Angle Inlet

Understand

The Treaty of Paris (1783), concluded between the United States and Great Britain at the end of the American Revolutionary War, stated that the boundary between U.S. territory and the British possessions to the north would run "...through the Lake of the Woods to the most northwestern most point thereof, and from thence on a due west course to the river Mississippi..." The parties did not suspect that the source of the Mississippi, Lake Itasca, was south of that point. Consequently the Northwest Angle is the result of 18th-century ignorance of geography. In the Anglo-American Convention of 1818, the error was corrected by having the boundary run due south from the northwest point of the lake to the 49th parallel and then westward along it. When this north-south line was surveyed, it was found to intersect other bays of the lake and therefore cut off a portion of U.S. territory, now known as the Northwest Angle.

The Angle is one of only four non-island locations in the 48 contiguous states not directly connected to them by land within the country, the others being nearby Elm Point, Minnesota (which is uninhabited); Alburgh, Vermont (which is bridged to New York state and Vermont by US Route 2); Point Roberts, Washington (which is two hours by motorboat from Bellingham, despite being an outer Vancouver BC suburb in all but nationality). It's also the northernmost US point outside Alaska (and the Alaskan Panhandle has its own quirky places like Hyder, Skagway and Haines where ― while they're not truly exclaves of Alaska ― the only road for intrastate travel leads abroad).

The only overland access to these points is through Canada. That's a problem, given the restrictions on non-essential international travel imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-21. Fetch the float planes, fetch the boats!

Get in

By plane

The closest airport to Angle Inlet is in Kenora (YQK), Ontario.

Intrastate float or ski plane service is available directly to Angle Inlet from International Falls.

By car

Angle Inlet is most easily accessed through Canada by road. From the Trans Canada Highway (MB-1) take MB-308 South to MB-525 East. Stop for an interesting unstaffed Border Crossing at Jim's Corner by phone or webcam. Very unique, bring a camera. MB-525 East becomes Winter Road which takes you directly in to Angle Inlet.

An ice road was constructed across Lake of the Woods by locals for the Winter 2020-21 season ($140/trip or $500/season), but it is unclear whether this will be repeated during subsequent winters.

By snowmobile

Not quite crazy enough to attempt to take a street vehicle onto the ice road, but not quite sane enough to stay home? Perhaps taking a snowmobile onto the frozen lake would, seasonally, be an option. When the ice road was in seasonal operation, the Northwest Angle Edge Riders club was able to get through from Warroad, Minnesota to the Northwest Angle on their machines in about 45 minutes.

By boat

You can reach the angle without crossing the international border by crossing the Lake of the Woods. This can be done by aircraft, by boat when the lake is free of ice, or by ice road in the winter months. Since there are no automobile ferries operating on the lake, vehicles coming from the rest of Minnesota can only reach the Angle without crossing the border in winter. While the ice is forming in late autumn and breaking up in the spring the lake's surface cannot be safely crossed – at these times domestic access to the Angle is possible only by air.

The crossing by boat includes more than twenty-five miles of open water, which (predictably) may be rough. Not all vessels are up to the task; anything small enough to be towed with a car and trailer (while a popular choice were the road open through Manitoba) is likely too small. Some charter or taxi vessels were taking passengers from "mainland" Minnesota to the Angle during the summer of 2020, for a fee. That won't get your vehicle to the Angle, but it will get you there without leaving Minnesota.

Any attempt to enter directly from Canada relies on the Reporting Offsite Arrival-Mobile (ROAM) app to report to US Customs. Some of the resorts have preloaded the app onto tablet computers. As of 2018, valid listed check-in locations for this app included Brush Island, Carlson's Landing, Pine Creek Landing and Young's Bay on the Northwest Angle, as well as a few individual islands on Lake of the Woods. US Customs is also available by telephone on +1-800-505-8381 or +1 218 386-2796.

Get around

Angle Inlet is easily seen on foot. No need for transit or taxis. Boats are of far more use for visiting islands and can be rented at most lodges.

Stay safe

Lake of the Woods crosses all of the boundaries MOM warned you about ― Minnesota, Ontario, Manitoba. That makes it very easy to inadvertently cross provincial or international borders while heading out to terrorise the local wildlife. The Canadian Border Services Agency does consider dropping an anchor or a fishing line into Canadian waters to constitute entry to Canada, which would require reporting to Customs on "arrival" to avoid harsh penalties – and, upon return, reporting to US Customs because you've been to Canada. Under normal conditions, this is an annoyance. In full epidemic panic mode? It's a problem.

Fish on Lake of the Woods are educated in the finest of schools, and learn that hiding in Ontario's many delightful bays and coves gives them the full protection of a mighty Britannic Empire which rules the waves and protects them from hungry Minnesota anglers. It used to be possible to sneak past this by acquiring a Remote Area Border Crossing permit from Canada, along with an Ontario fishing licence, to get rod and reel into these tiny spots. That doesn't work now, as all RABC permits are suspended due to the pandemic.

If you're going to Minnesota to fish, stay in Minnesota ― at least until all of this is over ― as blundering into Canadian waters with bait and tackle is legally considered an international crossing which might not be viewed as essential under current conditions.

There are many small islands which have no infrastructure and no fixed connections to either nation's mainland. It is possible to reach these by boat in summer and snowmobile in winter, but the "ice out" of the spring thaw may leave up to eight weeks where there's no safe way in or out to these points. Those stubborn enough to cottage on these remote islands outside of high season therefore learn to keep enough provisions on hand (food, fuel, power for satellite dishes or communications) to last through weeks stranded and isolated as fresh water can become a lake of ice rapidly north of the 49th parallel.

Go next

Due to the border situation, accessing Lake of the Woods from within Minnesota may be easier via Warroad, Baudette or other points on the south shore. Other nearby destinations include:

• Whiteshell Provincial Park in eastern Manitoba (100 km/60 miles)
• Roseau (Minnesota) (100 km/60 miles)
• Kenora, Ontario (170 km/107 miles)
• Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota and International Falls (300 km/180 miles)