Hello, I've gone to the Boundary Waters three times and each time i did none of the planning besides getting my food or gear, but I was still given a list of things I should bring. I haven't gone for three years and am hoping to make it a yearly thing. My friends have gotten busy and no longer care to do the planning, so I'm taking this task upon myself.

I'm looking for any recommendations for people with beginner/average experience - looking for any suggestions of lakes or routes that are lots of fun. Also would like to stay out of burn areas for the most part. Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I'm trying to plan a trip for this summer and I know my options are limited as a lot of the reservations are booked, but I'll take any suggestions for this year or next year. Thanks! :)

Welcome!

There are virtually limitless options for routes. Yes permits are limited for this year, but they are available. Especially if you can have a little flexibility. There is a great new feature on this site for alerts when permits open up. It’s amazing how many are cancelled.

There are a couple different guide books that are a great place to start. They list common routes by entry point.

If you have an entry point in mind, the folks on here are generally very helpful in sharing options. You can also read through the trip reports by entry point and search for the name of the entry or lake you’re looking for and will find lots of great info!

Have fun and good luck!

First time I went was organized by another person. He used an outfitter. The following year I did it on my own - my son and another dad and son - and used same outfitter. Since then, have acquired most of our own gear, much used from outfitter, but still use outfitter for lodging and the occasional piece of gear. My point is I found having a relationship with an outfitter useful many years later.

gramz: "...i'm looking for any recommendations..."

Be sure to find out what your group enjoys. Is fishing or traveling the priority? New routes or familiar territory? Types of meals?

Trip planning is a big job, but a lot of fun as well.

So you leave us a lot of questions to start giving you suggestions:

Fish/Basecamp vs. Travel loop vs. Hybrid(travel stay 2 days, travel stay a couple days, etc.)? How many days total? You canoeing experience( Big water vs. small water).

I will give it a go by looking at a couple permits with some availability:

Entry 49 - Skipper and Iron Lake. This one is intimidating because of the 320 rd. first portage, but these long narrow lakes are in a lovely area with some very nice campsites for base camping. (That 320 is more bluster than anything. Just a nice walk in the woods.) I understand that Rush Lake has the better fishing, but I like Banadad Lake for the scenery. (This passes through a recovering burn area, but doesn't stay in it long.) If you are making a loop - Day 1 Poplar, Skipper, Little Rush(The portage to Rush Lake has been moved to the north side of the stream.), Rush, Banadad. Day 1 Banadad, Sebeka, Ross, Cave, Long Island Lake. Don't underestimate this day. The portages are challenging, but you are in a very little traveled portion of the BW and it is lovely scenery. There are 3 great sites on the far eastern end of the Long Island Lake. Most people don't venture that far down the lake.

You have a choice here:

Option 1: Go back east: Day 3 LIL, Muskeg Creek, Muskeg Lake, Kiskadinna Lake, Ogema Lake, Winchell Lake. Beware "The Wall" between Muskeg and Kiskadinna Lake. Winchell Lake is fairly busy, but there is a lot to do here as well - Climb the path to the top of the cliffs, find and climb the small waterfall on the south shore of the lake. Day 4 - Winchell, Gasking, Horseshoe Lake. This is a short day, but you will want to spend some time paddling this lovely little lake hoping for a moose encounter. Day 5 Horseshoe, Caribou, Lizz Lake, Poplar Lake.

Option 2 - Continue west: Day 3 Lil, Karl, Lower George, Rib, Cross Bay, Snipe. Stop on Cross Bay if there is an open site or continue on to Snipe Lake. Day 4 - Snipe, Missing LInk, Round Lake. This end to end route will require a shuttle back to where you started.

Entry 51 - Missing Link Lake often has open permits throughout the season. You can do Option 2 above in reverse from this entry. Or you can opt for the 365 rd. portage into Tuscarora Lake. If you are a base-camp/fish type of group, Tuscarora Lake will fulfill your dreams. If you are a traveler type group, you will encounter recovering burn once you travel past Tuscarora Lake, but the scenery in this area more than makes up for the inconvenience. There are many loops available, but one destination stands out - Little Saganaga Lake. Grab your map and plan your route there, but please plan to spend more than one night on this iconic BW lake.

Outfitters for either of these routes can be:

Rockwood Lodge - On Poplar Lake
Tuscarora Lodge - On Round Lake

Either can help with other routing or gear rental.

Agree that more info would be helpful - group size and experience, number of days, goals for the trip(seclusion, photography, fishing, seeing as much as possible, relaxing), time of year.

One of my favorite areas is a very easy entry and involves a few easy portages to get in, good fishing and some nice daytrips to keep you busy. There are also other lakes to move to if you so desire, and even a loop route if you are ambitious. But primarily this is a fairly easy entry designed for relaxation and daytrips, maybe moving once, doing some exploring and fishing and reflecting on life.

Homer Lake entry camp on Vern, daytrip up the Vern River and/or over to Juno and /or over to East Pipe Lake. Good fishing and relative seclusion, this is not a busy area and not many permits available.

Easy planning, Sawtooth outfitters or Sawbill can help you with whatever you need. Pretty sure there are some permits available.

Here's a sample for you if you are so inclined:
Homer Lake trip

As bobber mentioned, trip planning can be a lot of fun, but it's a big job and can get complicated, especially as a first-time planner. At least you've been and know you need a permit :). Maybe you are going with the same guys as before, which would simplify the process. Think back to the trips you went on that others planned.

Some things I've suggested to family and friends to plan a trip:

Know the rules and regs.
Assess the group in terms of abilities and desires.
Determine the dates.
Develop a plan.
Pick an entry and get the permit.
Make sure everyone understands what will be involved and knows what to bring.
Make any necessary arrangements for accommodations, canoe and gear rental.

Rules and regs - group leader is responsible so make sure everyone knows them before you leave.

Abilities and desires - It's simple if you know people's abilities and they are all capable, but remember you are limited to the pace of the weaker members. It's also simple if you all want the same thing, i.e. are all going to fish all day, all want to just travel and see the country.

Dates - yeah you have to know the entry date and how many days you have to travel a route.

Plan - if you are just going to enter at Brule and camp there for 4 days and fish, it's not complicated. If you're going to travel, you have to make a conservative estimate of how many miles you can go in the allotted time. You'll need to decide if you can single portage or should double portage.

Pick an entry, get permit.

Resolve community gear, food, and make sure everyone knows what personal gear to bring.

Make reservations for canoes, gear, bunkhouse, etc.


We can make suggestions, but info makes them useful. I've done 20 trips trips from 4 days to 17 days and been in and out of 15+ EP's. I can give you entries and routes for just a few miles to 100+. There are out-and-back routes, loops from and to one EP, point-to-point trips with a 15-minute walk between, or an 8-mile walk/jog, or 20-mile bike ride. You can shuttle yourself or get a shuttle from an outfitter.

Some useful sources: Maps & Entry Points at the top of the messagboard gives you basic info, a list of trip reports, a list of recent discussions. Trip reports and recent discussions will give you numerous options for trips and a variety of experiences. There's permitting info, outfitter info, lodging info, planning info, and checklists. Voyageur Maps (sold here) has a website with zoomable/scrollable maps you can use to look at routes. You can also get lots of info from outfitter websites - trip/route options, checklists, etc.

I have files of information on trips I've done, I could look up and send if you email me. I've done trips out of Moose River North, Little Indian Sioux North, Mudro, Little Isabella River, Island River, Crab, East Bearskin, Lizz, Meeds, Cross Bay, Brant, Missing Link, Kawishiwi Lake, Sawbill, Baker. . .