I am Canadian, and I am looking at launching from Access point 22 at Mudro in the BWCA as it is the easiest access for the lake in Quetico I am trying to get to.

I am not camping in the BWCA, just spending a day travelling north, and then a day travelling back to the access point. I have been told I just need to fill out a day use permit which is apparently free. I will then have my permit for Quetico, but the question I have is in regards to crossing the border.

Will I need a Remote Border Area Crossing? Anyone with experience in doing this?

I am not sure...the RABC is for non Canadian citizens to remotely cross the border. As a U.S. citizen when I cross remotely back into my country of origin (U.S.) I just have to check in with customs/immigration (Ely and Grand Marais have them). The Canadians don’t require me to do anything when leaving—-the U.S. would be similar I assume? I would call Canadian customs and see what they want you to do. I can’t see requiring a Canadian citizen to get an RABC—-the RABC is to screen out people with criminal records from entering Canada, you are already a citizen—-they don’t need to screen you. I don’t think the U.S. has any requirements either but you could check the customs station in Ely.

How are you getting your car back from Mudro? Not my business but curious.

T

I am American but since the RABC is for remote entry into Canada, you would require one even as a Canadian citizen, if I read the RABC documentation correctly. After your return and exit from Mudro, you will need to report to US Customs in Ely. The day pass is only for travel in the BWCA, so you will also require a Quetico permit issued by the Prairie Portage Ranger station based on the Quetico area you will be entering.

I will be crossing the border at I falls, parking at Mudro, going on the trip, and then returning the same route, including crossing the border again at I falls.

Prairie Portage is so far out of the way, I might have to see if I can get the quetico permit in advance.

I commend you for trying to do the right thing with respect to crossing the border and respecting it. It is very confusing - both going to Canada and vice versa.

Tomster

Castaway is correct, the RABC is for both Canadian and U.S. citizens. It makes absolutely no sense why the Canadians would require you to have an RABC but it looks like it is required. I’d still call to make sure...to be honest there is no way you could get busted for breaking such a weird rule but always better to follow the rules.

I think the harder part would be getting your Quetico permit ahead of time. I am not sure how to do that. Maybe get a Bottle Pemit from Lac La Croix—I think you can drive to that station near the aboriginal village and pick it up one day in advance? Maybe the main station in Atikokan would issue a permit a day in advance but you would need to check on that...otherwise the trip to Prairie Portage would make the convenience of Mudro a moot point.

T

Thanks for all the advice everyone, and yes I am trying to do the right thing here but it is very confusing. I live in Fort Frances so I will be going to customs here at the border to figure this out. I will also try to get the permit one day in advance so we can hopefully keep our route, so as to not lose time.

I would start with getting the Quetico permit in advance. The Quetico Park office has at times been accommodating to a few of my unusual requests. Given you are Canadian they may be even more helpful.
I fully expect you would need a RABC because it allows anyone that is eligible to cross the border into Canada without checking in with anyone. Sort of like a US citizen returning to the US and having to clear customs.
What lake are you going to go to? Will it be after Sept 16? Prairie is closed then and your options to get the permit early without going to Prairie might be improved.

I'm hoping they're accommodating. We are heading into Argo lake in Quetico and it will be in August.

"Crossing the border"?

My advice is always the same......"close your eyes and punch it"

OutdoorEnthusiast79: "I'm hoping they're accommodating. We are heading into Argo lake in Quetico and it will be in August. "

Good luck. Perhaps being Canadian will help but you won't be entering any of the entry point lakes, so that will be skirting the rules as I understand them. I'm probably not the only one that would enter that area of Quetico from the BWCA if possible since it avoids the high cost of the tow to the Bottle Portage and it reduces the travel from Prairie Portage. It sounds too good to be true but if this is allowed, please post how you gained approval.

The RABC is for Canadians and Americans. A Canadian needs the permit to cross the border just like an American does because you're not going through customs. When you return through the United States, you are supposed to check into US Customs in Ely as well. It's exactly the same for a Canadian doing this as for an American. Also, you can get an RABC permit in about 30 minutes at Fort Francis if you show up there in person (don't forget to bring your passport).

I think that part of it is easy. The hard part is getting permission from Quetico to enter from Mudro without going through Prairie Portage. They've intentionally required going through Prairie so that it is a bit harder to access lakes like Robinson and they are not overrun. That said, I know they will make exceptions in the off season if you call park HQ and tell them why you need an exception. I'm not sure if they will do that during the regular season though, and it seems like saying "because it's easier that way" would be a reason everyone would have and make the exception swallow the rule. But there's no harm in trying - just have a good reason ready when you call.

The current superintendent is emphasizing (at least so he said at Canoecopia 2017) face time with rangers as part of the permit process. Whether you can get around that is unknown.