Devil Track Lake

Devil Track Lake covers about 1,876 acres in Cook County, in the Gunflint Ranger District roughly five miles from Grand Marais. It sits just outside the Boundary Waters boundary rather than inside it: no portage connects it to the wilderness lakes to the north, and paddlers reach it instead by one of two boat launches on the north shore, a carry-in landing and a concrete ramp with a dock built for trailered boats.

The lake reaches 50 feet at its deepest, with water clarity that runs clear some years and murkier in others. The DNR describes it as a popular lake that continues to see moderate development both on the shore and nearby, and that shows: cabins and vacation rentals line stretches of the shoreline among the surrounding forest.

Smallmouth bass have become the strongest part of the fishery, with numbers built up to some of the highest on record and fish running good size. Walleye are still stocked here when natural reproduction falls short, but the population has slipped and the fish tend to run smaller than they once did, a decline anglers partly blame on an established spiny waterflea infestation that has slowed growth. Northern pike are around but usually undersized, while lake whitefish hold in the cold water deep enough to support both fall netting and summer fly fishing, and yellow perch have rebounded to some of their best numbers in years.

There's no wilderness campsite system here. A Forest Service campground on the shore offers 16 drive-in, wooded sites with lake access, and the north end of the lake also serves as a seaplane base tied to the Cook County airport. Motors are allowed.

Devil Track suits a car-camping or cabin fishing trip more than a wilderness paddle. It's a developed lake right at the edge of the BWCA, with the roads, motors, and campground that come with that rather than the portages and quota permits of the lakes just beyond it.