Mountain Lake Loop

Overview

The Mountain Lake Loop begins and ends at Entry Point 62 on Clearwater Lake, a large motor-permitted entry point in the Gunflint District. From the landing the route crosses onto Mountain Lake, part of the international border with Canada, then continues through Fan and Vaseux Lakes to Moose Lake and North Fowl Lake before turning back west through Royal Lake, John Lake, and McFarland Lake, closing the loop through Pine, Little Caribou, and Caribou Lakes back to Clearwater.

Mountain Lake carries lake trout and runs long and narrow beneath cliffs the area is known for, a stretch of border water known locally as the Minnesota Mountains. Pine Lake, on the return leg, sits near Johnson Falls, a set of falls with swimming holes reached by a short hike off the water, and the Border Route Trail crosses the corridor here too, with spur trails climbing to overlooks into Canada. Caribou and Pine both hold walleye alongside smallmouth bass and northern pike found throughout the loop.

This is a full loop rather than an out-and-back, crossing both open border water and a chain of smaller interior lakes on the way back, with several carries along the route rating as genuinely demanding rather than routine. It suits groups comfortable with a real portage day mixed into an otherwise lake-heavy trip, with camping options spread across Mountain, Moose, and Pine Lakes to break up the distance.

Route Highlights

• Mountain Lake's border-water cliffs, part of the Gunflint District's "Minnesota Mountains"
• Johnson Falls, a swimming-hole waterfall reached by a short hike off Pine Lake
• Border Route Trail overlooks into Canada along the Pine Lake corridor
• North Fowl Lake sits directly on the US-Canada border at the loop's far point