Hi all,

Thinking about doing a ten day solo in May. Experienced shoulder season paddler. I love to explore, cook, read and relax in solitude. Not a big fan of bugs. What weather conditions am I looking out for that would be considered ideal, and what routes might offer campsites reliably free-ish of bugs if there is a hatch?

Thanks!!!

I can't help you with the best time in May to avoid bugs, other than suggesting you go as close to ice out as possible. However, you DO win the award for earliest mention of being concerned about bugs in the wilderness... February 3rd. :) :) :) (just good-natured razzing...)

I agree that the closer to ice out the better.

I’ve done 8 bwca trips in May and only had bugs once and they weren’t that bad that time. 2 before fishing opener, 3 between opener and Memorial Day weekend, 2 over Memorial Say weekend, and one after Memorial Day weekend. . One of the 2 trips over Memorial Day is when we had bugs.

We typically go the week before Memorial Day weekend, putting in Sunday and leaving the crowds behind by Friday. Most years bugs have not been much of an issue, you can have no bugs at the start and each day you may start seeing a few and by the end of the week you can sense what's coming but usually still not bad and mainly at dusk and dawn.

A couple years we have had moderately annoying black flies you fly into your forehead at full speed but generally they are not biting yet. Some years none at all.
Mosquitoes have been a non factor for the most part but give it a couple weeks into June and that will change big time. Of course all of this can depend on how early spring arrives and the ice goes out, and the weather warms up.

Typical weather is highs in the 50s to mid 60s and generally stable weather. But we've also had two days of low 50s, wind and a steady rain. Generally though the weather is very pleasant. It can get pretty cool at night, we have had several nights in the mid 20s to 30 degrees, makes that campfire and morning coffee feel that much better. Generally upper 30s to low 40s would be pretty normal.

It's a great time to go, birds and critters are very active and the woods is coming alive. But the water is COLD, never forget that. You have to be pretty determined to jump in the lake that time of the year (but I have done it a time or two).

I would recommend a bug headnet and some repellent of some kind just in case, and perhaps a down blanket to throw over the sleeping bag unless it's a very warm one. Hope you have a great trip.

lol! Thanks for answering!

I actually had a bad experience last year with bugs in mid Juiy (didn’t we all?) and wasn’t a happy camper lol

Great info thanks !

Thanks! Sounds like a pretty normal trip actually. I use a double quilt in October down into the 20s so I’m used to that. Good to know that the sleepers, if they do hatch, will be normal dawn-n-duskers.

I would echo what the others said. The earlier the better when it comes to the bugs. I was in the week of Memorial Day last year and the first couple days the bugs weren't too bad. Then day 3 they came out in force and were pretty miserable after that.

Since you have to wait until the ice melts and then will be traveling for 10 days, you can expect the black flies to make an appearance. The begin hatching when the water reaches 40 degree and you are pretty certain to find those water temperatures somewhere during your trip. Once the water reaches 50 degrees, mosquitoes start to hatch too.

I've been on several Memorial Day weekend trips over the years and echo everyone else's observations. What I've seen on my trips is that the water temp is almost always over 60 degrees by the end of May, so to RMinMN's point, the hatches will have occurred. The amount and type of bugs I see depends a lot on air temp: if it's around 60-65 or lower during the day they're not bad at all. But in years where it gets above 70 during the day (like it did in 2023), they can get really bad, especially the black flies. I think black flies are 10 (or more) times worse than skeeters.

I hang a hammock, too, and it's no fun to have to retreat into the hammock just to escape the bugs when I'm otherwise not ready to sleep. So last year I "surrendered" and bought a Silicone Tarp Tent from Cooke Custom Sewing. It's simply a CCS tarp that has a screens on all sides and zippers on all corners. They're not cheap ($500-$650, depending on whether you get the 1.1 oz or 1.9 oz tarp), but for this aging camper, it was a game-changer: if the bugs are bad, I simply retreat into the shelter and cook my dinner or enjoy my book. Big investment, yeah, but I'll have this for years to come.

Last point, just to add on to what lindylair says about water temp, yes, it is cold in May. Use extra caution on the water because hypothermia can be a real risk this time of year if you tip.

Enjoy -- your ten days of solitude sounds amazing!

Agree with earliest after ice out. I generally trip mid May and don't have too much of an issue. One other thing to realize with blackflies is once they hatch they dont starting biting right away. They swarm first and then you get a day or two, three if your lucky before they start to bite.

Agree with everyone else, as early as possible. It seems like anything within a week or so of June1 can be pretty horrible with black flies coming out in the millions, making a head net a necessity. It only takes a short warm spell to get them going. It is a wonderful time to fish, though. Be very careful doing a solo that time of year, a capsize can be deadly due to low water temps.

Early may trips can be awesome, its about being prepared. The hardest for me was making sure we were well insulated from that cold that comes up out of the ground while sleeping. I think a lot of people fail to realize how cold that ground an be that early.

The only time I left early because of flies was in May. But results may vary.

I’ve been in the BWCA the week before Memorial Day the last three years.

2022: Virtually zero bugs. One long cold drizzly 50 degree day. No bad windy days.

2023: virtually zero bugs until the last couple days. Then the black flies were coming on hard. The afternoons had significant wind but I could still travel, just had to be more cautious. One day of 52 degrees with a cold wind. Got down to freezing that night.

2024: Plenty of bug presence when it wasn’t windy. More than half the days had rain of some sort, including a stretch where it rained over three inches in a day. Windy on most days starting around mid-day. One could paddle but it was sketchy at times. Easily 3-4 days of cold, wet, and wind.

The water temps were pretty cold all three years, even with last year’s much earlier ice out. Bugs are an annoyance but cold, wind, and rain, especially all at once, can be a safety issue and a travel limiter. Prepare. Have solid gear, bring a weather radio, and travel hard when the weather is good so you don’t have to push when it’s bad. Make sure you can stay warm and dry as much as possible.

One of my favorite all time trips was taken the week BEFORE fishing opener last year. I entered Lake One the Tuesday before opener in May. It was just a short last minute thing. There were 3-4 cars in the entire parking lot including mine. I camped on Lake 2, Lake 3 and Insula and exited on Friday. Before I hit the #2 to #1 portage on the way out I only saw 1 canoe the entire trip, not a single bug, and had the numbered lakes all to myself.

Now on the flip side when I came out on Friday-- All the permits had been pulled and waited I forever at the #1 and #2 portage with all the fishermen headed in.

I enjoyed the early May trip so much-if the ice is gone in time this year I have a week blocked off my schedule to head in to a yet to be determined EP for a week.