A possible future trip might involve a group of two or three in solo canoes, and possibly wanting to spend some nights apart and some nights together. I assume this is possible, but what is the correct way to permit everyone to legally cover time together and time apart?

If time/camping apart.....all individual permits. People on separate permits can camp together as long as the 9/4 rule is observed, but if everyone is on the same permit, they must camp together. They can day trip separately as long as they carry the stub off the permit, but must return for the night.

I think in order to do this, you would have to have everyone on at least one permit, and then two separate permits for the other two solos. Everyone camping on a site must be on the same permit - one permit per site. But folks can leave from that first permit and it is still valid for that person even if the whole group isn't there. I talked with a FS rep last year, as we were having two different groups of folks meet us on the trip. I had everyone but the second group listed on one permit for group 1 and 3 (my wife and girls who came in 12 days later was group 3), and Group 2 his own permit for his entry day with all of us on it for the middle visit and we used that permit while that group was together. My wife and girls entered on a day pass and camped with us at the end as they were on the original permit. This was ok'd by the FS folks after much discussion and the inclusion of a supervisor.

What cowdoc said.

scotttimm: "Everyone camping on a site must be on the same permit - one permit per site. "

Not true. Nobody *has to* share a site with somebody on a different permit, but people on separate permits are allowed to share as long as they stay under the 9/4 rule.

TominMpls: "

scotttimm: "Everyone camping on a site must be on the same permit - one permit per site. "

Not true. Nobody *has to* share a site with somebody on a different permit, but people on separate permits are allowed to share as long as they stay under the 9/4 rule."

I know that sometimes folks get different answers from different FS reps, so I may have been given incorrect info but also likely I have been known to have a cloudy memory. I may be mistaken - as I searched prior threads I saw Butthead has stated that he was told multiple times two different permits may camp on the same site if under the 9/4 rule. I swear that I was told everyone on a campsite must be on the same permit, one permit per site. I may indeed be mistaken - cannot find anything in the regulations at the moment to indicate otherwise...will check back later to see. Sorry for the potential misinformation.

scotttimm: "Sorry for the potential misinformation."

I mean, the Forest Service isn't very clear on the nuances of the rules. Another case where the rules aren't especially clear: I probably wasted $40 and a lot of time acquiring a "From Canada" permit a week ahead of time a couple years back because I couldn't get a definitive answer on whether my first BWCA permit was invalidated by going into Quetico for four days in the middle of my trip. We all do our best to make decisions based on the version of the rules we're presented, and then hope the rangers out there enforcing decide to be generous.