Brule to Long Island Loop

Overview

The Brule to Long Island Loop begins and ends at Entry Point 41 on Brule Lake, one of the larger lakes on the eastern edge of the Boundary Waters. From the landing it crosses Brule Lake, threads north through the Cone Lakes to Davis Lake, then continues through a chain of interior lakes to Long Island Lake before turning back south through Gordon and Cherokee Lakes to close the loop.

The stretch from North Cone Lake to Muskeg Lake carries the trip's hardest work: three portages in a row, each individually rated difficult, with the longest carry on the route landing paddlers in Kiskadinna Lake. Long Island Lake gives the loop a real midpoint, with enough campsites to make it a comfortable second night before the route continues to Cherokee Lake, which holds lake trout and northern pike and offers camping of its own. A fifth difficult portage carries paddlers out of Cherokee toward Sitka Lake on the return leg.

This loop suits paddlers with real portaging experience behind them — five individually difficult carries sit inside four fixed days, with the toughest stretch concentrated early rather than saved for the end. Camping is generous at Davis, Long Island, and Cherokee Lakes, so the trip doesn't hinge on reaching one specific site each night.

Route Highlights

• A stretch of three individually difficult portages between North Cone and Muskeg Lakes, including the longest carry on the route
• Long Island Lake as a large, well-served crossroads roughly at the loop's midpoint
• Cherokee Lake, holding lake trout and northern pike, with ample camping on the return leg