Horse Lake Loop

Overview

The Horse Lake Loop begins and ends at Entry Point 24 on Fall Lake, crossing Newton Lake into Basswood Lake before turning south through Horse, Tin Can Mike, and Sandpit Lakes and closing the loop back across Basswood to Fall Lake. Basswood forms the border with Ontario along this stretch, and the route crosses it twice, once heading out and again on the way back.

Basswood itself is one of the largest lakes on the route, open and island-dotted with long sightlines and real wind exposure on a rough day, holding walleye, smallmouth bass, and northern pike among a wide mix of species. The lakes to the south are a different character entirely: Horse, Tin Can Mike, and Sandpit are small, forested, and tucked away, connected by a chain of portages that includes two individually demanding carries along the way. Fall Lake and Newton Lake bookend the trip with their own mix of walleye and pike.

This is a route for groups ready for open-water travel on a big lake alongside real portaging, rather than one or the other. Basswood rewards paddlers who watch the wind and plan crossings around it, while the southern lakes offer a sheltered, quieter contrast once the portage chain is behind you. With camping spread across both Basswood and the interior lakes, groups have real flexibility in how they break up the five days.

Route Highlights

• Basswood Lake's open, island-dotted water along the Ontario border, crossed twice by the loop
• Two individually demanding portages on the chain linking Horse, Tin Can Mike, and Sandpit Lakes
• A shift from Basswood's big-lake paddling to the smaller, sheltered lakes to the south