BWCA Map recommendations? Boundary Waters Gear Forum
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JerryBerry
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08/22/2019 07:47PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Heading up to the BWCA for the first time soon. I'll be heading in from missing lake EP (#51). Wondering what brands/where to get them. Don't care about durability (I have a map protector), just want it to be up to date and accurate/detailed.
 
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08/22/2019 09:19PM  
I think the Voyageur maps are both accurate and wonderfully easy on the eyes. My current favorite for the B-dub.
Voyageur maps
 
08/22/2019 10:26PM  
The 3 main brands are Fisher, McKenzie, and Voyageur. People generally have their own personal favorite, but all are good maps. Maps can be found at outfitters and outdoor sporting stores that tailor to paddle sports in Minnesota and I'm guessing in Wisconsin, too.
 
08/23/2019 05:47AM  
The three maps have differences in scale, size, color, etc., but nothing major. Any one of them will do the job. I usually use whichever covers my route best. I usually get them from my outfitter.
 
08/23/2019 07:28AM  
I've switched to Voyageur....have the whole set. The online interactive ability also is handy for route planning.
 
08/23/2019 08:04AM  
As others have said, you can't go wrong with Fisher, McKenzie or Voyageur maps. It really depends on your route and which map/s best cover it. I personally stick with McKenzie maps though because I like the scale.
 
pswith5
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08/23/2019 09:42AM  
You should have asked me. I would have let you take a look at a couple different kinds. ;)
 
MidwestFirecraft
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08/23/2019 10:05AM  
Would highly recommend McKenzie maps for orienteering. Can be purchased online or REI in stores. The 1:31,680 scale is so much easier to read and includes so much more detail than a 1:42,240 scale Fisher map. Two years ago one of my tripping partners brought a Fisher on Insula. It was almost useless for navigating a lake with so many islands and so little detail.
 
08/23/2019 11:35AM  
McKenzie fan here
 
Jackfish
Moderator
  
08/23/2019 12:04PM  
Seriously, the map "argument" (I know it's really just a discussion of opinions), can go on ad nauseum. I would recommend looking at your route, buying a Fisher and/or McKenzie (I'd recommend buying both) and doing your trip. No one seems to get lost. Most portage trails are accurately marked or very close. Just buy 'em and go and don't worry about it.
 
08/23/2019 12:26PM  
What Jackfish said, and remember to "stay found".
 
MidwestFirecraft
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08/23/2019 02:02PM  
Jackfish: "No one seems to get lost."

Orienteering on water is very different from land. I don't know if everyone else is that good, or if I am that bad, but I certainly have been lost. Island riddled lakes like Insula on a cloudy day are very humbling to my orienteering skills.
 
08/23/2019 04:51PM  
Jackfish: "No one seems to get lost."

They do, we just never hear from the ones who get lost ever again :-P
 
08/23/2019 06:24PM  
TominMpls: "
Jackfish: "No one seems to get lost."

They do, we just never hear from the ones who get lost ever again :-P
"

The few who do get lost don't do so because of which map brand they chose, they get lost from not knowing how to read whatever map they have.
 
MidwestFirecraft
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08/24/2019 07:13AM  
Jaywalker: "The few who do get lost don't do so because of which map brand they chose, they get lost from not knowing how to read whatever map they have. "


Truly profound...

JerryBerry,
Let us know which map(s) you chose and how they worked for you. Hope the weather is great and you have a great trip!
 
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