Cummings Lake
Making Connections
- Portage North, 100 rods, to Neewin
- Portage North 580 rods, to Big
Moose
-
Portage Southeast, 35 rods, up the Korb River
- Portage South, 70 rods, to Korb
Lake
- Portage Southwest, 480 rods, to Buck
- Portage West, 5 rods, to Otter
Maps
- Fisher
F-8, Vermilion,
Trout Lake, Vermilion River, Bootleg Lake; F-9, Cummings,
Big Moose, Fourtown Lakes
- McKenzie
No. 16, Burntside
Lake
Links
- DNR Lake No. 690325
- Lake Map No. B3002
- Lake Table No. 1
- MDH Fish Consumption
Advisory - N/A
- MPCA Water Quality
- N/A
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Scale 1:42840
Full image approximately 4
miles square |
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Description
Cummings is a very large lake in the
Little Indian Sioux drainage, 24¾ miles southeast of Crane Lake and
12 miles WNW of Ely. In form a shallow arc some 4½ miles long, with
multiple bays, Cummings covers 1121 acres to a maximum depth of 41', with
a measured water clarity of 9'.
The Independence Day windstorms of 1999 brought varying degrees of tree
loss to the area surrounding Cummings. While most areas sustained
minimal damage, widely scattered blowdowns occur along some southern and
western shores, and on the Buck portage.
Connections
- to Neewin, a 100 rod portage off the north
shore of Cummings holds to the high ground along the west edge of a
wet draw, into the south end of Neewin.
- to Big Moose, a 580 rod (over 1¾
miles) portage out of the northeast bay of Cummings, heads north along
the higher ground in an otherwise boggy area, dropping over 100' in
the final 125 rods into the south end of Big Moose.
- to the Korb River, a steep, 35 rod carry bypasses the lower reaches
of the Korb River, where it tumbles into the eastern end of Cummings,
climbing some 20' in the first 15 rods..
- to Korb Lake, a 70 rod portage out of the
end of the south bay of Cummings climbs 16' in the first 15 rods, then
levels off for a fairly easy carry into the west end of Korb.
- to Buck, a 480 rod (1½ mile) portage
out of the southwest end of Cummings connects up with the west end of
Buck in a rolling series of climbs and descents.
- to Otter, a short 5 rod carry out of the
west end of Cummings connects with the headwaters of the Little Indian
Sioux.
Campsites
Cummings supports over a dozen established
campsites, scattered along its many miles of shore.
Planning Considerations
Cummings is at the very center of this
region of the BWCAW, with routes radiating out in all directions, and with
good connections to virtually all of the readily accessible lakes in the
area.
Cummings is included in Beymer,
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, vol. 1, The Western Region, routes
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 27.
Wildlife
Cummings supports populations of Bluegill
(Lepomis macrochirus),
Green Sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus),
Northern Pike (Esox lucius),
Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis
gibbosus), Rock Bass (Ambloplites
rupestris), Smallmouth Bass (Micropterus
dolomieui), Tullibee (Cisco) (Coregonus
artedi), White Sucker (Catostomus
commersoni), and Yellow Perch (Perca
flavescens).
Notes and Comments
Cummings is a large lake with much of its
length aligned with the direction of the prevailing summer winds.
This can make for high wind and waves, and difficult, if not impossible,
travel conditions for small, muscle driven watercraft. Use due caution.
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Last updated on
11 April, 2004
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