We are planning a 4-6 day trip to Boundary Waters! My husband, 16 and 11 year olds and me. We are VERY excited having never been there before!

I’m looking for tips for first timers. We kayak at the local lake a lot and have canoed a little. We have done lots of hiking, backpacking and camping in the Rocky Mountains. We enjoy being in nature!

My biggest concern is not having a place to camp after canoeing all day. Or under estimating how tiring canoeing all day is. Are those usually an issue? And avoiding traffic as much as possible while still being able to visit the good lakes and rivers.

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate it!

I have about 40 trips under my belt and have paddled May-October. I've never not been able to get a campsite. A lot of variables like which month, when you go in during the week, entry popularity, Try not to end your day on a lake with one or two sites on it.

First time, I would keep it 10 miles or less for daily travel. Don't have a bunch of loose stuff in the canoe. Almost everything should be in a pack. This makes portaging much easier and your chances of forgetting something decreases.

Plan on wet feet unless you wear something like knee high boots. I gave up on dry feet years ago. Portage landing don't always let you get close with a loaded canoe.

Compass/map skills are easy to learn. I would spend time with that even if you bring a GPS. It's actually kind of fun.

Everybody has their own style of tripping. You'll learn a lot about what style you like from your first trip. Wear a PFD and have fun.

I was a first timer last year myself and had similar concerns.

The first and most important piece of a advice, become a member here. There are LOADS of great individuals giving sound advice.

Second, don't over pack. We had enough gear and food that we could have outfitted all the permits for the day of our departure.

We had no trouble getting a campsite. We were a bit sore after the first day using muscles that aren't worked out that much, or ever in my case, but by day two we found our stride and fished a lot of water. We base camped which was a last minute decision based on the heft of our packs.

One thing I found is we ate much less than I expected despite being active most of the day. Next year we are bringing more freeze dried and less gear. We had a gravity filter and were amazed at the amount of water we went through for cooking, cleaning and drinking. We will bring something else to keep unfiltered water collected in the middle of the lake back to camp so we don't have to get the stuff by shore.

Planning is half the adventure, but seriously, join the site and don't be afraid to ask questions.

I suggest base camping with nice long day trips to different lakes. Travel just after daylight for most of the day and you should be able to find a good camp site. Pick one by around 2:30 or so. If no good ones appear, be prepared to move the second morning to a better site. Read the BASECAMP BASICS FORUM at the bottom of the message board page for many good ideas if you go that route.

Consider camping on Basswood lake or a lake which accesses the border falls which are from the lake exit. An extremely good day trip for some 15 miles or so one way going nearly empty and returning to your camp when you leave early. Pictographs are reachable doing this too. You can access from the other direction too. see maps.

In no particular order: wool socks, good shoes or boots that provide ankle support and drain water, gravity water filter for camp, Sawyer water bottles with a built in filter, wear your pfd at all times, consider renting a Spot device for emergencies, quick dry clothing, and good rain gear.

Read everything you can here and keep asking questions!

You picked a great spot to see some beautiful wilderness. Some entry areas of the BW can be crowded, but I wouldn't be overly concerned about finding camp sites. It helps to get in away from entry points to find less people.

If you are planning on camping at an exact camp site, though, you may be disappointed. But that is the wrong mind set for the BW. Pick a general area with multiple site choices and you will find a site open.

As with any wilderness location, it's best to pick non-holiday weeks and you will have more space if you pick less busy entry points. You must also realize that with 6 days, you can get further from the crowds than you would with 4 days. Also, in your route planning, pick one that has some flexibility, like a short cut or alternate longer route so you can be flexible if you have great weather or hard to travel weather, Like wind or thunderstorms.

With some research and planning you will have great success and a rewarding experience. You will need to know what gear to take and how to pack as this is different from backpacking in the mountains.

This site is full of great info and people willing to share their knowledge, I would utilize it fully. I understand that you have wilderness experience, but this will be a whole new one for you. It was life changing for me. Please feel free to ask more questions.

