Burntside Lake is a
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
, located northwest of
Ely, Minnesota
Ely ( ) is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 3,268 at the 2020 census.
Located on the Vermilion iron range, Ely once had several iron ore mines. It is an entry point for campers and canoers into the Bou ...
, in
Saint Louis County,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. Its western boundary adjoins the
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on Tamarack Creek.
Native fish include
Bluegill
The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...
,
Golden Shiner,
Green Sunfish,
Lake Trout,
Lake Whitefish,
Northern Pike
The northern pike (''Esox lucius'') is a species of carnivorous fish of the genus '' Esox'' (the pikes). They are typical of brackish and fresh waters of the Northern Hemisphere (''i.e.'' holarctic in distribution). They are known simply as a ...
,
Rainbow Smelt,
Rock Bass
The rock bass (''Ambloplites rupestris''), also known as the rock perch, goggle-eye, red eye, and black perch, is a freshwater fish native to east-central North America. This red eyed creature is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish fa ...
,
Shorthead Redhorse,
Smallmouth Bass,
Walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the yellow pike or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern United States. It is a North American close relat ...
,
White Sucker
The white sucker (''Catostomus commersonii)'' is a species of freshwater cypriniform fish inhabiting the upper Midwest and Northeast in North America, but it is also found as far south as Georgia and as far west as New Mexico. The fish is commonl ...
and
Yellow Perch
The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samu ...
.
On its shores are two historic resorts with original hand-scribed log cabins, both built in the early 1900s and operating continuously since then:
Burntside Lodge
Burntside Lodge is a resort on the southern shore of Burntside Lake in Morse Township, Minnesota, United States, outside the city of Ely. It has been in operation for over a century.
Founding
Burntside Lodge was originally known as the Brown ...
(1913) and Camp Van Vac (1918). The YMCA's
Camp Widjiwagan Camp Widjiwagan is a YMCA camp based on Burntside Lake near Ely, Minnesota, United States.
Mission
The mission of Camp Widjiwagan is "to develop, in young people, respect for self, community, and the environment, through wilderness adventure and e ...
is also located on the lake's shore.
Burntside Lake's more than 100 islands include
Beach;
Bear;
Berry; Blueberry;
Brownell;
Burnt;
Burntside Islands;
Gem;
Dollar;
Evans;
Good Dog;
Half Dollar;
Honeymoon;
Indian;
Lockhart;
Long;
Lost Girl;
Miller;
Oliver;
Picnic;
Porkchop;
Ripple;
Snake;
State;
Sumpter;
Waters; and many more.
Long Island was recently acquired by the Trust for Public Land.
The Burntside Islands (Snellman and Pine) are SNAs (Scientific and Natural Areas, gifted by the Nature Conservancy)
Burntside Islands Scientific and Natural Area: Minnesota DNR
/ref> held by the DNR.
References
Burntside Lake Association
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Lakes of Minnesota
Lakes of St. Louis County, Minnesota
Tourist attractions in St. Louis County, Minnesota