East Bearskin to Pine Lake Loop

Overview

The East Bearskin to Pine Lake Loop begins and ends at Entry Point 64 on East Bearskin Lake in the Gunflint District. From the landing it drops through Moon, Deer, and Caribou Lakes to Clearwater Lake, continues east across the Pike lakes and McFarland Lake to Pine Lake, then closes the loop back through Canoe and Alder.

Clearwater Lake is known for the Palisades, a run of rocky cliffs along its shoreline, and Pine Lake sits near Johnson Falls, reached by a hiking trail at the lake's western end. Between them, the route strings together several of the larger lakes on the Gunflint side of the wilderness, with open water on Clearwater, the Pike lakes, and Pine broken up by a run of shorter carries through the smaller connecting lakes. A handful of the portages tie directly into that open water and run long and difficult rather than short and easy, unlike the quick hop between McFarland and Pine.

This route suits paddlers comfortable with open-water crossings and a few genuinely demanding carries, not a beginner's first loop. The lakes are large enough that wind matters for trip planning, and the spread between a three-day minimum and a five-day upper end gives a group room to slow down on the bigger water or push through faster if the forecast calls for it.

Route Highlights

• The Palisades, a stretch of rocky cliffs along Clearwater Lake's shoreline
• Johnson Falls, reached by a hiking trail from the western end of Pine Lake
• Several long, difficult portages linking the route's open-water lakes, in contrast to the short carry between McFarland and Pine