Good advice above, but following backpacking practices will put you in good form. Comparing the two, probably any backpacking trip you've been on would be much tougher than a canoe trip. A trek in the Rockies would be a portage from hell, of which there are really very few in BWCA.

Connect with a good outfitter for advice and logistics, rent kevlar canoes, and don't overplan.

Chovy, I can feel your excitement from your post, and that's cool! You can learn everything you need to know from this site...and more. It would help if you join up as mentioned, but also give a little more information. Trip length narrowed down(4 or 6 days can make a difference), dates or time of year, do you have some or all equipment or need to rent, what things are most important to you on this trip - relaxation, solitude, scenery, fishing, photography, ease of route/portages, do you want to do a loop or are you ok with an out and back (trust me, it looks different on the way back)???

Tell us more and we will help. With a little more information you could easily plan your own route bu looking at a map but at the same time, i (and likely others) would be more than willing to suggest a route based on the time you have and the interests.

A couple things that i think are very important... bring or rent lightweight Kevlar canoes, around 42 lbs. Compared to the old 70 lb aluminum canoes they make a trip so much more enjoyable.

Gravity filter, works great up there and you will go through a LOT of water. Extra water reservoir or bag so you can have more filtered water on hand.

Bring 10% (at least) less clothing and food than you think you will need. Good raingear is important though.

Depending on time of year, bring 10% more bug repellent than you think you will need:)

Consider bringing a tarp to setup in camp to hang out under in weather and keep gear dry.

I prefer basecamping these days...I am not there to break down and setup camp over and over again. If you have 6 days you could stay a couple days at two different spots. It's great if you want to travel more, we used to do that too. Just keep whatever you decide in mind when you plan a route. a basecamp route could be very different than a loop or an out and back.

Enjoy the planning and anticipation, that is part of the fun. When questions arise, ask away. We love talking about it and we love helping new folks be prepared to have a great trip.

I agree with lindylair, if you have the opportunity stay two nights at any given site, and travel every other day if this if your first trip.

On non-travel days you'll appreciate the opportunity to fish, explore, relax, read, practice your camping skills, etc...without the need to break camp, move and set back up again. And just because you're not breaking camp on any particular day doesn't mean you can't paddle and portage a couple of lakes away to explore.

I also agree you probably won't need quite as much food as you think, and you can always eat fish. I don't think anybody's ever starved in the
BWCA. However, be sure to pay attention and hydrate a lot on travel days, dehydration can sneak up on you while paddling.

Welcome. To add to the great info already given, I'm gonna zero in on bug issue. Mosquitos & biting flies, in particular.

I'm assuming the timing will be when school is out for summer so be sure to treat your clothes, hats & socks with permethrin. Sawyer makes a good odorless permethrin spray for gear & clothes only. Biting flies are fast little devils that leave nasty bite marks so wear shorts & short sleeved shirts at your own risk. As a rule, mosquitos tend to swarm when the sun is setting, but they settle down somewhat a little later in the evening. Roughly, an hour or so. I often make my trip to the BWCA in late June and am not bothered much by bugs. Of course, I treat my clothing. I find temps are much more agreeable then, too.

There are some entry points that are more popular than others so when you get your targeted dates down, as well as potential entry points, fire away with more questions & inquiries.

One strategy, regarding the claiming of a campsite on a particular lake, is to get an early start on the morning y'all will move on to next destination lake. The idea is that you'll arrive by mid-afternoon at the destination. So then--there is time to backtrack or move on to next lake with campsites if all sites occupied.

The travel (almost) everyday vs. base or many layovers is interesting. At 67, I still prefer to travel every day, maybe if more than 5 or 6 days include a layover. Keeping busy and seeing more different things is what I like. Fishing would affect this, and I don't fish.

I took my first BWCA trip last year and now I'm hooked. I, too, had a lot of camping experience with most of that being bush camps for hunting.

