Hi! I've been listening to my dad talk about the BWCA for years, and dreaming of going for as long as I can remember, so my husband and I decided to finally go for it and are planning a trip for our anniversary. We are strong, in our mid-20s, and somewhat experienced hikers, but have never ventured into the Boundary Waters. We will probably only have a maximum of five days/four nights to spend, but aren't sure which entry point to choose. We aren't interested in fishing. We are more looking for waterfalls, great swimming, beautiful scenery, and opportunities to see some wildlife if possible. I've been doing some lurking around the board and have thought about entering at Fall Lake, among a few others, but would love suggestions!

When will your entry date be?

When you say experienced hikers, do you mean backpackers?

Check your entry date and then the available permits - that will determine your options. If you are renting canoes - check with an outfitter. They will have route suggestions and packing lists to share with you - OR check the planning section here. Look on the top of the page at "Planning +"
Permit - link
As to route - Fall Lake is a very busy entry p[oint but you can be up on Basswood in a day. lots of site options and good day trips there. - Check out Lower Basswood Falls. It is a mile portage to the falls but a nice day trip if you are not carrying gear.

One idea

My first trip (2000 maybe?) we did a loop from the Fall Lake entry you mentioned, up through Basswood Falls, down the Basswood River, into Horse, Tin Can Mike, over to Jackfish, Pipestone, and back out the same entry. And it was phenomenal. It was 5 nights.

As popular of an entry as that is, somehow we saw very few people after the first day.

Every campsite we got was really nice.

The caveat would be there is some big water on that route...we had really good weather and only one difficult paddle across Jackfish Bay. But the possibility of getting windbound there or a couple other places along the way does exist.