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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: Covid conditions: more crowded, or less?
 
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CityFisher74
05/21/2020 12:09PM
 
dex8425: "It looks like it's going to be a zoo. Even the hiking permits are almost full for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. With the canoe permits full, I hope we can find a campsite on snowbank or the kek this weekend. We have a 7 month old with us.



I've never seen so many permits show "0" on recreation.gov. Fingers crossed that some people won't go. "



Perhaps some will be turned off by the forecast? Only time will tell.
 
x2jmorris
05/19/2020 06:42AM
 
I think early on it will be less than normal. However I think once July and August hit it is going to be crazy busy again.
 
Jeriatric
05/20/2020 01:21AM
 
Haven't paid much attention to Minnesota but Pennsylvania has about 69% of its covid -19 deaths in nursing homes. They have lost nearly as many people over 85 as they did 80 or less (within about 100). I think it is about 66% over a larger part of the country.
If a person is 60 or less, why not go camping. Otherwise, open up most of the rest of the country.

Edit: Went back and checked again. About 100 more people were lost that were over 85 than those still living in the first 80 years of their lives.
Here's another good one: More than twice as many over 100 were lost than those under 45.
(70 vs 33).
 
nctry
05/20/2020 02:59AM
 
Just be careful and respectful out there. Maybe we’ll see people actually wait for a group to finish a portage before blasting through them. No matter what graph you use , it’s still active. We’re getting hit pretty hard now up here.
 
paddlinjoe
05/23/2020 12:20AM
 
Jeriatric: "Haven't paid much attention to Minnesota but Pennsylvania has about 69% of its covid -19 deaths in nursing homes. They have lost nearly as many people over 85 as they did 80 or less (within about 100). I think it is about 66% over a larger part of the country.
If a person is 60 or less, why not go camping. Otherwise, open up most of the rest of the country.

Edit: Went back and checked again. About 100 more people were lost that were over 85 than those still living in the first 80 years of their lives.
Here's another good one: More than twice as many over 100 were lost than those under 45.
(70 vs 33)."



We have a similar trend in MN.
In MN people over 70 make up less than 20% of the confirmed cases. But people over 70 make up over 80% of the deaths. Also, over 80% of those that have died have been from nursing homes and long term care facilities.


The Star Tribune is the source of this data.


Also per the Star Tribune, we are still moving Covid infected patients to nursing homes. I don’t know why we are doing that to our most vulnerable population.
 
ChiTrader
05/28/2020 02:18PM
 
Good info, very informative. Thanks.


Chris
 
ChiTrader
05/28/2020 02:22PM
 
"Good info, very informative. Thanks.


Chris"
____________________________________________________________________________________
Meant to reply to the Strib info link re: COVID-19


C
 
Luckee
05/18/2020 10:41PM
 
Not to be too negative about numbers of people getting out and enjoying themselves, but to be honest? I like it better when there are a fewer parties on the water.

Will the pandemic mean fewer people out -- or maybe more? There are statistics showing much higher number of people out cycling, and anecdotally I seem to see way more folks hiking than normally. Will this principle apply to padding?

Do you think the boundary waters will be more crowded instead of less so this year? Curious to hear opinions. Hope to not hear too much abuse about my solitary, slightly misanthropic ways :)
 
justpaddlin
05/19/2020 10:50AM
 
The shape of the "covid curve" in Minnesota is pretty ugly right now with cases climbing dramatically and with the conflicts between public health, economic need and politics I think it's hard to predict.
 
nofish
05/19/2020 12:08PM
 
I've been wondering the same thing. I assume people with Quetico plans will be switching their plans to the BWCA. I'm guessing there will also be some people new the BWCA that will decide to give it a shot as other vacation plans might have been cancelled. However, there will also be some that stay home due to the increased risk.