I didn't even know the BWCA existed until late 2017. I wish I would have known about this 40 years ago! I joined this site and I watched a zillion YouTube videos so I could get a sense of what to expect. I haven't had any questions unanswered on this site through direct member forum chats or just utilizing the search feature. You can read for days on end and never run out of info.

I am a DIY type of guy so I did all my own planning and only rented a kevlar canoe, paddles and PFD from an Ely outfitter. (Voyaguer North)

I am headed back again this year with a little more experience and a new trip plan. I'm counting the days!

Good luck and have fun!

lindylair: "Consider bringing a tarp to setup in camp to hang out under in weather and keep gear dry. "

Yes, definitely bring a tarp.

Your feet are all important also. I wetfoot in 2 different pair of shoes but also take with a nice little luxury. I use Chota lightweight boots for travel days, Salomon Techamphibians for day trips and generally being around camp.

But - a real good tip I got in 2016 was to bring a pair of slippers for the mornings. I started bringing Moccasin Slippers with a rubber bottom and it's so nice to get these on instead of wearing shoes that haven't completely dried. They weigh next to nothing and are worth it.

A lot of good advice above. I'll just add a little about your concern over finding a site. Like others said its usually not a problem, but its always possible a lake you want to stay on is full. I can think of two nights in over 20 trips where the lake I wanted was full and I had to keep portaging. There are a couple things you can do to help avoid or deal with this:

1. Understand where the crowds are likely to be. Any popular lake thats 1-3 hours paddle from an entry point is more likely to get filled up earlier. Around any of the 3 summer holidays this is especially true.

2. Be flexible. Don't set your heart on getting one specific site anywhere. Sometimes to stay on any given lake you have to take whatever sites are available.

3. Start early, finish early. Don't plan to paddle to within 2 hours of sunset or you might get burned. In June-August, I usually try to stop paddling by around 3:00pm or so, sometimes earlier. I have gotten good sites on popular lakes, then seen groups paddling around at 7 or 8pm and have to portage onward or back. On travel days, it pays to get up early and go.

4. After about noon I'm watching what sites are available, so if my destination site is full, Ill know whether to backtrack or push forward

5. Gather information. Dont be afraid to ask people going the other way about crowds or sites they may have passed. If the information is several hours old, don't rely too much on it.

Good luck and have a great trip.

Welcome. Having done both BW/Q canoe trips and RM backpacking, canoeing in the BW is definitely less physically challenging (at least from the perspective of someone who has spent his entire life +/- 1000 ft. above sea level).

I second the post that focuses on preparing for flying insects. It's probably the most notable difference.

Welcome! If you register as a member, I'm more than happy to share my packing list with you via email. It'll be included on your profile. Tons of great advice already! We ALWAYS pack food back, even with 5 guys in our early to mid 30's...Have you pinned any dates down yet?

Welcome to the forum! Good advice here, so far.

This is advice that has worked for me personally, having come from the same background (little bit of paddling, but a lot of backpacking in the Rockies before my first BWCA trip.)

Pack like a backpacker. The tendency for first time paddlers is to think that the canoe will do all the work and you can bring stuff like beer, Coke, lots of fresh food, lots of changes of clothing, etc. While it's true that the canoe will do the majority of the work, you still have to portage, which may be a short amount of the overall distance you travel from point A to point B, it takes more time to travel that distance, especially if you double portage.

Which brings me to my next suggestion. Double portage. Don't try to haul all your stuff in one portage trip. Even if you pack like a backpacker, it will be much easier on your backs and necks and hips if you plan on walking all the portages 3 times instead of once. Calculate that in to your travel time and just plan on it. You're going to have enough fatigue dealing with muscle groups you haven't quite worked, plus the mental fatigue of navigating through an area that you aren't familiar with. If you do pack like a backpacker, you'll still likely bring more stuff than you need.

