North Fowl Lake

North Fowl Lake sits directly on the international border in the Gunflint Ranger District, near the headwaters of the Pigeon River, the route voyageurs once followed down toward Lake Superior. At around 1,040 acres, it's reachable from entry points at North Fowl Lake itself, John Lake, and Pine Lake, all within a couple of miles.

Unlike the deep, cliff-lined water elsewhere along this stretch of the border, North Fowl Lake stays shallow throughout. It tops out at just 10 feet, and more than 90 percent of it is shallow enough to fish from the surface down. Close to 16 miles of shoreline wrap around it, folding the lake into bays rather than one open sweep of water.

That shallow, weedy structure favors northern pike and walleye, with smallmouth bass working the rockier stretches and yellow perch common throughout.

Two campsites sit on North Fowl Lake. A difficult portage of roughly half a mile connects it to Moose Lake to the west, one way in among a few; the route in from John Lake and Royal Lake is shorter and carries fewer portages.

North Fowl Lake suits paddlers who want to stand right on the border without the long crossing out to Mountain Lake's deeper, cliff-lined water: a shallow, easy-fishing lake at the edge of the wilderness rather than deep inside it.