This all remains a very fluid situation so who knows what things will look like in a couple weeks or a couple months. Its easy to see the stay at home order expire and get complacent about the risk that still remains. I think people need to keep in mind that the risk of covid is far from over. If anything the risk is higher now than its ever been. With more and more people getting out more and more people will get sick. The stay at home orders goal was not to defeat covid or reduce the total number of people that will get it. The goal was to spread out the length of time it took to reach that total number and to buy time for the hospitals to increase their capacity. The stay at home order was allowed to expire simply because there are now enough hospital beds for those of us that are going to get sick in the coming weeks or months. If hospital beds end up being in short supply again we could easily see another stay at home order put in place. If that happens then plans are obviously going to change again.
 
NotLight
05/23/2020 02:19PM
 
I’m staying home. It’s too crowded out there for me. It’s probably a good thing people are outside. But they are EVERYWHERE. I’ve been getting up early (3-4am), and doing local activities before the crowds. It’s not ideal, but I’m enjoying myself and it’s nice to be able to plan with certainty. No interest in going to the BWCA and sitting in a campsite full of used cigar butts this year.

 
Mo63021
05/27/2020 10:11AM
 
MidwestFirecraft: "Was in from the 18th to the 24th. Only saw 2 canoes in 7 days, and did not see the first canoe till the 5th day, and the 2nd canoe a couple hours before leaving the BWCA. It was like we had the place to ourselves!"


Thanks for the updates as we are going in EP 14 on June 13.


What area were you in MidWestFirecraft??
 
OMGitsKa
05/19/2020 03:22PM
 
x2jmorris: "I think early on it will be less than normal. However I think once July and August hit it is going to be crazy busy again."


Yeah I would agree on this. I think many out of state travelers might not be making the trek this year, especially if those that would fly in to the twin cities. There are also probably people with permits who have not cancelled yet but eventually will.
 
schweady
05/20/2020 08:17PM
 
scramble4a5: "Well with the limited number of permits it can only get so crowded. It will be what it will be."
It's at 93% capacity right now for the upcoming weekend.
36 permits still open for Fri-Sat out of 532 (after eliminating the 'From Canada' permits)

 
HighnDry
05/28/2020 09:09AM
 
nctry: "The gunflint trail and 61 were full of vehicles with canoes on them. The outfitters were hopping pretty good. At one point there were permits galore... it sounds like people are snatching them up pretty fast."


Does this mean you are getting closer to putting a boat in the water again, Ben? :)
 
KarlBAndersen1
05/22/2020 01:47PM
 
Now that things have opened up, I just saw my entry point take 12 permits for just two consecutive days. Last week my permit was the only one for those same two days.

 
nctry
05/25/2020 07:35PM
 
The gunflint trail and 61 were full of vehicles with canoes on them. The outfitters were hopping pretty good. At one point there were permits galore... it sounds like people are snatching them up pretty fast.
 
dex8425
05/21/2020 09:33AM
 
It looks like it's going to be a zoo. Even the hiking permits are almost full for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. With the canoe permits full, I hope we can find a campsite on snowbank or the kek this weekend. We have a 7 month old with us.


I've never seen so many permits show "0" on recreation.gov. Fingers crossed that some people won't go.
 
Wallidave
05/20/2020 01:51PM
 


scramble4a5: "Wallidave: "Here in Illinois they opened a lot of recreational areas but still have some closed. One of the places that is opened is a favorite lake of mine with quality fish in it. In the past it was normal to see it busy on the weekends but during the week it saw little pressure. They opened it unexpectant on May 1st and within a few days it turned into a zoo 7 days a week. A few other nearby popular lakes are still closed and now all the area rivers are blowout with floods. With so many people out of work even the weekdays are like weekends on this lake. To avoid frustration with all the craziness I've heard going on at the lake I've avoided it."


Your right down the road from me so you must be talking about Heideke Lake. "



yep
 
TuscaroraBorealis
05/30/2020 01:26PM
 
Spent the past week and a half mostly north and west of SAK. By far, the busiest I've ever seen the BWCA for mid/late May.


