Hey all, first post here after lurking on the forum for a while.

I did my first BWCA trip last September, a solo trip to Perent Lake for six days. Had a good time and learned a lot, too. I chose September last year, both because it was when I had time in my schedule, and because I was advised that it was a great time of year to go due to weather and lack of bugs. That was good advice, because there were almost no bugs and the weather was great.

I'm planning another trip this year, EP TBD, and it looks like September might be out due to other commitments. So I'm looking at alternate times of year, and considering late May/early June, around Memorial Day, but I'm wondering, A. How crowded the BWCA will be around then? and B. How bad the bugs are likely to be?

Thanks!

Good to hear your trip last September went well! In my experience, late May is when more people start to go but it certainly isn't as busy as July or August. I don't know if they keep logs of visitors by month that are publicly accessible, but I would think the last two weeks of May are similar to the September numbers.

As for bugs, that can really vary depending on the weather, naturally. Again my observations have been there are more bugs in late May than in late September. June seems to see a huge increase in the number of bugs. That said, it also depends on the types of insects that "bug" you the most!

I'm sure more knowledgeable folks will chime in with more exact info. Hope that helps!

We have been going the week leading up to Memorial Day for the last 7 or 8 years and we do that because...it has proven to be a good time to go. Definitely less busy than summer trips. Most years bugs have been few to none but there certainly can be some although in our experience much less than summer. Our weather has been mostly good if you don't mind cool nights. Typical weather has been 50s to 60s(some 70s too) during the day and 30s to 40s at night with a few nights dipping down into the 20s - just need to be prepared for that.

Due to the relatively lighter levels of traffic we have had no trouble getting the campsites that we were hoping for although no guarantees. I think this depends somewhat on where you go in too. If you combine a lesser used entry point with a lesser used time of year I think your odds are pretty good.

Other benefits of this time of year include generally higher water levels if that matters to your route, and long hours of daylight.

I went in mid September once and we were unlucky with the weather, cold and rain for days in a row. Our experience with late May has been much better.

Welcome(officially) to bwca.com! :)

Generally speaking, I think May (pre- Memorial day) & September ( post labor day) are roughly similar for the criteria you asked about. As YetiJedi already mentioned, weather plays a factor but you won't know that until it comes. Enjoy

I don't mind cold nights at all. It got down to the 20s in September last year and that was no problem. I hate hot weather and I'd much rather have it cold than hot. And a few bugs aren't going to be a deal-breaker for me. I'd just rather not experience bugs so bad it's impossible to to be outside your tent without being covered head to toe. But I know bug numbers are impossible to predict with certainty. Higher water is definitely a plus. I ran into low water levels on Hog Creek when leaving Perent Lake last year and had a heck of a time getting out.

Another factor to consider is that the water will be much colder in May due to the ice having just melted (hopefully). I used Muck boots for my May trip to keep my feet warm and dry, they worked very well and I highly recommend it if possible. Some landings were a little tricky but we figured it out. Depending on what part of May you still may find ice on some portages where their was deep snow and in the shade so be careful. Depending on the weather leading up to your trip the ground still may be very cold (possibly frozen just below the surface) so if you are sleeping on the ground be aware of that, a good insulated pad is recommended. With all that said there is something about being the first person on a portage or at a campsite for the year as the forest wakes up.

Northwoodsman: "Another factor to consider is that the water will be much colder in May due to the ice having just melted (hopefully). I used Muck boots for my May trip to keep my feet warm and dry, they worked very well and I highly recommend it if possible. Some landings were a little tricky but we figured it out. Depending on what part of May you still may find ice on some portages where their was deep snow and in the shade so be careful. Depending on the weather leading up to your trip the ground still may be very cold (possibly frozen just below the surface) so if you are sleeping on the ground be aware of that, a good insulated pad is recommended. With all that said there is something about being the first person on a portage or at a campsite for the year as the forest wakes up."

Great point on the boots. I'll definitely keep that in mind. I don't mind getting my feet wet when it's nice and warm, but cold water is no fun to walk in without protective footwear.