BWCA Quetico requirements Boundary Waters Quetico Forum


BWCA Messageboard

BWCA and Quetico Park Books and Magazines

Find Outfitters for the Boundary Waters Quetico

Boundary Waters (BWCA) photo gallery and individual photo journals

Boundary Waters Message Board and Forums.

username

password

Remember Me

Voyageur North Canoe Outfitters
Site Search
	Contact Us
	Route Guide

Chat Rooms (1 Chatting) | Search | Login/Join

* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.

View BWCA Photo and Trip Report Contest Page

Poll: What is your favorite month in the BWCA/Q?
(516 responses)

2012 BWCA Photo Contest Results

Boundary Waters Quetico Forum

Quetico Forum

Quetico requirements

View Boundary Waters Map Locations

Route Guide

community sponsor

Bearskin Wilderness Outfitters

Last Visit: 05/25/2013 10:04PM
Sort by

Author

Message Text

Dodger

03/21/2010 01:20PM

Just to enter and just fish on a daily basis. What is required as far as permits and what not. Would camp on U S side. Thanks.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Jackfish

Moderator

03/21/2010 02:41PM

I would recommend calling the park office to confirm any information you get here. You'll be crossing an international border and that, by itself, is worth getting all information properly confirmed.

I would think you'd start with an RABC permit.

It's only a spot on the map... until you go there.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

kanoes

03/21/2010 02:50PM

as well a day use permit. also, an ontario fishing license...but thats a given.

i think bigfoot is blurry. (mitch hedberg)

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Mad_Angler

03/21/2010 04:16PM

How about getting a tow to Prairie Portage? Do you need a BWCA permit for that?

Fish where the fish are...

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

kanoes

03/21/2010 04:21PM

no...but yould need to take along a blank bwca permit and fill out as "day use" if youre planning on paddling out.

i think bigfoot is blurry. (mitch hedberg)

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Ho Ho

03/21/2010 05:01PM

I think Dodger's question presupposes he has an overnight BWCA permit because he's planning to camp on the US side.

For many years the authorities were pretty laid back about doing stuff on either side of the border on the actual border lakes, but these days it seems more like they expect you have all the proper papers unless you are just paddling through along the border without dawdling. Plus, if you plan on getting out on land on the Canadian side or going over to any Canadian lake that is not actually on the border, you definitely need documentation:

-An RABC for entry to Canada
-A U.S. Passport for when you reenter U.S. after trip (technically you need this, although if you've been camped in the U.S. presumably they don't know you were in Canada)
-An Ontario fishing license
-A Quetico day use permit. You can get an Ontario Parks summer "vehicle permit" (your canoe is a vehicle) ahead of time for $100 online - not cheap, I know, but cheaper than a Quetico camping permit and gives you freedom to go in anywhere for the day along the border. See this link.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

arctic

03/21/2010 05:10PM

quote Dodger: "Just to enter and just fish on a daily basis. What is required as far as permits and what not. Would camp on U S side. Thanks. "

Back "in the day" you could fish on both sides of the border with either a Minnesota or Ontario license, but that changed years ago. You need to have an Ontario license and Remote Border Crossing Permit to legally fish on the Canadian side of any border lake, plus a Quetico day-use permit. And yes, they do check. I've had Ontario MNR ski-planes land on the ice to check my permits.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Jackfish

Moderator

03/21/2010 05:56PM

So let's say they're camping in the BWCAW south of Lac LaCroix (or anywhere south of the border, for that matter) and they want to paddle up to Rebecca Falls or further and fish around there just for the day. How do they get their Quetico permit?

It's only a spot on the map... until you go there.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

mr.barley

03/21/2010 06:02PM

They would have to go to the Ranger cabin near First Nation Reservation. Not worth the hassle in my book. Too bad they moved the ranger cabin years ago.

Because I'm wearing one and I just did....

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Dodger

03/21/2010 07:43PM

Thanks everyone , sounds like a hassle.........

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Jackfish

Moderator

03/21/2010 07:49PM

I would still call the park office in Atikokan just to hear it directly from them. (807) 597-2735

It's only a spot on the map... until you go there.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

fishguts

03/21/2010 10:34PM

The hassle is what keeps the Canadian side of the border fairly empty with good fishing.

fishguts

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

timatkn

03/22/2010 09:28AM

quote Jackfish: "So let's say they're camping in the BWCAW south of Lac LaCroix (or anywhere south of the border, for that matter) and they want to paddle up to Rebecca Falls or further and fish around there just for the day. How do they get their Quetico permit?"

Yeah you need the Quetico day permit (as well as the other stuff) to be leagal. Ranger station or yearly pass are the only options I know of. It is a hassle but then entering a foreign country is usually a hassle. Doesn't hurt to call the office though.

T

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

PineKnot

03/22/2010 11:19AM

I'm a U.S citizen. If I'm reading the posts correctly...then if I had a BWCA Overnight Permit, an RABC, an Ontario fishing license, a U.S Passport Card, and a yearly Ontario Parks pass, could I camp on the U.S side of Crooked Lake Friday Bay and say, take a day trip up into Argo to fish and then return to my campsite on Crooked? No need to paddle to the LLC ranger station correct? And check out at U.S. customs in Ely on the way back home...