Keep a journal. It's fun to go back and read your thoughts and memories. But more appropriate to this discussion: Keep track of the gear items that you used. If you didn't use it (except for emergency stuff like the first aid kit... or your rain gear if you had perfect weather) then consider leaving it at home the next time. Or if you were on the fence about another item but wound up using it and appreciating that you packed it, make a note that it passes the "luxury" test and gets packed next time. Also, make notes of flaws or defects in your gear, and review your notes as soon as you get home. This way, you will have the opportunity to repair or replace it before you get to the weekend before your next trip when you start to pack and then have to either bring the faulty gear on the trip or be in desperation mode to replace it and have to get something you aren't happy with or can't find a decent price on.

My recommendation for maximum fun for the family is to do a basecamp style trip. Find a basecamp that is 1 day's paddle from the entry point you select, but has multiple day trip options from there. Lake Malberg from EP 37 is a good example. This affords you considerable flexibility for not only day-to-day operations, but also for getting out. If the weather is bad, there is an injury, or general poor attitude and a hasty retreat is in order, you can be out in a day, rather than a 2 or 3 day trip depending on how you plan your route. Then, the next trip, when you have a better handle on how everyone reacts to the BWCA, you can plan a longer loop trip if that's what you prefer. I wish we had done it that way on our first trip. Instead, we planned a full 5 day loop and it rained the entire time before lunch on the 3rd day, we had decided that we were ready to be done... but still had 2.5 days worth of paddling to get out from where we were. We were able to make a slightly shorter route, but not dramatically. By the time we went on our 3rd trip, we knew what we were doing, how to portage, how to pack, were prepared (mentally and physically) for bad weather and were ok with a 6 day loop with no escape routes. In fact, we got to our exit point a day early due to perfect weather, efficient travel and a couple portages that were far shorter than the map indicated... and were disappointed it was over.

Freeze Dried food is your friend. For the same reasons it is your friend as a backpacker. Complete balanced meals that weigh a few ounces and take up a little bit of space. It sounds awesome to read all the glorious camp chef stories here. I wish I could pull that off but I don't want to haul all that weight, or take all that time cooking. Also, you have 4 mouths, with 4 different tastes... each person on the trip could conceivably have a different entree, and there is zero fuss. Just boil water for 4. Nobody forced to eat something they don't like, or more likely, you don't have to have the inevitable beating of a conversation to conjure up a menu that everyone would like. "you eat what I made or you don't eat" isn't a wise option in the wilderness. Everyone needs the calories to perform and stay sharp.

Snacks. If you're like me, you won't feel the urge to snack as often as you do on a regular day (no boredom,) but you'll need to eat more often to maintain your energy. You know this from backpacking. Make them easily accessible, so you can break them out while in the canoe or on the portage, without having to unpack the whole food pack. You can easily snack (and even lunch) without seriously putting a delay on your travel time if you plan properly.

Hi, chovy-

I'll reiterate a lot of what others have said, but as you can see there's more than one way to do a BW trip. I don't know what kind of experience you are looking for, but my perspective is that of a "tripper" rather than a base camper. I tell interested newcomers that we'll be backpacking with a canoe, not car camping with a boat.

I like to travel most days and see some country, but plan only 8-12 miles of travel per day (4-5 hours). That includes the extra trips to double portage, which means adding the distance of two more trips across each portage to the map mileage. So, a half mile portage on the map becomes 1 1/2 miles of walking. I plan a weather/layover day every so many days.

I think planning to double portage on your first trip would be a good strategy. A pair traveling in a tandem canoe would have 4 loads to carry across the portage, so pack accordingly. The canoe is one load, so you'd have three others. Portaging will be a lot easier and more efficient if things are in packs and loose items are very minimal. Put the things you're not carrying off to the side out of the way. Do the same on the other end.

I'd also suggest renting the Kevlar canoes, which are not only lighter, but also paddle better - easier, faster, more efficiently.

