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MikeinMpls
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01/03/2023 04:32PM  
Considering Clearwater Lake EP (62) for our May trip. I see only two permits are available per day for overnight paddle AND motor. Am I correct in assuming this is a highly desired EP considering only two permits per day, and OPs are competing with motors for them?

Mike
 
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OMGitsKa
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01/03/2023 06:40PM  
Clearwater will be booked up pretty quick.
TuscaroraBorealis
Moderator
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01/03/2023 08:11PM  
U R Correct
Ahahn366
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01/03/2023 10:53PM  
There always seems to be a south foul available, gets you in the same area you can come out on pine. And I like the little campground at the launch
thegildedgopher
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01/04/2023 12:36PM  
MikeinMpls: "Considering Clearwater Lake EP (62) for our May trip. I see only two permits are available per day for overnight paddle AND motor. Am I correct in assuming this is a highly desired EP considering only two permits per day, and OPs are competing with motors for them?

Mike"


My understanding after talking with USFS folks is that it's a bit more nuanced than that. For overnight motor permits there is an additional weekly sub-quota. There are 2 total overnight permits per day for Clearwater, so 14 per week. Of those 14, only 1 can be an overnight motor permit.
MikeinMpls
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01/05/2023 12:05PM  
thegildedgopher: "
MikeinMpls: "Considering Clearwater Lake EP (62) for our May trip. I see only two permits are available per day for overnight paddle AND motor. Am I correct in assuming this is a highly desired EP considering only two permits per day, and OPs are competing with motors for them?


Mike"



My understanding after talking with USFS folks is that it's a bit more nuanced than that. For overnight motor permits there is an additional weekly sub-quota. There are 2 total overnight permits per day for Clearwater, so 14 per week. Of those 14, only 1 can be an overnight motor permit."


Thanks, Gopher. I am interested in how that would work in regard to the reservation website, but I'm sure I'll find out on January 25!

Mike
01/05/2023 01:52PM  
Last year we were ready and watching the countdown to permit access as we too desired an EP 62 overnight permit for May. Now, our plans were not flexible and we had to enter the Thursday before Memorial Day. When the time arrived - there were no available permits that Thursday. Had the feel that those EP 62 permits were taken before public access as there were no available permits for several days before or after that Thursday. Kept monitoring EP 62 permits and I believe all permits (May-September) were taken by the end of day one. We snagged an EP 61 permit and made it to our desired destination, just took a bit more travel. Good luck and hope your fingers are quicker than mine!!
cyclones30
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01/05/2023 06:21PM  
Clearwater are some of the fastest to go in the whole system
thegildedgopher
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01/05/2023 08:27PM  
Fish man— there is no such thing as permits being taken before they are available to the general public. Everyone, including outfitters/cooperators get access at the exact same instant.

Mike— are you trying to get an OM or an OP? Each different type of permit has its own reservation grid, so all you need to do is start by selecting the proper one from the drop-down. As soon as 1 overnight motor permit for any given week is reserved, all the overnight motor permits for that week will show as 0 available. That doesn’t affect the overnight paddle grid in any way except to take 1 out of the daily quota for whatever entry day the OM permit is for.
01/05/2023 09:19PM  
thegildedgopher: "Fish man— there is no such thing as permits being taken before they are available to the general public. Everyone, including outfitters/cooperators get access at the exact same instant.


Yes. I have read that from others as well. It just had that feel because I thought I was quick on the trigger when permits became available, but obviously was not fast enough. It all worked out! Just be faster than I if you are after those popular EP permits!!
schweady
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01/06/2023 10:43AM  
cyclones30: "Clearwater are some of the fastest to go in the whole system "

Yup. Clearwater and a few others. Get yours early:

01/07/2023 10:31AM  
schweady: "
cyclones30: "Clearwater are some of the fastest to go in the whole system "

Yup. Clearwater and a few others. Get yours early:

"

Schweady - That is great information. I'm relatively new to alot of this. Is that table available for public viewing for all EPs?
Bingo
schweady
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01/07/2023 10:56AM  
Bingo: "Schweady - That is great information. I'm relatively new to alot of this. Is that table available for public viewing for all EPs?
Bingo"

It's one of my own creation - just an abbreviated version was done for 2022 and may be the last that I feel the need to compile. Do a search on this site for "permit availability study" and you might run across some of my more detailed tables and calendars done over the past few years. Never seems to be much change year to year, making it easy to assume that the same dozen or so EPs are ones for which you ought to be online to reserve at 9:00 am on the last Wednesday in January every year.
01/27/2023 02:16PM  
Does Clearwater Outfitters just buy them all immediately?
TreeBear
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01/27/2023 04:06PM  
ZaSquatch: "Does Clearwater Outfitters just buy them all immediately?"


Again it's a little more nuanced than that. Permits through a commercial outfitter must have a trip leader assigned to each, they aren't reserved under the outfitter themselves. This was put in place to keep an outfitter from buying out their entry point and essentially re-selling them. They have to have a customer's name to put on permits. So in theory, Clearwater could buy all of the permits immediately if they had two customer groups signed up for every day with their names and info in their systems and they were able to click and grab permits faster than the rest of us. In actuality, even outfitters can't get everyone their first choice of permits which is why many ask for second choices.

The main reason Clearwater EP goes quickly is because the fishing is good, the scenery is amazing, and there are plenty of nice routes and campsites to keep a group busy. Also, because the eastern end of the BW isn't very big and is serviced by a proportionately high number of EP's for the number of routes, each EP has fairly low numbers of permits. The few permits there are go quickly. On the other end, an EP like Moose Lake (Ely) has 13 times the permits as Clearwater and takes a bit longer to fill up (though it still does eventually.)
Northwoodsman
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01/27/2023 04:08PM  
You can't get a permit without a group leaders name and information. Once the permit is purchased you cannot change the name on it. Outfitters CANNOT purchase permits unless they already have a customer and all of their contact info. You have a better chance getting a permit yourself because the outfitter has a list of permits that they are trying obtain for multiple people, multiple dates, and multiple entry points. You are only try to get a permit for yourself.
 
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