Rush Lake
Making Connections
- Portage Northeast, 60 rods, to One
Island
- Portage East, 50 rods to Little Rush
- Portage Southwest, 10 rods, to Banadad
Maps
- Fisher
F-13, No. Gunflint Trail,
Gunflint, Bearskin Lakes
- McKenzie
4, Gunflint Lake
Links
- DNR Lake No.160299
- Lake Map No.
- Lake Table No. 10B
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Scale 1:42840
Full image approximately 4
miles square |
Description
Rush is one of many long and narrow
lakes, with a distinct east/west orientation, which mark this eastern end
of the BWCA. Some 2 miles long it is about a quarter mile wide over
much of that length. It is one of the larger lakes on the route that runs
west from Poplar to Long Island, located only
a half mile south of the BWCAW border and but two miles south of County
Road 12, the Gunflint Trail. At its far eastern end, a 60 rod portage
runs northeast to One Island and, 220 rods
beyond, the Portage Lake entry while a 50 rod portage east connects with
the west end of Little Rush. From the west end, a 10 rod carry south connects
with Banadad. Campsites
Rush supports four established campsites,
two on points along the northern shore and two at the end of bays along
the southern shore. That in the southwest, though well located, is
quite small and low to the water. The other three are probably better
choices, especially for the larger party. Planning Considerations
The route through Rush, and its near neighbor
Banadad, is probably the least traveled of the
east/west routes through this region. Of the traffic from Poplar Lake (outside
the BWCAW but providing access to several entry points), to the hub that
is Long Island, most will drop farther south,
to the Pillsbery/Henson,
or Gaskin/Winchell
routes. In large part this is due to the longer and more challenging
portages on the Rush/Banadad route. At the east end, access is available
through One Island Lake, and a 220 rod portage,
or Skipper, with a 320 rod carry. West
beyond Banadad, one faces four portages totalling nearly 600 rods before
reaching the next campsite, on Long Island. Wildlife
This is moose and wolf country. We have
heard wolves howling in the night at other sites in the BWCA but nowhere
have they seemed so loud, so many, and so close, as at Rush. It sounded
to us like a call and response between a group at the far end of the lake
and another, not far behind our tents. Rush also supports populations of
White Sucker (Catostomus
commersoni), Northern Pike (Esox
lucius), and Burbot (Lota
lota) (but they're much less interesting)..
Notes and Comments
Rush probably derives its name from the Common
Rush, Juncus effusus, which grows in the shallow waters here, and
throughout much of the BWCA.
Last updated on
11 April, 2004
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