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are -- Teddy Roosevelt

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Ho Ho

03/22/2010 11:30AM

That's my understanding, PineKnot.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

timatkn

03/22/2010 02:04PM

That's how I understand it too---but good to here HoHo chime in because he is way smarter than me on this stuff :)

T

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

PineKnot

03/22/2010 04:47PM

Thx, guys...the older I get, the more I wish for simpler times...in a few years, they'll probably require my DNA and half my estate to paddle over the border...

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are -- Teddy Roosevelt

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Dodger

03/22/2010 09:44PM

Ho Ho I think I heard you mention that you have been to Moose Bay recently. I was up there almost 40 years ago two years in a row. Where did you make camp? Details please.... I must get back there. Thank you , Dodger.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Ho Ho

03/23/2010 09:22AM

I'm glad TimA confirmed - he's much more knowledgeable than I am!

Dodger - Camped at the mouth of Moose Bay on the last night of our August 2008 trip. Here's a link to the relevant day of the trip report.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

buz

03/30/2010 09:20AM

I have stayed at that same site as Ho Ho, in earlier, less hassle permit days. It is a really nice site, and the fishing around moose bay is really good. But, it is in canada..............

However, for border lakes like Crooked, the set up described, assumed as legal, eliminates the need for check in with canadian authorites, making it way simpler. Just costs $.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

mgraber

04/08/2012 10:10PM

You could fish canadian side of crooked but not Argo. Entry in to Quetico requires going through ranger station except for border lakes.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

timatkn

04/08/2012 11:03PM

quote mgraber: "You could fish canadian side of crooked but not Argo. Entry in to Quetico requires going through ranger station except for border lakes."

Not if you have the Ontario Parks Summer Vehicle permit, then you can avoid going through the station for day trips. More expensive but more convenient.

HoHo's post explains it well I think.

T

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

TeamTuna06

04/27/2012 05:22PM

I didn't see this above, so forgive me of it's redundant. In addition to the Ontario fishing license you'll need to have your Ontario Outdoors card on your person. The way it was explained to me by a ranger, the license technically is not valid unless accompanied by the outdoors card. Even though you need an outdoors card to buy the license in the first place (can't buy a license w/o it). We didn't have ours on us, and he cut us a break...but said we could have been cited for it.

"If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles." -Doug Larson

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

OldMrC

05/06/2012 09:32PM

One thing I just don't understand. If I have a passport, why do the Canadians require the RABC (yes, I have on already for this year). If they really wanted to check a document, why couldn't they just check my passport? Its good enough for any other crossing into Canada...

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

GraniteCliffs

05/06/2012 10:11PM

The RABC permit is required in lieu of entering Canada through an official entry point such as Fort Frances. In other words in exchange for not seeing a person at an official customs post you are submitting your information in advance, which allows the Canadians a chance to record check you, etc.
It is just one more expense but it beats having to check in somewhere.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

timatkn

05/06/2012 11:05PM

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

billconner

05/07/2012 07:20AM

So, does US have any similar arrangement for Canadians paddling into US? Just curious.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

Ho Ho

05/07/2012 08:14AM

I don't believe the US has a similar arrangement for Canadians or for Americans reentering the US. You have to report to customs. Going the other way, the RABC is available for Canadians returning home or for Americans visiting.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

UncleMoose

05/07/2012 08:52AM

quote OldMrC: "One thing I just don't understand. If I have a passport, why do the Canadians require the RABC (yes, I have on already for this year). If they really wanted to check a document, why couldn't they just check my passport? Its good enough for any other crossing into Canada..."
Part of the confusion here may be the role of the ranger station that you check-in with on your way into Quetico, coming directly from the US. The purpose (and function) of the ranger station is to simply issue you your Quetico permit (and optionally get a fishing license). The ranger station does not function as a port of entry, and as I recall they do not even bother to check that you have a RABC (or passport).

The RABC is simply a document that allows you to enter Canada along this particular stretch of remote wilderness, on your own, without needing to visit a port of entry/customs office, and regardless of whether you visit a ranger station. You might, for example, make a day trip into Quetico but not stay/camp there overnight. In that case you still need the RABC to enter Canada, but you do not need to visit a ranger station for a Quetico permit.

Hopefully this helps explain things further.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

tumblehome

05/07/2012 12:01PM

quote PineKnot: "I'm a U.S citizen. If I'm reading the posts correctly...then if I had a BWCA Overnight Permit, an RABC, an Ontario fishing license, a U.S Passport Card, and a yearly Ontario Parks pass, could I camp on the U.S side of Crooked Lake Friday Bay and say, take a day trip up into Argo to fish and then return to my campsite on Crooked? No need to paddle to the LLC ranger station correct? And check out at U.S. customs in Ely on the way back home... "
I don't intend to muddy the waters. Everything written seems plausible to me for day tripping to the Q as mentioned in this thread. However, knowing how government works, I doubt that US Customs would be pleased if they knew you made several day trips to Canada without reporting to Customs each time. If you bounce back and forth during your trip to Canada, you would be in violation of US customs for not reporting to customs after your first visit.

Yes, I'm splitting hairs but only for the sake of argument.

Tom

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

billconner

05/07/2012 05:16PM

tumblehome - I don't see problem with crossing into Canada every other day or whatever if you have an RABC. I have made multiple trips on one RABC and they say it's fine. It's good for a year of remote entries.

As far as US, I'm pretty sure I've read that you have to report as soon as you leave the wilderness, not immediately upon crossing, which would be difficult anyway. Wish I could find it again.

Reply Reply with Quote Print Top Bottom Previous Next

BWCA Messageboard