Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe area?

[soco7tyx7]

has anybody on the forum been to Boundary Waters in Minnesota? a trip out there is in the mix for the summer and i was curious if anyone has been there and could provide me with some first hand info. or any trip reports/pictures. i also hear the fishing is incredible which excites me! any help would be sweet.

-Jon

[Trailpatrol]

Hallo there from Minnesota, you betcha!

What would you like to know about the Boundary Waters then? I've been there a few times, but my specialty is the Chippewa National Forest in north-central MN. (BWCA is in the Superior N.F. in NE MN) My wife has guided church groups there and led photo trips in the Wilderness.

As for websites, other than http://www.exploreminnesota.com/, what you need to look at depends on where you want to enter the BWCA; East-Grand Marais and the Gunflint Trail; Central-Sawbill Trail and Caribou Trail. ("Trails" are long, unpaved roads--except for the Gunflint-- that run from Lake Superior to the a wilderness entry point on the edge of the BWCA.) North Central- Ely area; and West-Cook area. Go to the US Forest Service(http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/) site for more info on mandatory wilderness permits, entry points, etc. One other thing: Minnesota has a quirk in their boating law that requires all watercraft over 11 feet long on the states waters be registered in MN, unless they have a visible registration from the state of residence. You have to buy a one-year sticker to use your New York canoe in MN, unless the DEC has started registering canoes since I moved out here.

Let me know where you think you might like to go in. The BWCA is 1.5 million acres, so there are 83 different places to enter, not counting from the Quetico Provincial Park in Canada. www.bwcaw.org can give you all permit info and you can reserve permits there. I can give you other website URLs for the area you might be interested in.

Plan safe!
Merry Christmas!

Hans

[Rik]

Beautiful place! I hiked Eagle Mountain while there and didn't see another soul. Saw an eagle though!
The North Shore of Lake Superior is spectacular!

[Trailpatrol]

Beautiful place!...The North Shore of Lake Superior is spectacular!

Yah, sure! You betcha!

Hans

[kurtteej]

I've been trying to schedule a trip there. My cousin and I are planning on using an outfitter to bring us out via canoe and then we find our way back. Does anyone have experience with any of these outfitters? I got on a few mailing lists so I periodically receive fliers from them.

I understand that bugs are a major issue there. Do you have any recommendations regarding the timing of such a trip?

[Trailpatrol]

If you can deal with the mosquitos in the Adirondacks, you can deal with them in the BWCA. That being said, August is better than June or July. Fall is wonderful, and the bugs and people are gone. Color peaks around Sept. 25th in Ely.

The outfitters are regulated by the US Forest Service, and the Service take that job very seriously. The services do an excellent job, too. There are a lot of good ones, but personally, I would reccomend Piragis Outfitters in Ely, MN, or Sawbill Outfitters on the BWCA line, 26 miles north of Tofte, MN (which is on Lake Superior) If you do contact them, please tell them Hans Erdman of the Backcountry Trail Patrol suggested you call. We trained many of Piragis' guides in WFR.

Merry Christmas!
Hans