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Trip Planning Forum

Best Time to Visit the BWCA

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Date/Time: 05/03/2024 02:07AM

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Best Time to Visit the BWCA

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Previous Messages:
Author	Message Text
walllee	03/25/2018 01:49PM QueticoMike: "Savage Voyageur: "First week in June if fishing is your game. Otherwise September because of no bugs and the trees are changing colors. " +1" + 2... if fishing’s the goal that’s the best time hands down.
mvillasuso	03/25/2018 11:44AM Early-mid October is my favorite time. From my experience, the fishing is surprisingly good, as long as the weather is fair. Cold fronts WILL turn the fish off.
TominMpls	03/25/2018 09:31AM I don't think there's a bad time, as long as you're ready for conditions. The last few years I've been in a routine of paddling trips in late June and again mid August, and backpacking late October. The late June trips are the buggiest and the wettest, but they also offer 16+ hours of daylight. For these I bring a bug tarp, head nets, and permethrin-soaked clothes, and the bugs aren't an issue. August brings higher temps and drier portages, but also lower water and more rocks. Fewer bugs too, but more people. Bug tarp isn't necessary but permethrin is still useful. The days are noticeably shorter, which is a definite negative for an early riser. Late October is amazing, but forget fall color - the leaves are long gone. The days are really short, and it does go below freezing at night. But the park has few visitors and the weather is usually good, and in my experience wildlife is active. I don't canoe then, which would raise some additional risks, but backpacking is awesome.
Captn Tony	03/24/2018 02:51PM Middle of Feb. to the middle of March. No bugs, no sweat, plenty of open camp sites, plenty of wood. The scenery is spectacular!
jhb8426	03/23/2018 10:57PM July, the week after the 4th. The holiday crowd is gone and people have the travel bug and wanderlust out of their system for a week or so. Then again in September, the first couple of weeks after Labor day, crowds thin out considerably and the weather is usually still warm enough.
QueticoMike	03/23/2018 04:50PM I want to go with all of you guys who don't have bugs on their trip during the last week of May! :) It seems like we almost always have black flies coming out at that time and they can be horrible. Skeeters too. There have only been a handful of trips at the end of May when the bugs weren't around and that was due to really cold springs.
thlipsis29	03/23/2018 03:58PM Mid to late May. Great fishing, decent temps, no bugs and not a ton of people. But as a few other shave said, I'd go any time I get the chance.
treehorn	03/23/2018 12:25PM Unfortunately if you're anything like me, you never really have much of a choice. Wife who works and 3 young kids...once the calendar gets filled with activities, tournaments, other commitments, it usually leaves me with not much more than a couple small windows and I take what I can get. Beggars can't be choosers - I don't really have the luxury of deciding whether or not I like a spring, summer or fall trip!
Tyler W	03/23/2018 12:04PM Mid-May is my favorite time. Some years you need extra clothes and a good sleeping bag, but that is a small price to pay for a quiet and bug free trip. Some years we have even found ice for our drinks and packing out fish fillets.
AmarilloJim	03/23/2018 11:51AM Last week of Sept. and the last week of May.
QueticoMike	03/23/2018 11:46AM Savage Voyageur: "First week in June if fishing is your game. Otherwise September because of no bugs and the trees are changing colors. " +1
Savage Voyageur	03/23/2018 09:10AM First week in June if fishing is your game. Otherwise September because of no bugs and the trees are changing colors.
ozarkpaddler	03/23/2018 08:54AM TomT: "First 2 weeks of September. Crowds are gone bugs are down, the water is still warm enough for swimming and the loons are still around. " 3rd week my favorite because loons still around, usually large groups starting to gather on the big lakes. Still relatively warm. Haven't had the chance to get up there in September lately, though.
TomT	03/23/2018 08:38AM First 2 weeks of September. Crowds are gone bugs are down, the water is still warm enough for swimming and the loons are still around.
walllee	03/23/2018 07:47AM Last full week of September, first week of October. Beautiful colors (usually) , no bugs , not as crowded, and tremendous fishing!
ParkerMag	03/23/2018 06:22AM We normally do two trips a year. First usually begins the weekend following Memorial Day weekend. We like early June for the fishing, crowds haven't filled in yet, bugs aren't always bad, days are long, weather's normally pretty nice - not too hot yet. Second trip will be mid to late September. Again, crowds have lessened, fishing CAN be good, weather's normally cooperative. I think it's all good though - go when you're able!
inspector13	03/23/2018 05:58AM Early to mid August: Few bugs, warm temperatures, swimming, blueberries. Mid to late September: No bugs, cooler temperatures (not much sweating going on), few people.
OldTripper	03/23/2018 05:42AM The majority of my trips have always been any time from the last week of September thru the end of October. The crowds are gone (which means you usually have your choice of any campsite), the leaves are turning, temps are cool, bugs are not an issue. I'm not really a fisherman so that was never a consideration for me. I really enjoyed being up there and never seeing another person the entire trip.
billconner	03/23/2018 05:14AM Anytime is a great time to be in the BWCAW but my favorite is first 2-3 weeks of October.
manmountain8	03/23/2018 12:40AM I would avoid July through mid august because the bugs can get bad. Pike, Walleye, and Lake Trout fishing is also less than ideal but Smallmouth can be good in the warmest months. That leaves May, June, and September. May is cold but fish are stacked up in shallow bays. They're easy to find but they may be a little sluggish. Fish activity picks up in June as fish are transitioning out of the bays and into the main lake. September can be great because fish are stocking up for winter and they are larger than any other time of year and you'll start to see some fall colors. If pleasant weather is the most important thing to you, June would be the best.
2NDpaddlers	03/22/2018 10:51PM What is everybody's take on when is the best time to spend in the BWCA? What month? Would it be the early part of that month or the latter part? Why? What are your reasons that make that the best time to visit the BWCA? We all know anytime of the year is amazing, but what makes a certain month your favorite?