Boundary Waters Canoe Trip: Secure Your Permit for Ultimate Solitude
Permits for all entry points are available on the last Wednesday in January at 9:00 am, Central Time Zone.
On social media, I see a lot of questions about Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) permits. As a wilderness guide, I’m very familiar with them and am here to demystify the process. Hopefully, it will help you in your planning.
Included are additional tips for finding solitude along with permit etiquette!
Entry point kiosk at a trailhead parking lot with helpful information and self-issuing permits.
2 Steps to Getting a Permit
1. Choose an Entry Point
The BWCA has over 70 entry points. Overwhelming, right? I recommend choosing an entry point relatively close to a gateway town such as Ely, Tofte, or Grand Marais. This eases the logistics of time, planning, and shuttles. People often want info on “the best EP’s for fishing, scenery, seclusion, etc”, however, they are all pretty great–you really can’t go wrong. Check out a handy list of entry points with maps and details.
+ Permit Etiquette: If you decide to grab a permit, please do not pick up a bunch and hoard them for deciding on later. This is becoming a bigger problem each year and hurts all of us.
Sample of a wilderness permit. I keep mine in a zip-lock bag in my waterproof map case along with copies of important documents like my and my group’s driver’s license and health insurance cards. Keep your permit handy in case a wilderness ranger asks to see it.
2. Reserve a Permit
A permit is always required to enter the wilderness year-round. A BWCA permit allows a group of up to 9 people and 4 watercraft to enter the Wilderness. One permit per group per trip. Note: Groups must stay together at the same campsite.
May 1 - Sep 30
Online Permit
Visitors can obtain a permit through recreation.gov. I recommend this option as permits are popular and all entry points have quotas.
Walk-up Permit
These permits can be picked up at any permit issuing station on the entry date or one day prior.
Self-Issued Permit
These can be picked up from any forest service office or entry point kiosk. (no reservation required and no recreation fees)
Oct 1 - Apr 30
Self-Issued Permit
These can be picked up from any forest service office or entry point kiosk. (no reservation required and no recreation fees)
A very secluded lake that had only two campsites.
Tips for Ultimate Solitude
Summer sees the highest volume of visitors to the BWCA. It’s no surprise as the water is warmer for swimming, early-season fishing is amazing, and the kids are out of school. There are great ways to increase your sense of solitude!
+ Choose an entry point that requires a portage into the first lake. The longer the portage, the less likely you are to see many people.
+ Choose a campsite back in a bay or further from the main routes of travel. Skip the low-hanging fruit.
+ Choose a campsite off a main canoe route that only has 1-4 sites. So, one or two lakes away from the popular lakes. Hint: Popular Lakes are generally closer to entry points.
+ Plan a trip that falls midweek.
+ Avoid holiday weekends.
+ Keep voices down on land and water. Sound carries extremely well over all bodies of water. I’ve heard some interesting conversations and 5 am trumpet playing….
Interesting in learning more? Check out our handy guide: The Boundary Waters: 7 Steps to Planning your Canoe Trip.
Disclaimer
Planning and preparing for all the possible conditions is crucial if you plan to embark on a wilderness adventure. It is imperative that you honestly assess your experience, level of fitness, and skill set. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) is a remote wilderness area and help may not be readily available. Conditions and weather change often. Check current conditions from local outfitters and ranger stations, as the information in this article may be inaccurate or outdated.
