I've never been paddling in the Boundary waters but have been following things here for a couple years.

Things might line up this year for a trip in mid June.

Anything specific you'd want someone to see first?

Easier for a first timer to go with a guide service?

Thanks in advance.

If you have lots of woods/ canoeing/camping experience you can do it your self.

If not I would recommend going with someone.

If you would feel more comfortable with a guide then by all means get one. But hundreds, if not thousands of people go to the BWCA on their own for the first time every year. Some of them are seasoned campers, backpackers, etc. but many are not. Some are total novices.

Just learn here on this website(and other places) what to expect, how to travel, how to pack, what to cook and eat, how to dress, and other wise precautions and you will be fine to go on your own. Ask a lot of questions, read trip reports and decide what is most important for you on a trip(solitude, good fishing, scenery/waterfalls, easy portages, etc.). Plan a relatively simple trip for your first go at it to allow for time to learn the ropes. Its not rocket science, but going with the right equipment and a basic understanding of the area and the opportunities/challenges will set you up for a great trip. Picking an entry point and route can be intimidating but know that there aren't really any bad routes, just some more challenging than others. Once you have a route planned the real fun begins. planning and anticipating are half the fun.

As you get further along in your planning, feel free to bounce things off of us, we are more than happy to share our experience. Sometimes you might even get different answers...there is not one right way to go. Decide what sounds like fun and a reasonable challenge to you and go for it.

Thank you for the replies. Not my first paddle trip FWIW. I have plenty of gear and have done a bunch of paddle trips to the Adirondacks. Not apprehensive about the physical camping, carries (portages...) or that kind of stuff.

Just wondering if there's a "must see" part of the BWCA. Any very specific parts that are unique to them; other than it's all unique.... Pictographs, waterfalls, incredible fishing, or those kinds of things. I understand one person's reason to go could be another's reason to skip it.

I have no idea when the next time I'd be able to come back.

Like you stated,everyone’s reason for going is different. For me it’s fishing and the solitude of the BW. I like to travel on first day and base camp. I know others get the itch to move often but I like staying on one lake and learning to fish it. Plus you can take a few more comfort items when your not worried about weight.

If you're not sure when you can make it back again, add 2 more days to your trip, you'll be glad did.

When we finished our first trip, thoughts and conversation went immediately to planning the next trip, couldn't wait to get back.

If you're not pure base camping, have at least one or two days where you can stay the same campsite for two consecutive days. Nothing like waking up in the morning, having that first cup of coffee, watching the sun come up and knowing we didn't have to break camp, and could concentrate on fishing, exploring, etc.

In your case start at Sawbill or Baker lake entry make the loop up and around back through Burnt end back at your entry point.

That would give you a very good taste of the BWCA

Sawbill and Snowbank are two I have done that give some variety.

Put in Moose River North... paddle up through Nina Moose, Agnes into Lac La Croix. Check out Warrior Hill, and the main pictographs... paddle to Iron Lake and check out Curtain Falls. If by then your doing good time wise go down to Stewart Lake and take the Dahlgreen River back and back down to Agnes and out....
That my friend is the BWCA!

I think you could randomly pick an entry point and you'll get the BWCA feel. Every entry point is a little different and there are some unique things to see at many of them but the BWCA to me isn't defined by these unique sites its more a general feel you get once you're paddling the lakes, portaging through the woods, and camping on a lake shore. You can get that feeling on literally any lake in the BWCA.

Personally unless someone has truly zero experience with canoeing, camping, and the gear involved I wouldn't hire a guide. If you've canoed and camped and know how to set up a tent and start a camp stove you can do the BWCA on your own. I think doing it on your own lets you immerse yourself more fully and really absorb what its is to be in the BWCA.

I would really encourage you to give it a shot. Find an entry point with a permit that works for your schedule and the go give it a shot. If you're at all nervous maybe plan a 4-5 day trip with the ability to cut it short or extend it a day or two depending on how it goes. Go in knowing its an adventure and don't expect to be a well oiled machine. You'll have kinks in your process and you'll run into hurdles but I'm confident you'll get through them just fine and you'll be wiser and more experienced after.

