Crescent Lake (Minnesota)

Crescent Lake
Location Tofte and Lutsen Townships, Cook County, Minnesota, US
Coordinates 47°49′30″N 90°45′37″W / 47.82500°N 90.76028°W / 47.82500; -90.76028Coordinates: 47°49′30″N 90°45′37″W / 47.82500°N 90.76028°W / 47.82500; -90.76028
Primary inflows Willow Creek, Bouder Lake, Lichen Lake
Primary outflows Poplar Creek
Basin countries United States
Surface area 774 acres (3 km2)
Max. depth 28 ft (9 m)
Surface elevation 1,791 ft (546 m)[1]

Crescent Lake is a lake located in Tofte Township and Lutsen Township,[2] Cook County, Minnesota.

Geography

Crescent Lake lies to the south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area ("BWCA"), along Forest Route 170.[3] To the north, Crescent Lake receives water from Kinogami Lake,[4] through Willow Creek, in the Willow Creek Unit, a 1360 acre roadless area inventoried by the Forest Service's second Roadless Area Review & Evaluation (RARE II) in 1979, but not added to the BWCA.[5] To the east, Crescent Lake is connected to Bouder Lake by a shallow, but navigable channel,[6] and also drains Lichen Lake.[7] To the south, Crescent Lake empties through a series of small lakes into Rice Lake which in turn drains into the Poplar River and ultimately into Lake Superior.[7][8]

Crescent Lake has an area of 744 acres, of which 558 are part of the littoral area.[9] The maximum depth is 28 feet, and water clarity is 9.5 feet.[9]

Plant and animal life

The Minnesota DNR manages a section of 650 acres of mixed old growth forest on state land adjacent to the lake.[10]

The lake is a sport fishing lake, and was stocked in the 1970s with walleye and muskellunge.[9] Both populations are now naturally produced in the lake without further help from fisheries.[9] While walleye caught by DNR surveys are generally larger than others caught in lakes of the same class, the muskellunge population measured have thus far all been below the legal catch length.[9] Since muskellunge introduction, the older northern pike population has decreased.[9]

During the 1990s, smallmouth bass appeared in Crescent Lake, and as of 2006 have spread from it as far south as Rice Lake, establishing themselves in all the major lakes in the upper watershed of Poplar River.[8] Crescent Lake is also populated by yellow perch and white sucker.[9]

National Forest Campground

The United States Forest Service operates a 34 site fee campground on the west side of Crescent Lake, south of Forest Route 170.[3] It features a boat launch onto Crescent Lake, canoe storage areas, vault toilets, and a quarter mile hiking trail.[3] During the regular season, from April 29 through October 30,[11] drinking water and garbage disposal are available, and the nightly fee is $16.[12] 18 sites can be reserved during regular season.[11] Electricity and dump stations are unavailable.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Crescent Lake Campground, Cook County, Minnesota, Pickatrail, 2011. Retrieved November 27, 2011.
  2. ↑ Political Boundaries in Cook County, MN, Cook County, Minnesota. Retrieved November 28, 2011
  3. 1 2 3 4 Crescent Lake, U.S. Forest Service, 2010. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  4. ↑ Kinogami Lake information report, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2002. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  5. ↑ Preserving the Canoe Country Heritage, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness . Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ Bouder Lake information report, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2005. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  7. 1 2 West Cook County Water Access Map, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  8. 1 2 Rice Lake information report, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2006. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lake information report, Crescent Lake, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2005. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  10. ↑ Border Lakes Subsection Resource Management Plan, Strategic Direction and Stand Selection Results, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, 2005. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  11. 1 2 Facility Details Season Dates, Crescent Lake, Reserve America. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
  12. ↑ United States Forest Service, Crescent Lake Campground, U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
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