Newfound Lake

Newfound Lake is a 643-acre lake in the Kawishiwi district of the Boundary Waters, in Lake County a few miles east of Ely. It sits close to entry points on the Moose Lake side of the wilderness, connected by short portages to Splash Lake, Found Lake, and Skull Lake, and it sees some of the heaviest boat traffic in the BWCA as a result.

The lake runs nearly 15 miles of shoreline around its 643 acres, broken into bays and channels rather than one open basin. It reaches 45 feet at its deepest, with a bottom of ledge rock, rubble, and gravel along shore. Aquatic plants stay sparse and thin out by about 10 feet down, and the water runs clear enough to see 12 feet or more most of the season.

Motors are allowed on Newfound Lake, though capped at 25 horsepower, since it's part of the towboat route linking Moose Lake to the interior. Paddlers share the water with small outboards here more than on most BWCA lakes, and the broken shoreline offers plenty of places to get out of the wind on a rougher day.

Walleye are the main draw, running thick and growing fast, typically 18 to 20 inches. Northern pike show up in good numbers too, with some stretching past 30 inches, and cisco are abundant enough to be the backbone of the food chain for everything else in the lake. Smallmouth bass, perch, and bluegill round out a fishery with something for most anglers.

Thirteen campsites are spread across the lake, one of the higher counts in this part of the wilderness, which keeps finding an open site manageable even when the lake is busy.

Newfound Lake is more a busy through lake than a solitude destination, with strong walleye fishing and boat traffic that reflects its spot on one of the BWCA's most traveled corridors.