BWCA Fall colors trip Boundary Waters Trip Planning Forum
Chat Rooms (0 Chatting)  |  Search  |   Login/Join
* For the benefit of the community, commercial posting is not allowed.
Boundary Waters Quetico Forum
   Trip Planning Forum
      Fall colors trip     
 Forum Sponsor

Author

Text

Teddy
member (6)member
  
01/22/2021 08:51PM  
Can anyone tell me what to expect (generally) weather-wise the last week of September in the BWCA? We are planning a trip this fall and hope to see the Fall colors at or near peak.
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next
01/22/2021 09:59PM  
We went September 20 last fall. Weather was very nice and colors were great. Went September about the same time in 2019 and weather was cooler and wetter and colors were not as good. The dry year in 2020 popped the colors better. Days are nice, nights are cool and you can usually count on wind.
Jackfish
Moderator
  
01/22/2021 10:07PM  
When tripping in the fall, you have to plan for every weather extreme. Could be hot. Could be cold. Could be somewhere in-between. And you might experience it all on the same trip.

We did a trip the 3rd week of September. The first night, I slept on top of my sleeping bag in my underwear until 2:30am, then finally crawled in. The next night, it was raining, cold and I wore long johns and a stocking cap to bed and had my down mummy bag zipped up to my face.

Pack smartly with lots of layering clothes and full rain gear.
schweady
distinguished member(8070)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
01/22/2021 10:09PM  
We were up mid-September last year and had two nights of 28 and 26 degrees. You never know. Zero bugs will always make up for any cold, however.
01/23/2021 07:06AM  
I've been there the last couple weeks of Sept. many times. Like others said you have to prepare for the extremes. I've had days of 75 degrees, calm, and sunny. And I've had very windy days of cold with rain, freezing rain, sleet, hail, and snow, all in the same day. The average temps of 60-65 and 40-45 are nice enough and not a problem, but it's highly variable.
01/23/2021 06:15PM  
Just to give you an idea the last half of Sept. record high is 88 and record low is 18.
Teddy
member (6)member
  
01/25/2021 12:38PM  
Thank you
01/25/2021 02:04PM  
I have seen many nights below freezing in the 20's, so just be prepared. If it gets that cold, you'll need to protect your water filter from freezing too.
schweady
distinguished member(8070)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
01/25/2021 02:17PM  
boonie: "I have seen many nights below freezing in the 20's, so just be prepared. If it gets that cold, you'll need to protect your water filter from freezing too. "

Yeah, I learned a lot about canoe camping in the colder months on our trip last year. Batteries, camera, gps, isopro canisters, water filters... all benefitted from being kept in pockets or in the tent or in the sun or in a sleeping bag...
Warren Yoder
Guest Paddler
  
01/25/2021 02:35PM  
We were there the 17th through the 20th. The colors were nice and getting nicer. Several nights were likely in the mid 20 with beautiful days in the upper 50 to low 60s. The brook trout were sizzling hot!!!
01/25/2021 06:07PM  
schweady: "
boonie: "I have seen many nights below freezing in the 20's, so just be prepared. If it gets that cold, you'll need to protect your water filter from freezing too. "

Yeah, I learned a lot about canoe camping in the colder months on our trip last year. Batteries, camera, gps, isopro canisters, water filters... all benefitted from being kept in pockets or in the tent or in the sun or in a sleeping bag..."


Yes, a lot of other things like that. Lithium batteries are longer lasting in cold temps. And don't forget that daylight hours are short - roughly 12 hours between sunrise and sunset.
 
Reply    Reply with Quote    Print Top Bottom Previous Next
Trip Planning Sponsor:
Seagull Outfitters