Hello ya'll,

My family and I are excited to take our first trip to the Boundary Waters next summer. My daughter just had a baby and she is concerned about taking a 1-year-old boy into the backcountry. She is hoping we can establish a basecamp at a drive-up campground and do three or four individual day canoe trips while coming back to the base camp each night. That would give her more peace of mind and allow her to stay behind if she was uncomfortable with the conditions.

Our family's main reason for going to the Boundary Waters is to enjoy the outdoors and see wildlife. Personally, I wouldn't mind it if we ran into some good fishing as well!

Do you have any advice about what campgrounds would be best?

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Sawbill. Wonderful selection of day trips. The outfitter even has showers available. Also, it is not a motor lake which most of the other campground lakes are. Get reservations as soon as you can nail down dates. It fills up.

Kawishiwi Lodge near EP30. Rent a cabin. Paddle into the BWCA to get a feel. A wonderful way to introduce some people into the back country.

Canoe Country Outfitters - camp at their Moose Lake Base - sites with table and fire ring, restrooms, showers, sauna, small store.

More primitive - check out the SNF campgrounds. campgrounds

I'm a rustic (free) campground kind of guy but I would lean towards renting a cabin or RV if I had an infant along. I don't think you can go wrong in the area but I had a really great experience with Rockwood lately so I'll take this opportunity to pump their cabins on beautiful Poplar Lake. Plenty of day tripping opportunities up the Gunflint especially if you're into waterfalls.

Thank ya'll for your help. I have been doing some research and they all look like great suggestions. Hopefully we can nail down the campground in the next few months. You have given me a head start in figuring that out. We are still trying to figure out what month we want to go, but I know there are other threads that address that question so I won't ask that here. Hope ya'll have a great summer, and maybe we will cross paths when I get up there next summer. If you ever get a chance to come float our Ozark rivers, I'll be happy to help ya'll out.

No one has mentioned Fall Lake Campground. It's more developed than the rest of the ones mentioned but it would be a gereat place for kids. There is a good swimming beach and a nearby playground. The campground itself has is very well designed. It has rest room facilities that include showers and the whole place is as well cared for as any campground I've ever been to. It's only 10 min. into Ely where you will find the North American Bear Center, and the International Wolf Center, both great attractions for kids. Fall Lake is an entry site for the BW so you take right off from there for day trips, and there are several entry points nearby.

I have a cousin who's been spending a week with his young children at Fall Lake campground each year for the last couple of years and they have a great time.

If the only child is a 1yr old then I wouldn't worry about all the "kid friendly" stuff in Ely or at Fall Lake. If there are other kids on the trip....then yes.

I agree w/ the Sawbill mention. Also some of the options up the Gunflint trail if you want a bit longer drive.

Crescent Lake campground. Less than a mile from the BWCA as the crow flies. Wild, remote and beautiful. SNF national forest campground there, some really nice sites and some okay sites. Well worth a day exploring the lake, totally undeveloped and as pretty as any BWCA lake. Good fishing for walleye and smallmouth, with pretty easily catchable muskie to boot. There is a canoe route loop out of this lake but I don't know much about it.

Bake Lake entry is but 10 minutes away which is a great entry point to the BWcA for a daytrip. Sawbill is another 15-20 minutes west and all it has to offer. This would be a great basecamp spot for comfort, convenience and access to the BWCA type wilderness and all it has to offer.

End of the trail has some very nice drive to campsite , i believe you have to go through the forestry to reserve one ( someone correct me if i'm wrong)
but you can enter seagull close by and you& the 1 year old might love the sound of the falls from seagull to gull lake . and there are two sites high above the falls that are awesome (not sure of the #) but fire ring 50' from your car

Thank you all once again. We are still working out our final plans. Your input has been very helpful.