Sawbill Lake

Sawbill Lake
Sawbill Lake Show map of Minnesota Sawbill Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Tofte Township, Cook County, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates	47°53′12″N90°52′40″W / 47.8867°N 90.8779°W / 47.8867; -90.8779
Basin  countries	United States
Surface area	765 acres (310 ha)
Max. depth	45 ft (14 m)
Surface elevation	1,787 ft (545 m)
References	[1]

Sawbill Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. It is located at the end of the Sawbill Trail (County Road 2), 23 miles north of the nearest town of Tofte. It is a popular entry point (number 38) to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in the Superior National Forest. There is a United States Forest Service cabin, a canoe outfitter, and a 52-site campground located at the southern end of the lake. The lake also features 13 backcountry campsites accessible by non-motorized watercraft with a wilderness permit.

Sawbill is connected by portages to Smoke Lake, Kelso Lake, Ada Creek and Alton Lake. The lake is part of the Lake Superior drainage basin via the Temperance River and Sawbill Creek, which flows out of the lake at its southern base.

History

The southern portion of the lake was intentionally excluded from plans for a wilderness area in the 1930s to allow for recreation facilities to be located nearby. ^[2] The Sawbill Lodge opened on the south end of the lake in 1935, operating until its closure in the 1980s. Timber for the main lodge was cut nearby and floated across the lake to the lodge site. ^[3] In 1984, the original lodge building was dismantled and moved by truck to Solbakken Resort in Lutsen, where it remains today. ^[4]

Sawbill Canoe Outfitters opened nearby in 1957, and continues to provide canoe and equipment rentals, a shuttle service, and a small camp store. ^[5]

During the Great Depression there was a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp six miles south of the lake. The CCC built many of the portages in the area, and the Sawbill Guard Station, a log cabin located north of the campground that is used by the Forest Service to house seasonal volunteers and as a base for operation in the area. In 1936, one person was injured when a barge carrying 24 CCC youths overturned on the lake while returning from a firefighting assignment. ^[6]

Wildlife

Sawbill Lake supports populations of burbot, cisco, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, and yellow perch. ^[7] Loons, bald eagles, black bears, bobcats, Canada lynx, moose, and beavers, among others, are also found in the area. Sawbill is a nickname of the common merganser duck, another common species.

References

1. "Lake Information Report". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
2. "Rangers to lay out recreational area in Superior Forest". The Duluth herald. April 15, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
3. "Resort project to be speeded". The Duluth herald. August 31, 1934. p. 8. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
4. Friedrichs, Joe (2024-10-12). "Lodge on Lake Superior Once Stood at Sawbill Lake Near the BWCA Wilderness". Paddle and Portage. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
5. "Home - Sawbill Canoe Outfitters". 2017-07-12. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
6. "24 CCC youths near death as barge upsets". The Duluth herald. July 20, 1936. p. 2. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
7. "Sawbill (16049600)". Minnesota DNR LakeFinder. Retrieved December 3, 2025.

External links

• Sawbill Canoe Outfitters - Outfitter located on Sawbill Lake and operates Forest Service Sawbill Lake Campground
• Sawbill Lake on the BWCAWiki
• USFS Superior National Forest