First, thank you to anyone that reply's or offers help!

I am looking to do a 3 day 2 night snowshoe in winter camping trip to the BWCA. I am coming from Iowa and would "base" out of Ely. Gear-wise I should be good (-20 down bag, 4-season tent, insulated pads, etc.). Really just looking for solitude, scenery and potentially some ice fishing for northerns, crappie...
I would be planning on setting up camp near the water, but not necessarily on the water and do not plan on switching sites for night 2.

Any recommendations for a scenic spot with the option of fishing? Anywhere in the 2-4 mile range would be fine for trekking in. if possible it would be nice to be able to park my vehicle near or at the start. I am sure i have forgotten some details, but would gladly provide additional information if needed.

Thanks!
-Nick

Fall lake provides easy access and decent fishing. You could set up on mile island or trek into Ella Hall via 4 mile if you want solitude. Can’t speak on how the fishing is on EH though. Setting up on Fall keeps you relatively close to your vehicle at the campground. You will likely see lots of dog teams go by on 4 mile.

Agree with Fall Lake being a good option, could travel from there to a few different smaller lakes if you wanted.

Few more ideas -

EP26 - Wood Lake, potentially going up to Good Lake
EP25 - Crossing Moose Lake and going to Wind Lake.
EP28 - From Snowbank head east to Parent or Disappointment Lake
Souix-Hustler hiking route off the Echo Trail could get you to Pauness in about 3 miles or Shell in a bit over 4. Devils Cascade could be really neat in Winter and if the river stays open it gives you a water supply without the need to put a hole in the ice.

I believe that technically you will still need to stay at a designated campsite even in winter, perhaps someone can verify. Either way, I don't know why you wouldn't.

Angleworm is another possibility. Many people hike the portage in the winter,but do not venture beyond that. If you're camped on the northern part of the lake you will probably not see anyone.

Cricket67: "Agree with Fall Lake being a good option, could travel from there to a few different smaller lakes if you wanted.


Few more ideas -


EP26 - Wood Lake, potentially going up to Good Lake
EP25 - Crossing Moose Lake and going to Wind Lake.
EP28 - From Snowbank head east to Parent or Disappointment Lake
Souix-Hustler hiking route off the Echo Trail could get you to Pauness in about 3 miles or Shell in a bit over 4. Devils Cascade could be really neat in Winter and if the river stays open it gives you a water supply without the need to put a hole in the ice.


I believe that technically you will still need to stay at a designated campsite even in winter, perhaps someone can verify. Either way, I don't know why you wouldn't.
"

I'm planning a winter trip as well in 2021 and from my research you aren't supposed to camp directly on the summer spots.

"When lakes are frozen, the Forest Service encourages people to pitch tents at least 200 feet from summer campsites, trails, and other campers. (For all of the winter rules, visit the Forest Service's BWCA Trip Planning Guide"

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/issues/2018/nov-dec/boundary-waters-winter-camping.html

When I see you are looking for Ely and crappie fishing - Gabbro stands out to me. I know there is a winter route into the lake, but I do not have a good idea how long the trip in would take or whether the road/parking lot is plowed. If it is plowed up close to that winter route I think it would definitely fit your travel and fishing plans. Sorry I am a little light on information - but hoping someone chimes in to fill in some of those important questions or you can probably do a little searching on the site and there may be info out there already,

Thanks everyone. You have definitely given me some ideas to continue researching for a little trek.

lyontyl: "

Cricket67: "I believe that technically you will still need to stay at a designated campsite even in winter, perhaps someone can verify. Either way, I don't know why you wouldn't.
"

I'm planning a winter trip as well in 2021 and from my research you aren't supposed to camp directly on the summer spots.

"When lakes are frozen, the Forest Service encourages people to pitch tents at least 200 feet from summer campsites, trails, and other campers. (For all of the winter rules, visit the Forest Service's BWCA Trip Planning Guide"

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/mcvmagazine/issues/2018/nov-dec/boundary-waters-winter-camping.html
"

Thanks for that info...It's been almost 40 years since I have winter camped in the BWCA so it may have changed or I have just forgotten. We also did not pitch tents as we made our own snow quinzhees to stay in so the rules may have been a little different.

Any pics of your quinzees, Cricket? Those sound really interesting.

woodsandwater: "Any pics of your quinzees, Cricket? Those sound really interesting."

Oh boy...that was a long time ago. I do know I had a few pictures I took on my 110 camera back in the day but I'm not sure where they might be.

They were very basic. Basically found a relatively flat spot and started piling the snow up. I remember we were kind of mixing it up as we went to break up the layers. Once the pile was just over our heads and a good 10' in diameter we took a break and punched a hole in the ice for our water and let the snow settle for an hour or so. We then added a little more snow and then made a bunch of about 12" sticks and started poking them into the snow all over the mound and then we poured a little water over the top to create an ice cap. This was our 2-person quinzee.

After that we created the door and started hollowing it out. After awhile one person would be inside pushing the snow towards the door and the other one would be busy shoveling the snow from the doorway. On one side of the doorway we made a wall that went out about 4 ft and then curved at a right angle for another 4 ft or so as a wind block.

Inside we laid out a small tarp to put our sleeping pads on and rolled out the sleeping bags. Before bed we put on the cross country skis and did a loop around Flash Lake. Once we got back we got inside, striped down to our base layer and went right into the sleeping bags. After Skiing the cold sleeping bag felt great, and our body heat warmed up the interior of the Quinzee to about 30 degrees.

woodsandwater: "Any pics of your quinzees, Cricket? Those sound really interesting."

Here is a video the Northern Tier base put out promoting their OKPIK winter camping program. several good shots of quinzees here.

Northern Tier Promo Video

Thank you!

Thank you!

There are a lot of good options of where to go listed above. Solitude is a lot easier to find in winter, but you might be surprised how many people are starting to get into winter camping. Depending on snow depth, anyplace with an established trail will speed your travel but also means greater chance of seeing people (or dog teams).

There is a sub-forum on winter camping. At the top of that forum you will find a sticky post that lists what entry points get plowed and which do not. You could also browse the past threads for other ideas about heading up there in winter.

Winter is a wonderful time in the BWCA. I especially love studying the tracks.