Talking with Andy at Tuscarora Outfitters; he warned me that permit levels were maxing out as I left and then said things hadn't slowed when I came out the other day. 'Crazy busy' was the term he used. From what I seen during my trip, i couldn't dispute that description.


That said, once i got off of the main travel routes (Gijikiki, Sema, Clam, Rabbit etc.) I had the lake to myself.
 
yogi59weedr
05/27/2020 07:59AM
 
I'm in Ely right now. Blooming ghost town. The 5 larger hotels have had no more than a dozen cars in the parking lots the last few days....
 
missmolly
05/22/2020 06:35PM
 
deerfoot: "missmolly: "I assume the Quetico and Wabakimi folks will be headed into the BWWCA. Maybe even Crown Landers like me."



This will be me unless Ontario and Manitoba open up."



Will it be weird for you to share lakes with others?
 
MidwestFirecraft
05/27/2020 01:32PM
 
Mo63021: "Thanks for the updates as we are going in EP 14 on June 13.


What area were you in MidWestFirecraft??"



Stuart lake area.
 
sns
05/27/2020 02:59PM
 
Mo63021: "Thanks for the updates as we are going in EP 14 on June 13. "


FYI, my previous comments were regarding EP 14 - we went in on the 19th, planned to come out Monday the 25th but instead exited Sunday the 24th (home in the Twin Cities at 2am). Saw very few others going in but coming out on the holiday weekend was poor planning on our part.
 
nctry
05/31/2020 11:39AM
 
HighnDry: "nctry: "The gunflint trail and 61 were full of vehicles with canoes on them. The outfitters were hopping pretty good. At one point there were permits galore... it sounds like people are snatching them up pretty fast."



Does this mean you are getting closer to putting a boat in the water again, Ben? :) "






I did...my good friend housty9 threatened me (I made that up) so I went. Nice thing is I can paddle, but I pay for it later in crazy pain. I love to paddle and even at home I get out there on the lake some. But I have to take like an overdose of my prescription pain meds to get through the night and next day.Mark and Lisa are so kind! I’m sure I wore their patience thin. Like me, Mark likes to travel. Being in one site is something that has always been hard.
 
justpaddlin
05/19/2020 06:24PM
 
Georgia


Germany


South Korea


Minnesota


I hope the links work. I'd encourage people to just look at the graphical summaries and interpret the facts for themselves.
 
missmolly
05/19/2020 08:30AM
 
I assume the Quetico and Wabakimi folks will be headed into the BWWCA. Maybe even Crown Landers like me.
 
scotttimm
05/27/2020 03:04PM
 
MikeinMpls: "We put in at Kawishiwi Lake May 18, and came out the 24th. Four vehicles in lot when we left, over 40 upon our return (parked in the lot, the road, the ditch, off road, clearings).



The Kawishiwi Lake EP is usually busy, and we knew that. We base camped on Lake Polly. We had some solitude and quiet on the 18th, then the flood of trippers came in. From then on, Lake Polly was a campground...just overrun by trippers both on the lake and pushing north (as Lake Polly campsites were all full.) There was seldom a time when one did not hear voices for more than a few minutes.



I wish people treated the BWCA like a library (or what libraries used to be like, whispering.) That just doesn't happen anymore. But I completely admit that we traveled to a popular lake, during a popular time, through a popular entry point. A little more work would have equaled more quiet for us.



As we traveled out from Polly to Kawishiwi, every campsite was taken, even the ones in the burn.



