Heading out with a group of 4 for my first trip into the BWCA! Trip planned for May 25-29, 2017.
One of the members of our party has been into the BWCA a few times but its been about a decade since then.
The 4 of us normally climb 13ers in Colorado but challenged ourselves to thru the SHT last year. So we're experienced in ultralight backpacking but haven't done more than a 2 night water trip.

There are endless options of the kind of trip or entry point to the BWCA and I'm looking for some suggestions. I love to trip plan but the hardest part is finding where to start! Any suggestions?
We will be leaving from the twin cities and would like to enter in Grand Marais or Ely and leave May 25. Exit Memorial day.

Here are some of our trip goals:
-Be challenged. No one wants to die or drown but nothing feels better than sore muscles and sun tanned skin lying down in the tent at night.
-Fishing! We would love to try catching some fish. (Alt. question- bring a fishing rod?? My ultralight mind says 'just bring fishing line everything will work out')
-Views not necessarily vistas. Definitely want to experience the beautiful solitude that BWCA has to offer. Since we're used to mountains the vistas aren't that important on this trip.
-Navigation. We DO NOT have a GPS :( Fell off the mountain last year. I've been trying to keep that in mind as I've been reading about others' troubles with map reading.

Any thoughts??

Probably not important but maybe: We need to get both canoes from an outfitter but don't need any other gear (unless we should rent a gps). We're college kids and really broke so we won't be staying in lodges or buying anything new. The sleep in the car type.

Any suggestions would be helpful! Even some generally beautiful areas would be a great starting point for me.

Kat, congrats on the trip, sounds like a good time. Your choic e of entry point at this late date may well be dictated by whats available. I haven't checked but it is very likely that many entry points are already full for that weekend. Having said that, i also think you will be able to find something. So i would start there. Use the link below, pick overnight paddle for the permit type and plug in the dates and see what lakes come up as available for entry. Pick out a few and take a look at a map and see what looks interesting.


BWCA Reservations


Once you narrow it down to a couple I think you will get lots of good advice and information about the areas you are interested in. There aren't many bad entry points as far as scenery. Some are just more work than others and the more and longer portages leads to quicker "solitude" generally speaking.

After you book an entry ( I wouldn't wait too much longer) check out the list of outfitters here on the site and pick one - most will do right by you.

By the way, I would bring a rod and reel if you really want to catch fish:)

Oh, and a GPS is really not necessary. Just bring good maps (2 sets) and follow your progress along the lakes closely, noting each island, point, etc...stay found and you will never be lost.

Well I did check and there are some permits available. Take a look at Little Indian Sioux #14, great area but only 1 of 6 permits left that day. Meeds Lake #48 is a nice lake with very good fishing and a challenging portage to get in there - you can camp there or go on to Caribou lake, Horseshoe Lake or beyond. Really nice area, known for moose sightings. For seclusion you could consider Homer Lake entry. There are 2 permits per day and both are available, and none are taken for several days prior to your entry which means there won't be many folks there when you get there.

You could enter at Saganaga, Seagull or Brule too, all great lakes but BIG water where wind can be a significant factor.

I wouldn't wait much longer to secure a permit, they will probably continue to go as folks like you find that the selection is pretty limited.

Questions?

I agree with Lindyliar - get your permit reserved soon. Look up what's available, then if you like come back here to this site in the Trip Reports section and look for comments and photos - but don't wait too long - they will get taken.

Just renting canoes from an outfitter will not be an issue. I did that for years. Its a busy time tough, so you may have to call a couple outfitters to get what you want.

Bring the fishing pole. Hauling gear over portages is much easier than hauling up 13'ers. They are shorter, flatter, and there's a lot more oxygen. I typically haul about twice the weight I would if I were backpacking.

Forget the GPS. A couple million people went to the BWCA before they were available, and I doubt most use them now. Map and compass works. In fact, though I would never go without one, I bet I've only needed my compass 4-5 times in past 20 trips. Most of the time, you can just hold your map up and orient it to the shape of the lake. Still good to know how to work with map and compass though.

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

dough: Welcome to bwca.com!
No lack of suggestions, opinions, experiences, or bright ideas here!