Marathon LakeMaking Connections
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Full image approximately 2 miles square |
Description
Marathon is a small, shallow, relatively remote lake on Hump Creek in the Isabella River drainage of the Lower Kawishiwi, 22 miles southeast of Ely and 4 miles northwest of Forest Center. Only 31 acres in size, it has a maximum depth of but 11'. Hump Creek enters on the northeast side of the lake, down from Hump Lake, just over a mile upstream. The creek departs Marathon off its northwestern shore, bound for Wager and Diana, and the Isabella River beyond.The forest surrounding most of the lake dates back to a major 1854 fire which burned a large area north of the Isabella River, from Rice Lake west as far as Superstition and as far north as Cargo, Diana and Marathon. The forest to the north and east is of more recent origin, having burned in the infamous fire year of 1910. The Independence Day windstorms of 1999 did no significant damage in the Marathon area.
Campsites
Marathon has one established campsite, on the southern shore, intended primarily for the use of backpackers on the Pow Wow Hiking Trail.Planning Considerations
Marathon is on the Pow Wow Hiking Trail but otherwise well away from canoe routes and maintained portages. Getting there with a boat requires making use of the hiking trail as a long portage and one which, even when maintained, is not cleared with the turning radius of a portaged canoe in mind. Marathon also provides an opportunity for exploring Hump Creek, upstream to Hump Lake, and downstream to Wager and Diana. Recent editions of the McKenzie maps provide tremendous detail on the Pow Wow Trail, including landmarks and GPS coordinates. This is the map you want at hand if portaging the Pow Wow.Wildlife
Marathon supports populations of Northern Pike (Esox lucius), Pumpkinseed Sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus), Walleye (Stizostedion vitreum), White Sucker (Catostomus commersoni), and Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens).Notes and Comments
If you do get in to Marathon send us a photo. We'll publish it here. (It's the only way most BWCA paddlers will ever get to see this remote little lake.)
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