Mike"

This is my concern for our Kawishiwi trip, thinking of moving our entry date from Wednesday to Tuesday or Monday now - both Thursday and Friday permits are gone (9 per day) so I imagine a line of trippers will be headed north both those days. We'd like to camp on Kawishiwi Lake the first night, as we have a 7 hour drive to get there and don't want to overnight - then get an early start to Polly or Koma on our second day. Sounds like the exit strategy is key. We planned to go to Polly, Koma, or Malberg night one, then try to get closer to Alice figuring *maybe* people will be leaving the area Saturday and we can snag a nice spot on Alice...spend four days or so there basecamping...but it sounds like we might want to grab the first nice site on Malberg or Koma before we attempt to exit heading back south.
 
billconner
05/20/2020 05:42AM
 
I seem to recall according to outfitter the 2008 recession impacted visitors significantly. My sense a lot of us here are less impacted economically by the pandemic than in the general population. It will be interesting to see.
 
Mo63021
05/27/2020 03:52PM
 
sns: "Mo63021: "Thanks for the updates as we are going in EP 14 on June 13. "



FYI, my previous comments were regarding EP 14 - we went in on the 19th, planned to come out Monday the 25th but instead exited Sunday the 24th (home in the Twin Cities at 2am). Saw very few others going in but coming out on the holiday weekend was poor planning on our part."



Thanks for the update. We have gone to the Q the last 12 trips and since our last time in BWCAW was in 1972 this will be a new type of trip for the boys and I. Was hoping, (back when this was a plan B) to get in early and basecamp on Lynx starting from the get go. Now getting a little worried but hey, as I saw somewhere else, a semi crowded lake is better than a deserted office!!
 
Blatz
05/22/2020 08:47PM
 
Just got back. The parking lot at EP 16 was pretty full. However, Day 2 I didn't see a soul from Agnes to LLC until I got to Gebeonequet. The next day I saw 3 groups but closer to the EP
 
Frenchy
05/20/2020 07:18AM
 
We will be hitting the water on 6/5. This is the week we normally start and there are normally many open permits for that time. I noticed that all of the permits are taken for some of the popular entry points for those dates. I’m sure that many moved their dates due to the earlier closing. This might make the rest of summer a little more crowded.
 
gymcoachdon
05/22/2020 09:41PM
 
Well, I am one who had a Quetico trip planned, and started searching for a permit in the BWCA. I am entering Saganaga on 6/6, and based on all the EP's that had no permits available, I'm expecting to see lots of people.
 
Canoearoo
05/30/2020 02:37PM
 
The national forests are packed. I'm sure the bwca will be also.
 
Wallidave
05/19/2020 09:59AM
 
Here in Illinois they opened a lot of recreational areas but still have some closed. One of the places that is opened is a favorite lake of mine with quality fish in it. In the past it was normal to see it busy on the weekends but during the week it saw little pressure. They opened it unexpectant on May 1st and within a few days it turned into a zoo 7 days a week. A few other nearby popular lakes are still closed and now all the area rivers are blowout with floods. With so many people out of work even the weekdays are like weekends on this lake. To avoid frustration with all the craziness I've heard going on at the lake I've avoided it.
 
riverrunner
05/19/2020 09:58AM
 
I can tell as of now I never seen so many people out and about in the woods during the middle of week.


As the last month.
 
justpaddlin
05/19/2020 10:46PM
 
nooneuno: "


As testing increases the amount of people testing positive increases, all your graphs prove nothing.





They are not my graphs. New York is doing way more testing per capita than Minnesota yet their trend shows major improvement while Minnesota looks out of control. You can also look at death statistics by state or country (normalized for population) to get some feel for what's goIng on; there's a lot of relevant information available and I'm just trying to encourage people to dig into it.











 
Luckee
05/19/2020 11:18PM
 
Here's a good page for graphs skeptics and fans alike:


https://www.startribune.com/coronavirus-covid-19-minnesota-tracker-map-county-data/568712601/


There's a nice graph charting the negative and positive tests halfway down the page, and you can mentally superimpose the cumulative cases line graph over it (can't imagine why they didn't just do that).



 
mutz
05/19/2020 10:37AM
 
People are tired of being told to stay home, as things open up I think people are going to go. I have talked to several people who say Georgia opened up three weeks ago and the numbers haven’t skyrocketed so staying home makes no difference. Practicing common sense policies will make a difference.
 
