Sora Lake
Making Connections
- Bushwhack North, 1 mile, to Copper
- Bushwhack South, 15 rods, to Din
Maps
- Fisher
F-12, Little Sag, Tuscarora,
Temperance Lakes
- McKenzie
7, Tuscarora
Links
- DNR Lake No. 160553
- Lake Map No. N/A
- Lake Table No. 9A
- 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
Sora is a long, narrow lake in the
heart of the Hairy Lake Primitive Management
Area. A series of three unnamed ponds connected by a small and often
dammed creek link Sora to Copper, a
mile to the north and 125' below. To the southwest, a small stream drops
into Sora from small Hairy Lake, which gave the area its name. Farther up
the drainage, to the south of Sora, are Din and Mass, and beyond Mass the
string of small lakes running down to Octopus
on the Frost River. The forest along the northern and most of the eastern
shore of Sora dates back over a century and a half to a stand replacing
fire in 1846. The big 1875 blaze burned up to its western shore and the
south and east burned as recently as 1936.
Campsites
Being in the middle of the Hairy Lake
PMA, Sora has no designated campsites, though you may camp at a site of
your own choosing by special permit. We found the island at the southern
end of the lake to be absolutely delightful. It is a classic example of
a Black Spruce/Feathermoss
community, with a thick and lush layer of mosses covering the ground, and
an understory shrub layer consisting largely of Labrador
Tea. It is a fragile environment, and a very beautiful one.
Planning Considerations
Sora may be reached either by bushwhacking
up the small creek from Copper or up
from Octopus on the Frost. The latter is the
more accessible route, particularly if you can pick up the old and nearly
vanished portages which stretch north as far as Iris.
The northern approach is much more of a struggle and the way is often blocked
by beaver dams which confound navigation. There are no maintained portage
routes to Sora.
Wildlife
Notes and Comments
The route from Copper
to Octopus, through Sora, Mass,
and Iris, presents an excellent opportunity, albeit
difficult, to experience the off trail backcountry, by crossing through
the heart of a PMA.
Last updated on
11 April, 2004
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