BWCA first winter trip for the family Boundary Waters Winter Camping and Activities
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easye515
member (40)member
  
11/23/2020 02:48PM  
Hello!

I am looking for some advice on a location to take my family for their first hot tent experience in the BWCA. I work a lot in arctic conditions, and have spent many nights in a hot tent, but my wife and two kids have not. The kids are super excited, but my wife is skeptical.

So my plan is to go in and walk about a mile maybe two, then setup camp. something insanely easy, but still remote enough to truly feel the awesomeness of winter camping.

We will have a snowtrekker 10x13 basecamp, the large stove, and I have splurged and grabbed everyone new winter sleeping bags. so I am not concerned about them getting cold. I just don't want the first trip to be something they hated!

SO. any advice on a location to go to? I was thinking something up near Kawishiwi, but I think I saw somewhere on this forum that they are closed?

Thanks in advance!
 
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11/23/2020 06:56PM  
Where are you located? Does it have to be BWCA? Or would something closer be an option?
easye515
member (40)member
  
11/24/2020 06:21AM  
We are down in the cities. I had thought about doing a state park as a break in. Is that what you are thinking?
inspector13
distinguished member(4169)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
11/24/2020 07:37AM  

A lot of roads near the BWCA go unplowed throughout the winter. Since people live there the road to Sawbill Lake is plowed. Maybe a trip into Alton or Kelso would work for you.

11/24/2020 09:40AM  
easye515: "We are down in the cities. I had thought about doing a state park as a break in. Is that what you are thinking?"


Depending on what cities you are in, you might look at National Forest campgrounds in the Hiawatha, Chequamegon, or Ottawa NFs which might be less of a travel.

For a first family outing, I'd keep the focus on the camping and outdoor activities that make it fun (ice-fishing, snow shoeing, campfire, etc).
wharrier
member (50)member
  
11/24/2020 01:36PM  
I would second Alton. Can park at Sawbill Outfitters and get gear from them if you need it. Short walk, single portage to get to Alton.
easye515
member (40)member
  
11/24/2020 02:45PM  
bobbernumber3: "
easye515: "We are down in the cities. I had thought about doing a state park as a break in. Is that what you are thinking?"



Depending on what cities you are in, you might look at National Forest campgrounds in the Hiawatha, Chequamegon, or Ottawa NFs which might be less of a travel.


For a first family outing, I'd keep the focus on the camping and outdoor activities that make it fun (ice-fishing, snow shoeing, campfire, etc)."


We are down in Minneapolis. Guess I could have been more specific!

easye515
member (40)member
  
11/24/2020 02:46PM  
inspector13: "
A lot of roads near the BWCA go unplowed throughout the winter. Since people live there the road to Sawbill Lake is plowed. Maybe a trip into Alton or Kelso would work for you.


"


We did the lady chain two summers ago, alton was a zoo! but I am assuming in the winter it won't be. thats a good thought.
tonyyarusso
distinguished member(1403)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
11/25/2020 10:20AM  
It REALLY doesn't take much to feel remote in the winter. Hardly anybody winter camps, so solitude is easy to find. Even camped right next to your car can feel remote-enough-to-be-nervous, since if your car decided not to start when you wanted to leave it could be weeks or months before anybody else happened along at many places. So, for family new to it, I wouldn't necessarily worry about being within the BWCA - you can go anywhere that you can walk far enough from the car for it to be a mild inconvenience to walk back to it to "grab one more thing" and it will feel pretty wild.

By far the #1 question is whether you want to be at an established campsite with some kind of toilet seat there for you or if people want to experience just going anywhere in the woods. Odds are the wife has an opinion on this. :) Some of that is weather-dependent too. I don't mind the dig-your-own-hole approach in mild weather, but subzero it gets significantly less fun really quickly...
 
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