CoffeeInTheWoods
05/21/2020 08:39AM
 
Campgrounds all closed on Memorial Day weekend + BW open + Canada closed + late opening (some trips pushed back) = busy weekend coming up.


Luckee: "Not to be too negative about numbers of people getting out and enjoying themselves, but to be honest? I like it better when there are a fewer parties on the water.


Will the pandemic mean fewer people out -- or maybe more? There are statistics showing much higher number of people out cycling, and anecdotally I seem to see way more folks hiking than normally. Will this principle apply to padding?


Do you think the boundary waters will be more crowded instead of less so this year? Curious to hear opinions. Hope to not hear too much abuse about my solitary, slightly misanthropic ways :) "

 
egknuti
05/23/2020 10:05PM
 
The Mudro entry was packed full of cars today. I had to park up where the Chainsaw Sisters house used to be.
 
sns
05/27/2020 09:00PM
 
Mo63021: "sns: "Mo63021: "Thanks for the updates as we are going in EP 14 on June 13. "




FYI, my previous comments were regarding EP 14 - we went in on the 19th, planned to come out Monday the 25th but instead exited Sunday the 24th (home in the Twin Cities at 2am). Saw very few others going in but coming out on the holiday weekend was poor planning on our part."




Thanks for the update. We have gone to the Q the last 12 trips and since our last time in BWCAW was in 1972 this will be a new type of trip for the boys and I. Was hoping, (back when this was a plan B) to get in early and basecamp on Lynx starting from the get go. Now getting a little worried but hey, as I saw somewhere else, a semi crowded lake is better than a deserted office!!"


I hear you...we'd been planning on WCCP and did the BWCA instead.
 
scotttimm
05/19/2020 12:30PM
 
Just checked out recreation.gov - and a lot of permits have been snapped up around our entry date at Kawishiwi Lake. We had planned on staying on the lake overnight, then head to Polly the next day - but now looking, the day after has zero (of 9) permits available. We may need to rethink our plans, I don't want to be battling with nine other groups on my way up to Polly. Sheesh.
 
Banksiana
05/19/2020 12:41PM
 
mutz: "People are tired of being told to stay home, as things open up I think people are going to go. I have talked to several people who say Georgia opened up three weeks ago and the numbers haven’t skyrocketed so staying home makes no difference. Practicing common sense policies will make a difference."


Georgia has misrepresented the data to make things look better than they are (check articles in LA Times and Atlanta Journal Constitution). They claim "mistakes and software flaws" but the flaws and mistakes have all managed to be in the direction of an undercount. I would suggest not using the data from Georgia to base a decision.
 
sns
05/27/2020 08:34AM
 
I wonder if because seemingly more people are not overnighting in the area before entering the BWCA if that is contributing to the greater concentration of full campsites closer to the EP that we experienced when exiting. Had to keep going and going, like the energizer bunny, all the way out a day early.

We took out right at dark, and there was even a car arriving at the EP with an outfitter-rigged canoe on the top to put in at 9:15pm! Maybe they were going to sleep in the parking lot...
 
yellowcanoe
05/23/2020 09:01AM
 
Jeriatric: "Haven't paid much attention to Minnesota but Pennsylvania has about 69% of its covid -19 deaths in nursing homes. They have lost nearly as many people over 85 as they did 80 or less (within about 100). I think it is about 66% over a larger part of the country.
If a person is 60 or less, why not go camping. Otherwise, open up most of the rest of the country.

Edit: Went back and checked again. About 100 more people were lost that were over 85 than those still living in the first 80 years of their lives.
Here's another good one: More than twice as many over 100 were lost than those under 45.
(70 vs 33)."

