Just wondering how many people visit the BWCA each year? And then how many deaths happened this year?

Too many and too many.

Well according to a couple of websites the BWCA sees about 250,000 people per year. The number of deaths has I believe less than 10 this year. So percentage wise the death rate per number of visitors is relatively low.

A little something from a few years ago. Couldn't find anything newer in the short time I was looking.

"The 33 emergency incidents in 2005 are nearly double the number of search-and-rescue missions in each of the three previous years: In 2005 there were 21 medical evacuations, 12 search-and-rescue missions, and 1 fatality, for a total of 33; in 2004 there were 0 medical, 14 search-and-rescue, and 3 fatalities, for a total of 17; in 2003 there were 14 medical, 3 search-and-rescue, and 2 fatalities, for a total of 19; and in 2002 there were 11 medical, 2 search-and-rescue, and 4 fatalities, for a total of 17. According to Kris Reichenbach, a Forest Service spokesperson, one possible reason for the increase in evacuations is that more people are carrying cell phones and relying on them to call for help. Most deaths in the Boundary Waters are from drowning, and the majority of reported injuries are from falls."

So, that is 10 in a three year period.

This year there have been several deaths that were wind/storm/tree related.

224,000 and some change was the figure I heard via MNPR at the end of the summer. They were quoting MN DNR statistics. I'm not sure if that figure has been updated. Quetico to the north tends to see a 10th of that on an annual basis.

The rising number of deaths could also be a function of the aging of those who are going. I'm 68 and still try to go each year though, my plans have been cancelled by health issues the last two years.

Hey? Can you think of a better place to go?

quote HighnDry: "224,000 and some change was the figure I heard via MNPR at the end of the summer. They were quoting MN DNR statistics. I'm not sure if that figure has been updated. Quetico to the north tends to see a 10th of that on an annual basis."

Do you recall if that included day trippers, or just overnighters?

The figures are nowhere near 250,000 annual visitors, possibly as low as 160,000.
The Forest wasn't done tallying when I talked to them a bit over a month ago, but there has been a steady drop over the years.

quote The Great Outdoors: "The figures are nowhere near 250,000 annual visitors, possibly as low as 160,000.
The Forest wasn't done tallying when I talked to them a bit over a month ago, but there has been a steady drop over the years."

It's a fair point and I stand corrected. There are several sites that still report an annual number of visitors at 250,000. The MPR Report actually only reported 143,000 tally from 2015 and data that goes back to 2009.

Wabakimi, which is really just 4 hours north, has about 600-1000 canoeists per year. It is about twice as large as Quetico. It costs less than Quetico, too.

Excellent walleye/pike fishing in Wabikimi; way better trout fishing in Quetico.

WCPP sees about the same if not a bit more in terms of annual visitors (canoeists) I believe. I can't recall the actuall figure but I don't think it's much more than Wabakimi. However, it does exclude the fly-ins to fish camps. It would be interesting to have those numbers for comparison.

Last figure I recall for WCPP is about 3500 per year. The figures are available from MNR. I think Claire Q. likely has a pretty good fix on the visitor numbers for the past several years. She probably can break it down between the fly-in fisherman and the canoeists. But, it is far less than BW or Q.

As for fish, are there any bass in WCPP? I think I recall reports of bass up there recently.

quote jcavenaghAs for fish, are there any bass in WCPP? I think I recall reports of bass up there recently."

Smallies in the Bloodvein River system around the Sabourin Lake area. I've personally caught several in the are of the channel area just west of the portage into Larus Lake and just north of Simeon Lake. There are also large (40" plus) pike in that area and abundant walleye. You just won't find lakers in that stretch of water ... generally too shallow.

There are also (supposedly) a few other pockets of smallies in other areas of the park, but I can't personally confirm their presence.

dd

I haven't heard of bass being present in Wabakimi. I suspect that they will show up in the next 10-15 years, if not sooner.

When I entered at Smye in 2015, there were two MNR guys doing fish counts up and down the western edge of Wabakimi and the Savant Lake area. I talked with them for several hours the night before I paddled in. Their project seemed to me to be an ongoing project lasting all summer.