on the western
shore.
Burntside is included in Beymer,
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, vol. 1, The Western Region, routes
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 13, and 27.
Wildlife
Burntside supports populations of Bluegill
(Lepomis macrochirus),
Golden Shiner (Notemigonus
crysoleucas), Green Sunfish (Lepomis
cyanellus), Lake Trout (Salvelinus
namaycush), Lake Whitefish (Coregonus
clupeaformis), Northern Pike (Esox
lucius), Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus
mordax), Rock Bass (Ambloplites
rupestris), Shorthead Redhorse (Moxostoma
macrolepidotum), Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus
dolomieui), Walleye (Stizostedion
vitreum), White Sucker (Catostomus
commersoni), and Yellow Perch (Perca
flavescens). Walleye and Lake Trout were stocked in 1994 and
1996.
Walleye, Lake Trout, and Northern Pike from Burntside contain levels
of mercury such that Walleye over 20", Trout over 25", and Northerns over
30" should not be eaten by children or women of child-bearing age.
Others should limit their consumption of these fish to one meal per month.
For more details, check the Minnesota
Fish Consumption Advisory.
Notes and Comments
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