Tuscarora Lake

Tuscarora Lake covers about 805 acres in the Gunflint district of the Boundary Waters, in Cook County near Grand Marais. It sits entirely inside the wilderness boundary.

The lake is reached from Missing Link Lake over a portage that runs a bit more than a mile, long enough to discourage casual traffic and keep Tuscarora quiet even during the busiest weeks of the season.

Tuscarora runs deep for its size, dropping to 130 feet, and roughly three quarters of the lake is too deep and cold to fish from the surface down. The water itself is clear, with visibility extending more than 13 feet.

Lake trout are what Tuscarora is known for, reproducing naturally across multiple year classes in the cold depths, though they tend to run smaller and grow more slowly here than lake trout elsewhere in Cook County. Northern pike work the shallower water, with yellow perch and bluegill filling out the rest of the fishing.

Ten campsites sit on Tuscarora Lake, none of them closed, giving parties plenty of room to spread out.

Tuscarora Lake suits paddlers after lake trout water without the crowds, since the long carry in from Missing Link Lake keeps it quieter than lakes with easier access closer to the entry points.