Little Vermilion Lake

Little Vermilion Lake sits at the western edge of the Boundary Waters, in the La Croix Ranger District a short run from Crane Lake, Minnesota. At around 1,100 acres, it's the first lake on one of the wilderness's motorized entry corridors, the route that continues north toward Lac La Croix. Two entry points reach it directly: one named for the lake itself, and a second, reserved for parties headed straight on to La Croix, just under a mile beyond it.

Getting here from Crane Lake means a difficult portage of more than a mile, the longest carry on this end of the route. A much shorter one, well under a quarter mile, connects the lake to Dovre Lake instead. From Little Vermilion, the water continues on toward Loon Lake and the rest of the border chain.

Motors are allowed on Little Vermilion Lake, one of the handful of BWCA lakes along the international border where travel isn't restricted to paddle power. Five campsites are spread around its shoreline.

Little Vermilion Lake is a genuine wilderness lake, with its own campsites and its own portage connections, even sitting right at the edge of a motorized corridor out of Crane Lake toward Lac La Croix.