The only things I feel like a first timer really needs to know are how to read a map, have a good sense of their ability in order to know when its safer to stay put rather than push on in rough conditions, and also know the rules of the bwca which are gone over when you pick up your permit. You'll figure out the rest as you go.

I think this trip (or at least a near variation of it) would be an ideal introduction to the BWCA. Canoe basecamp

Fishing was less than spectacular on this particular trip but, I've had good success on other forays into this area.

Nozzlenut-
Go to Crane Lake, get a shuttle to Bottle Portage if you can get a permit (?), paddle thru Iron up to Crooked, check out the falls at the portage, base-camp on somewhere around Saturday Bay for a few days, then paddle out...and like johndku said, def add a couple days? You will have a ball!

nctry: "Put in Moose River North... paddle up through Nina Moose, Agnes into Lac La Croix. Check out Warrior Hill, and the main pictographs... paddle to Iron Lake and check out Curtain Falls. If by then your doing good time wise go down to Stewart Lake and take the Dahlgreen River back and back down to Agnes and out....
That my friend is the BWCA!"

I second this route, for me paddling the voyageur route is a high point of a bwca trip, curtain falls is easily the most spectacular site in northern Minnesota

I agree with the Moose River North suggestion from NTCRY. I did it three years ago and it remains my favorite trip.

Moose River North was my first trip and it's a good one - pictograph's, Warrior Hill, varied scenery. We looped west though through Pocket, Gebeonequet, Rocky (more pictos), Oyster, Agnes and back out. That one's got a bit of everything except for a really long hard portage ;)

boonie: "Moose River North was my first trip and it's a good one - pictograph's, Warrior Hill, varied scenery. We looped west though through Pocket, Gebeonequet, Rocky (more pictos), Oyster, Agnes and back out. That one's got a bit of everything except for a really long hard portage ;) "

A great route also...

The little Sag trip I did last year was one that would be perfect for someone to get used to the boundary waters. Instead of the loop I did, I would recommend entering and exiting through Missing Link. Tuscarora is a great lake to stay at and stopping there on the way in and out will give you a better chance to explore the lake.

Little Sag is a beautiful lake. Lake trout are delicious and not too hard to catch. There are also many beautiful features on the way in and out. There is a lot of exposed granite and rock walls in the area, so with great camp sites, beautiful lakes, and good fishing, this route really says "boundary waters" to me.

i agree with fullgo , Sawbill is a great spot to start for a first timer , bigger lakes like snowbank/ seagull can be dicey for a new comer .

Frost Loop out of Sawbill. A drive up Superior then the Sawbill trial. Big lakes, small lakes, rivers, streams, a lake for each kind of fish, the dolmen, short portages, long portages, a hike over the divide, a few busy lakes, a lot of solitude for the rest of it, good chances for wildlife, etc.

A beer from a good outfitter at the end of it.

Link to a nice easy five day trip:

https://sawbill.com/routes/frost-river-loop/

It may be just me, but I would advise against ones first trip to the BWCA being a solo trip. I don't know how canoe camping in the Adirondacks equates to the BWCA. But I think a great many folks underestimate the BWCA and the inherent risks. This board is full of the stories of the unfamiliar and unprepared, and our commentary about many of them.

Mike

The Bwca books by Robert Beymer are really helpful for picking a route and general planning. You just have to pick west side (Ely) or east side (Grand Marais). I like the paddling around Ely better, but the drive is way more fun along Superior and Gunflint Trail.

Thanks everyone for the ideas!!

Looks like I have some research to do,

My $.02
This is a very easy trip in 5 days. Start at Magnetic Lake follow the Granite River to Big Saganaga. You have decent fishing and a chance for a grand slam. You'll get rivers, small lakes, big lakes, flat water, rapids, waterfalls. It's an easy trip with lay over days. Also you'll get to drive up the North Shore. This should be on your bucket list if you have never driven it. Plus you get to start your trip by eating donuts from the Worlds Best Donuts and finish your trip with Sven & Oly's Pizza.

Another vote here for Moose River North.