I just wanted to encourage everyone taking kids to the BWCA. I have been taking my kids every year for the last 8 years. Every year they get better, we go farther, and we stay longer. We started off slow by car camping at Sawbill Lake and renting a canoe for a day. They instantly loved it and wanted a week at Sawbill the next summer. That summer, we rented a canoe for the day, twice. The following year, we took the canoe out for a couple nights and base camped. Then we did short trips where we moved every day and they loved it. Now we do week-long or more loops. My daughter is looking for a summer job at one of the outfitters. My kids would mutiny if we skipped a year. So take them! I realize it is difficult when they are young, they can't carry much, they don't wash dishes or set up camp, but it lays the groundwork for a love of nature and they do catch on and help more each year. I have tought them from toddlers the rules of leave no trace. They look forward to this trip more than anything. Now, they can carry more than me. They can portage the canoe. They have more outdoor skills than most people I know. Most importantly, they will keep the legacy going and hopefully the BWCA will be just as important in the lives of their children.

Well said!!

There is nothing better than spending time in and around the BWCA with my kids. Especially the one on time time when I do a trip with just one of them. It means the world to me having that alone time to bond with them. They learn so many lessons about "carrying their own weight" and Leaving no Trace. My kids are better at taking care of our resources than many adults.

We started taking our girls to the edge of the BWCA and doing daytrips when they were 4 and 2. They each did their first daddy/daughter trip with me to the BWCA when they were each 5. Each year one went with me to the BWCA while the other one did something special with mom. We still continue that tradition now that they are 18 (almost 19) and 16. My younger daughter still loves to camp in the BWCA with me when it's her turn and even though my older daughter doesn't want to camp in the BWCA anymore, we enjoy our one on one time in and near the BWCA in other ways. I'm really excited to take our 5 year old son on his first father/son BWCA trip this coming summer. He's spent a lot of time in and around the BWCA in campgrounds, cabin resorts, and doing daytrips already.

Yes, my kids are all older now and can paddle their own canoes. Their love for the BWCA is strong and still want to go every year

Canoearoo: "Yes, my kids are all older now and can paddle their own canoes. Their love for the BWCA is strong and still wan to go every year"

My daughter is 5 and has been on 2 overnight paddle trips and she's loved each one. I'm so proud that she has a sense of adventure and feels her own sense of accomplishment with all the things she's able to do. I hope like heck she keeps it and wants to continue tripping with me. I've been on plenty of solo trips and a now that I've got a daughter, they've lost some of their appeal and I'm more and more looking forward to being on these "dad" trips.