Pine Lake

Pine Lake covers about 830 acres in the La Croix district of the Boundary Waters, in St. Louis County roughly nine miles north of Tower. It sits entirely inside the wilderness boundary, so it isn't a lake you reach straight from a road.

The lake is landlocked by portage. Paddlers reach it by way of Trout Lake, either over a single portage of about eight tenths of a mile or a shorter carry followed by more than three miles of paddling up Pine Creek. Either way, getting here takes some work, which keeps the traffic light.

Pine Lake runs shallow, topping out at 18 feet, and its water carries a dark, tea colored stain from the bog around it rather than running clear.

Walleye, northern pike, and yellow perch are all more common here than in a typical lake this size, and white suckers fill out the numbers too. Smallmouth bass are a newer arrival that have taken hold and grow fast, while the lake's walleye tend to grow more slowly than average.

Nine campsites sit on Pine Lake, spread out enough that a party willing to make the portage usually finds room.

Pine Lake suits paddlers looking for water that takes real effort to reach, its shallow, stained water and slower growing walleye setting it apart from the clearer, more heavily fished lakes closer to the entry points.