Clearwater Lake

Clearwater Lake covers 1,344 acres in the Gunflint district of the Boundary Waters, in Cook County off the Gunflint Trail near Grand Marais. The near end of the lake also serves as the wilderness entry point, so paddlers reach it straight from the access rather than working in through other lakes first.

The lake runs deep, dropping to 130 feet, and only about a fifth of it stays shallow enough to fish from the surface down. That leaves a shoreline that reads more open than broken, without the maze of small bays some lakes this size fold themselves into.

Lake trout are the fish this lake is known for, holding in the cold water with burbot and cisco for company. Smallmouth bass and yellow perch work the shallower rock closer to shore.

Motors up to 10 horsepower are allowed on Clearwater Lake, unusual for water this far into the Gunflint district and different from most interior BWCA lakes where motors aren't permitted at all. That makes it a lake trout fishery a paddler can reach without a long carry in, while several routes also start from here and head deeper into the wilderness. A 385-rod portage runs out to Caribou Lake on the far side, long enough to keep that stretch of shoreline quiet compared to the rest of the lake.

Seven campsites sit on the lake, a modest number given how many trips launch from here, so it's worth having a backup in mind rather than counting on a specific site.

Clearwater Lake suits anglers after lake trout who want to reach deep, cold water without a long paddle in, and it works just as well as the starting point for a longer trip that continues past it.