Six days would be half again as much as four and a lot better in terms of options and flexibility if you can swing it. Since neither you nor anyone here knows how fast you'll travel, I'd suggest either an out and back trip or a short loop rather than a point-to-point one. That way you have the option of seeing how things go and adjusting to it. If things aren't going as well as hoped, you simply stop and then go back when you are halfway through your travel time. On a loop you'd want to calculate where halfway (or the point of no return) is, i.e. I'm half way through my days, but only 1/3 through the loop, so I'm turning around and going back the way I came.

Someone mentioned registering and adding an email so they could send a packing list. Many of us use one and it's a good idea. I also have quite a bit of information I share with prospective trip mates that I'd be happy to send.

You'll find lots of information here that will help you prepare.

Welcome to the site, Chovy.

If you are backpackers, you should have no problems packing appropriately. I would suggest using your backpacking packs for sure initially. I still use mine as part of my canoeing gear and prefer carrying them over my larger canoeing 'dry bag' packs.

If you're up for spending a bit on gear before going, I would recommend the following:

Small dry bags for everyone's clothing (1 per person). Something along the line of this
small light dry bag - approx 20 - 25 L

Larger backpack dry bags, possibly 2....(for large lightweight items) one for sleeping bags with some of the clothing bags in it, and one for tents, tarps, etc that can be wet when you pack them in the morning from rain or dew? Large dry bag

My main mistake the first trip 4 years ago was the dreaded 'loose stuff' that needed to be carried on portages. Can't stress this enough.

As far as a recommended trip, I would have you consider going out of Entry 47 Lizz/Swamp. Stay at Rockwood, which is right on Poplar lake and depart from there. My wife, and then 11, 9, and 6 year old boys and I had a great time in the area. Caribou, Horseshoe, Allen, Gaskin, Vista lakes area offer good fishing and some nice scenery. Email me if you care to consider this more, or talk to Rockwood. They would have great information for you.

Enjoy!!!!!! Both the trip prep, anticipation, and the trip itself!

I like everyone else's recommendations! All wonderful.

After over 25 trips, my main hints are for safety. Probably like your mountain trips, accidents happen with the small errors people make: Not wearing shoes all the time (even swimming in the lake - nasty sharp rocks & fish hooks); standing up in the canoe (even once); getting eager to get in and out when someone else is moving in the canoe at the same time; leaving your knife unsheathed on a log during cooking (stick the point into the wood or close it up); goofing around near the fire; not watching where you are walking; letting your flashlight battery die w/ no spares... just the small thoughtless things can be the most trouble. I bring closed-toe dry shoes and wet shoes - tennis for me work best even though heavy.

I love the BWCA more than any place on earth. I hope you get inspired too!

Oh - I've learned to go in late July and/or August. Hardly any bugs. And - never stay in the water when it thunders or lightnings ~ Probably things you knew already, but sometimes it is tempting to not pull out ("just a little bit further and we'll be there"). Not worth the risk.

Chovy,
My advice is to stay away for that accursed area. The majority of people that go up there come down with teminus aquae febricitantum. The symptoms are the urge to return there year after year to experience the loneliness of being in the middle of nowhere, the pain of sleeping on terra firma, and the pain carrying everything you need, and paddling and fishing in a little boat with not enough room to turn around for hours on end. The only cure for this malady is death and there is discussion if death stops it. There seem to spirits paddling around, portaging, and fishing. If you listen you can hear them moaning on the portages. If you watch closely you can sometimes see their shades paddling across the water in the early and late evening. If you see one just thank them for their advice as most are former members of this forum. If one says something controversial, that's Canoes and he's just stirring the pot. Tell him Hello from Capt'n Tony and the rest of the gang!

I'm not sure which area Peacefullpaddler is going that has few bugs in late july or august but it's not the Bdub. I would not plan on this being true for you.

minnmike: " I'm not sure which area Peacefullpaddler is going that has few bugs in late july or august but it's not the Bdub. I would not plan on this being true for you."