So you are telling me not to camp? I think a better representation before stating that is to compare deaths among independent living seniors and those in assisted living or congregate situations. The latter are not camping.. The former may be. I am one of them.. Got several canoe trips coming up!
Since this all started we have been getting out every day hiking or shopping at the grocery store or volunteering at the food bank ( gives us a sense of purpose that watching TV doesn't) or since ice out. Paddling. Every day.


Some retail and inside dining has been shut down since March but a lot has not like WalMart and the grocery stores and the garden centers. But in a normal year I go to WM once so that is not a big change not to go.


I told my kids never to put me in a nursing home. If that time comes I will do assisted suicide. It is legal here.
 
justpaddlin
05/22/2020 11:27AM
 
Bad new seems to be all the news stories about unprecedented demand on campgrounds and parks. Good news seems to be growing consensus that outdoors is the safest place to be and that summer is likely to bring a lull in the virus.
 
MidwestFirecraft
05/27/2020 09:31AM
 
Was in from the 18th to the 24th. Only saw 2 canoes in 7 days, and did not see the first canoe till the 5th day, and the 2nd canoe a couple hours before leaving the BWCA. It was like we had the place to ourselves!
 
Frenchy19
05/23/2020 11:05AM
 
I think, opinion only, that the BW will be more busy than usual this year. I really have limited my trips there over the past 6 or 7 years due to the crowds. As a teacher, about the only time I can get out is from Mid June to Mid August, and I do enjoy the stress of not finding camp sites during the peak times in the BW.


I have a June 16 permit for East Bearskin like I did last year, and while the Caribou area is always a popular destination for a variety of reasons, I am wondering about increased crowds this year.


I get that only so many permit are available, but I have believed for years that there are too many available in the BW. Wish they ran the permits like Quetico; a lot fewer and a daily per person fee. This would cut down on the crowds. Then again, it is easy for me to wish this; I am not a business owner who relies on BW traffic for my survival, so what the heck do I know?
 
Mad_Angler
05/28/2020 07:48AM
 
I was in Seagull and Alpine May 21-26. It seemed extremely crowded. I have never seen so many people. But by Monday, it seemed deserted again.


When we came out on Tuesday, the parking lot at Seagull Outfitters was empty. I know it normally slows after Memorial Day but I think it was a lot more empty than usual.


My guess is that there was an initial rush because Minnesota just opened, the fishing opening was delayed, and it was Memorial Day. I suspect that it will be much slower for a while...

 
yogi59weedr
05/28/2020 08:59AM
 
Yesterday, Wednesday, I put in at moose lake and fished below prairie. I seen 1 two boat picking up a small group at Ensign portage.i only seen 1 boat fishing on the 3 lake chain. I did see about a dozen boats heading back in. When I left only one camp site was being utilized on the 3 lake chain..
And they had a campfire....
 
deerfoot
05/22/2020 02:35PM
 
missmolly: "I assume the Quetico and Wabakimi folks will be headed into the BWWCA. Maybe even Crown Landers like me."


This will be me unless Ontario and Manitoba open up.
 
mutz
05/19/2020 05:18PM
 
Banksiana: "mutz: "People are tired of being told to stay home, as things open up I think people are going to go. I have talked to several people who say Georgia opened up three weeks ago and the numbers haven’t skyrocketed so staying home makes no difference. Practicing common sense policies will make a difference."



Georgia has misrepresented the data to make things look better than they are (check articles in LA Times and Atlanta Journal Constitution). They claim "mistakes and software flaws" but the flaws and mistakes have all managed to be in the direction of an undercount. I would suggest not using the data from Georgia to base a decision."




It will depend on who you read or listen to on results, according to CNN,a study by Johns Hopkins university Shows the numbers have been going down and Georgia did not have any spike when they opened up. People and businesses have just used common sense in how they have moved forward.
 
MikeinMpls
05/27/2020 12:44PM
 
We put in at Kawishiwi Lake May 18, and came out the 24th. Four vehicles in lot when we left, over 40 upon our return (parked in the lot, the road, the ditch, off road, clearings).


