Seagull Lake
From BWCAWiki
| Entry Point #54, #54A Seagull Lake | |
| Method of Travel: | Paddle or motor. |
|---|---|
| Access: | Boat landings on the Gunflint Trail or Seagull River. |
| Additional: | 10 h.p. motor limit. Motors not allowed (use or possession) west of Three Mile Island. |
| For more information, please call the Gunflint Ranger Station in Grand Marais at (218)387-1750. | |
| Lake Information | |
| Acres: | 4,032 |
| Campsites: | 20+ |
| Connections: | Alpine Lake, Grandpa Lake, Seagull River, Paulson Lake, Rog Lake. |
| DNR Info: | 16-0629-00 |
| Fisher map: | F-19 |
| Connecting Portages | |
| Northwest: | 20 rod portage to Alpine Lake |
| Northwest: | 105 rod portage to Alpine Lake |
| North: | 235 rod portage to Grandpa Lake |
| North: | paddle through to Seagull River |
| South: | 535 rod portage to Paulson Lake |
| West: | 20 rod portage to Rog Lake |
Seagull Lake (also spelled Sea Gull Lake) is a large entry point lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail. Generally oval-shaped, Seagull is, much like Saganaga Lake to the north, filled with many islands and bays. Seagull Lake was motorized until 1999, when motors were restricted to the area of the lake east of Three Mile Island.
Contents |
Natural history
Forests
The forests surrounding Seagull Lake have seen many recent changes. Long known as a "big pine" lake, many of Seagull's largest white and red pines were damaged or destroyed during the 1999 Fourth of July Blowdown. Since the blowdown, the U.S. Forest Service has undertaken several controlled burns to reduce the amount of fuel available for wild fires. The entirety of Three Mile Island experienced a controlled burn in 2002, and much of the south shore in 2003. The lightning-ignited Alpine Lake Fire of 2005 burned a significant portion of the north shore of Seagull Lake.
Three Mile Island was the location of one of the oldest pine stands in the BWCAW, with some individual red pines estimated at about 400 years. (Heinselman, 1996)
On July 14, 2006, the Cavity Lake Fire was spotted approximately one mile southwest of Seagull Lake. By July 17, the fire had spread to 6,300 acres, stretching from Seagull Lake to Gabimichigami Lake in the southwest. Spot fires were started on Three Mile Island and Miles Island. By early August when the fire was finally contained 31,830 acres had burned. In addition to standing and blown-down forest, the fire reburned blowdown which had been partially burned by prescribed fires set by the Forest Service. The fire burned so hot in the blowdown that large areas where burned down to bedrock and mineral soil. In May, 2007, yet another fire swept through the area. The Ham Lake Fire affected the eastern quarter of Seagull Lake. By the summer of 2007 very little unburned forest remained on Seagull Lake, and shade was scarce indeed. Because of the intensity of the fires and the resulting loss of seed from the soil, the future forest surrounding Seagull Lake will likely be dominated by aspen and paper birch, as the seeds of these species are light-weight and well dispersed by the wind.
Geology
The bedrock found around Seagull Lake is Saganaga Tonalite, similar to rock found on Saganaga Lake.
References
Heinselman, Miron. The Boundary Waters Wilderness Ecosystem, University of Minnesota Press, 1996. ISBN 0816628041
External links
- See Seagull Lake on Google Maps