I agree, late August early September there is usually not a lot of bugs.

Be prepared to have a wonderful time!

You have gotten lots of good advice here, and some of it is conflicting. That is the way with good advice. You have to choose what appeals to you and go on your instincts.

My husband and I were a tandem canoe-tripping pair from 1971-2013. We made a lot of mistakes, did many things right, and learned along the way what we liked and what we didn't. You will do the same.

My advice to a newbie would follow much of what was said here: wool socks, including a dry pair to wear once you get to camp (in your second pair of dry shoes). Don't worry about getting your feet wet. There are more bugs in June and early July, but the campsites are often more readily available and they are fresher; also the spring flowers are lovely. A bug shirt, a head net, and some bug spray in the evening helps. Sometimes you are glad to have those things later in the season; sometimes they are not needed. Hard to predict bugs. The permethrin treatment is a very good idea, no matter when you are tripping.

Personally, I think six days is the minimum trip length to really experience the BWCA or Quetico. It takes that long to get into the "feel" of the place. Our personal preference was never base-camping. In the beginning we moved every day, almost always planning a circular loop. Later on we discovered the joy of a layover day, and now I think I would always suggest a 6-day or longer trip, with a layover day every third day or so.

Always wear your PFD, be sure you have good rain gear (pants as well as jacket.) A tarp is a good thing in camp, both for rain protection and also sometimes for shade. We always double-portaged, and we never had any loose items in the canoe. We didn't fish, so can't speak to that. Photos were very important to us, and also a journal, as I made a book from every trip to preserve the memories.

Lightweight food, snacks that can be carried in the pocket, an easy snack lunch for paddling days, be SURE TO STAY HYDRATED! For us, a map and compass were all we needed to navigate. We found starting out early and stopping in the early afternoon was the best travel plan; it certainly made finding a campsite easier.

This isn't the easiest kind of vacation, but it is one that is worth the effort. You will make memories with your family that will last a lifetime. We hope you will have a wonderful trip and that you will share your adventure with us in a trip report after you have returned.

When I was your kids' age, my dad took me to Quetico, the Canadian side boundary Waters. The thing I remember most, is how bad my back hurt... As a kid.

When my wife decided we would be kayak family several years ago... I was skeptical but... Man, are they comfortable!

My advice is seat backs for your canoe. Straight comfort item.

Twenty-five or so years ago I got talked into a trip that included me, my wife's college roommate, my wife's sister and two of our nieces in late June. Because it came together quickly, choices for entry permits were somewhat limited and we ended up at EP 16 headed up the Nina-Moose river. Entry requires a 160 rod portage from the parking lot to find the water which probably isn't ideal for a group of relative newbies. As we started down the trail to the river, my wife stopped to encourage a somewhat bedraggled woman coming the other way that the parking lot wasn't too far ahead. The response, as relayed by my wife, was short and to the point. "Never Again!". She, her husband and teenage-looking son had by far the most gear I've ever seen scattered at various points along the trail. Multiple dry bags, fishing gear, a double burner coleman with 2 gallons of fuel strapped to it, a large fish livebasket, a 100 quart coleman cooler, seat pads, etc., etc. ,etc. And a 16 foot royalex canoe. I have no idea how all that stuff and 3 people fit in that boat. We were double portaging ourselves and helped carry packs and flotsam back to the parking lot because I didn't want to read about a homicide in the Ely Echo. I could only imagine that about this time of year, the phrase "But honey, it'll be fun." was uttered. Our trip was very nice. We camped on Agnes, Oyster and Nina-Moose on the way out. After a mild case of testosterone poisoning where I was trying to triple portage, things went smoothly, even when portaging the canoe took 3 people. On Nina-Moose, my nieces decided to paddle out into the lake, hop out of the canoe and swim for a bit. It was interesting that that spot suddenly became popular as several canoes trolled by wondering what the mermaids were doing.