How to book your first Boundary Waters canoe trip
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Red Rock Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, near the end of the Gunflint Trail in northern Minnesota. Photo: Kyle Stokes/Axios
Permits for summer trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness this year go on sale Wednesday.
Why it matters: Northern Minnesota's BWCA is one of the best places on Earth — but if it's your first time, you need to know what you're getting into.
What they're saying: "Your trip in the Boundary Waters is gonna be some percentage of heaven and some percentage of hell, and you won't know what it is until you get back," Adam Amato, founder of the BWCA.com forum, tells Axios.
Here's how to start planning a trip:
🤔 Decide whether it's your thing. This isn't a weekend at Gooseberry Falls. Visitors must be ready to handle weather, wildlife, bugs and life off the grid.
- Look at the bright side: You don't have to pack out your own poop!
📍 Permits are for one of 72 entry points, not for campsites or routes — so do some research and pick five that open up appealing routes, Superior National Forest spokesperson Joy VanDrie tells Axios.
- The classic guidebooks and online trip reports can help build your wish list.
☎️ Call an outfitter. Once you've nailed down your entry point and dates, find one nearby. These private businesses are a massive resource.
- They will rent or sell all the equipment you need, from canoes to meals, and can help you plan your trip. Some even offer motorboat tows to jump-start your trip.
🏋️ Get the right gear.
- Kevlar canoe rentals tend to be more expensive, but they're lightweight, and worth every penny on portages.
- If you get a Kevlar canoe, bring shoes that can get wet. To avoid damaging the hull, you'll need to get out in the shallows, not on shore.
- Bring a head net for bugs. Who cares that they look goofy?
🗺️ Plan on covering 6–12 miles per day. Guidebook author Dan Pauley recommends first-timers avoid routes with lots of wide-open water (it gets choppy out there) or portages longer than 100 rods (roughly a quarter-mile).
- Oh yeah, did we mention the portages? To transfer between the BWCA's 1,100 lakes, paddlers carry their own canoes on short trails.
🏕️ "Leave no trace." Instead of following a route, you could make a single campsite your home base — but if you do, be good stewards of it by packing out your trash and not cutting down live trees or brush.
- VanDrie said many popular campsites are getting damaged from overuse.
🚫 You can't change your permit date! If you can't make your date, cancel as soon as possible so another group can plan a trip.
📆 Consider going in colder months! There's no quota on BWCA permits before May 1 or after Sept. 30.
What's next: The reservation portal opens on Wednesday, Jan. 29, at 9am.
Go deeper: BWCA officials warn against "panic-booking" a trip