I am located in the Twin Cities and have an out of town relative coming in for a few days and he's expressed interest in a quick trip to the north woods. I'm pondering the idea of taking him to BWCA. Can anyone recommend a short 2-night route that could give a little taste of the region that would be friendly for a novice paddler? Nice scenery and good fishing would be high on the list of desires.

Getting a permit might be an issue, do you have dates in mind? And do you have gear or will you rent?
Perhaps one of the US Forest Service campsites on a lake such as Sawbill comes to mind. Some nice day trips and you can have advantage of you vehicle and cooler. And Sawbill Outfitters can provide needed gear.

Sawbill

Go to Crocodile Lake from EP 64 and catch some walleyes.

South Hegman Lake, Took my wife there for her first time on a short, last minute Sept trip 20 years ago.
-Easy access,
-Pictographs
-hiking trails to explore
-Couple of day trip options to nearby lakes.
This is good for a short trip. Normally on a longer trip, you would blow through and head up to Angleworm and points beyond.

bhouse46: "Getting a permit might be an issue, do you have dates in mind? And do you have gear or will you rent?
Perhaps one of the US Forest Service campsites on a lake such as Sawbill comes to mind. Some nice day trips and you can have advantage of you vehicle and cooler. And Sawbill Outfitters can provide needed gear."

I'd second this. You could do the same on Seagull.

A little background might help -
- How much camping/backpacking experience do you guys have?
- Are you in generally good shape?

Like bhouse said, you may be at the mercy of what permits are available if you want to overnight camp in the BWCA. I'd suggest taking a look at what's open for your potential entry date and then reporting back. I can think of several entry point where it's not too hard to get in a lake or three in one day even for rookies.

Try and get at least one portage in to get the "true" impression. Maybe Seagull and one of the Fire Lakes.
Good luck with your trip.

FISHONFISHOFF

Choice #1: EP39 Baker lake and camp on Kelly. 4 mile paddle to North end Campsite. The campsite is near a stream just by the portage to Jack lake and has some decent walleye and pike in the current. Also access to the gold mine at the end of the portage between Kelly and Jack Lakes. I have spotted some moose in the morning in the stream to the east of the campsite. No real big portages. if you want to challenge yourself you can day trip the long portage to Burnt for some nice walleye action.

Choice #2: Homer Lake EP 40: Stay on Vern, pipe or Juno. You can day trip to either of the lakes to see different scenery. Some nice bluffs for small lakes. You could day trip to the Big Brule Lake if staying on Juno. Walleye fishing on Vern is decent and great smallmouth and pike action on Pipe. Good walleye on the entry Lake Homer also.

Going on the Gunflint,first timer might enjoy an in and out starting at Liz and going to Horseshoe and beyond. Lots of options. Getting the permit is an other issue this year, but check it out. I would contact the fine gentleman at Rockwood Lodge

moose lake to ensign would be an easy first time, 2 day trip.

Sea Gull to Alpine

TuscaroraBorealis: "Sea Gull to Alpine "

Have they solved the bear issues in that area? If not, it might a little more intense an experience than wanted.

Figure out your dates first and then look at what permits are available. Once you have an idea of whats available then its easier to discuss what options are best for a 2 day trip. Its easy for us to throw out all kinds of suggestions now but it will likely lead you to chasing around a whole bunch of dead ends. A lot of the suggestions have been for some pretty popular areas and based on this years craziness most of them probably won't have available permits.

Starting with whats available for your entry date and picking from that will be a lot easier.

nofish: "Starting with whats available for your entry date and picking from that will be a lot easier."

This! So many possibilities, this will help narrow it down.

The best 2 nite intro trip would be about 4 days long

bobbernumber3: "The best 2 nite intro trip would be about 4 days long"

That's what I was thinking, only I would have said 5. 6 is better. It was always my opinion that 6 is good because even if you have 3-4 days of rain, there will be some sunshine somewhere along the way. Also, you get into the rhythm of a trip, begin to feel really acclimated after about the 3rd day.

OP has gone AWOL.

Thanks for all the recommendations. Because he's only in town for a few days, I think we're just gonna car camp at one of the SNF campgrounds for a couple nights and do a day trip into the BW. Thanks!

Enjoy!

kbomb: "Thanks for all the recommendations. Because he's only in town for a few days, I think we're just gonna car camp at one of the SNF campgrounds for a couple nights and do a day trip into the BW. Thanks!"

With the lack of available permits, this seems to be the most reasonable option. Make sue you get out there and make reservations at the campground! Those spots are at a premium too.

Hope your friend has a great introduction.