The Kawishiwi Lake EP is usually busy, and we knew that. We base camped on Lake Polly. We had some solitude and quiet on the 18th, then the flood of trippers came in. From then on, Lake Polly was a campground...just overrun by trippers both on the lake and pushing north (as Lake Polly campsites were all full.) There was seldom a time when one did not hear voices for more than a few minutes.


I wish people treated the BWCA like a library (or what libraries used to be like, whispering.) That just doesn't happen anymore. But I completely admit that we traveled to a popular lake, during a popular time, through a popular entry point. A little more work would have equaled more quiet for us.


As we traveled out from Polly to Kawishiwi, every campsite was taken, even the ones in the burn.


Mike
 
dex8425
05/28/2020 09:53AM
 
We went in May 23 and came out May 25. Never seen the Kek west trailhead so crowded. Actually, we drove around on Friday and did dayhikes and every single EP parking lot was full. Parking lots were emptier on Memorial day.


We didn't see many people actually hiking on the trail, but the first two campsites we wanted on night one were taken and same with the second night. We had to go down the Becoosin lake loop to get a site. Never had to do that before.
 
nooneuno
05/19/2020 06:47PM
 
justpaddlin: " Georgia



Germany



South Korea



Minnesota


As testing increases the amount of people testing positive increases, all your graphs prove nothing.



I hope the links work. I'd encourage people to just look at the graphical summaries and interpret the facts for themselves. "

 
LindenTree
05/22/2020 06:23PM
 
I'm dispersed camping by Isabella, never saw do many people dispersed camping. Probably due to campgrounds being closed.
 
scramble4a5
05/19/2020 07:09PM
 
Wallidave: "Here in Illinois they opened a lot of recreational areas but still have some closed. One of the places that is opened is a favorite lake of mine with quality fish in it. In the past it was normal to see it busy on the weekends but during the week it saw little pressure. They opened it unexpectant on May 1st and within a few days it turned into a zoo 7 days a week. A few other nearby popular lakes are still closed and now all the area rivers are blowout with floods. With so many people out of work even the weekdays are like weekends on this lake. To avoid frustration with all the craziness I've heard going on at the lake I've avoided it."


Your right down the road from me so you must be talking about Heideke Lake.
 
scramble4a5
05/19/2020 07:07PM
 
Well with the limited number of permits it can only get so crowded. It will be what it will be.
 
andym
05/18/2020 11:20PM
 
Really good question. There are a ton of factors. Will people out of work be able to afford a trip? Or is it so low cost that they will go (assuming they own all the gear)? How many people in the medical field have had their vacations postponed or canceled? Will people who can afford and can take a vacation drive north instead of flying somewhere else or just stay home?


I think most of the extra hiking and biking we are seeing is close to home because people are stir crazy and gyms are closed. How that translates into trips slightly further afield as restrictions are lifted is a really good question.


And I think that a lot of people are holding off on plans until they see how the restrictions are lifted.
 
TomT
05/25/2020 07:46AM
 
Frenchy19: "...... but I have believed for years that there are too many available in the BW. Wish they ran the permits like Quetico; a lot fewer and a daily per person fee. This would cut down on the crowds. Then again, it is easy for me to wish this; I am not a business owner who relies on BW traffic for my survival, so what the heck do I know?"


IMO they do need to cut down available permits per day. Also use your idea of a daily fee like Quetico. I just resrved a Sept. permit for the BW and the total cost for an 11 night trip is $38. That's pretty crazy if you ask me. IMO the campsites are going to take a helluva beating this year and competition for them around the entries will be fierce. I'm sure we will hear stories later in the summer.

My plan is to go as long as I can on day one and 2 and hopefully get to experience some peace and quiet. I gave up the BW after 2012 in favor of Quetico because of the crowding so I've come to terms that it will not be the same experience this year. I just hope people have respect for how easily sound travels on the lakes. Leave the boom boxes home please. :)