The boundary waters entry points map is a great tool to find the bwca entry point that is best for you. Bring at least two copies of each map for the route you will be covering, that way you will still be able to navigate in the event that you lose one set of maps. The 1964 wilderness act created the national wilderness preservation system that included the bwca. This map of the boundary waters bwcaw and quetico provincial park shows an overview of the region and its vast interconnected waterways. The most difficult, long portages are given a high difficulty rating number l10, while the easiest, shortest portages are given a.
Boundary waters canoe area bwca scroll down to learn more about this website latest updates to. Please note that the campsite number is painted on the latrine of most campsites. In order to assist trip planners, exploring the boundary waters by daniel pauly ranks most portages on a portage scale of 1 to 10. Get highly detailed inland lake and topographic maps for the boundary waters canoe area wilderness. On this map portages are also labeled with their length in feet not yards or rods, sorry along with access points and campsites. Portages are the part of the canoe trip that is on foot. With more than 200, 000 visitors annually, the boundary waters canoe area wilderness is among the most alluring wilderness areas in the country. Bwca, bwcaw, boundary waters canoe area entry point. The boundary waters canoe area wilderness often called the bwca or bwcaw or boundary waters is known as a canoeists paradise, although it offers opportunities for kayaking, hiking, cross country skiing and dog sledding as well. Boundary waters canoe area map bwca route planning map. They carried loads far heavier than our packs could ever be.
Jul 31, 2017 boundary waters canoe area maps worth having on hand before and during your wilderness excursion. The boundary waters canoe area wilderness bwcaw is part of the superior national forest and is administered by the u. Waterproof and topographic maps by fisher and mckenzie will guide your route. We are dedicated to bringing you maps that aid as a planning resource. Mar 26, 2019 the true north maps cover all the things youd expect from a boundary waters map.
Bwca entry point map provided for general information and location of entry points, not intended for navigational uses. Members can share this information with others or mark it for personal reference in the future. Maps depicting waterways, portage routes and campsites help visitors navigate the. Example screens of this map used in conjunction with the minnesota topo map. Boundary waters canoe area bwcaw bwca about the boundary. At malberg, head north across seven tiny lakes and eight portages to little saganaga, a quiet lake with a plethora of campsites. When youre ready to plan your trip route, start by completing our online trip routing form. Finding your way in the canoe country by ed stiles bwca. The minnesota dnr assists with fires and other acts of nature such as blowdowns, but daytoday management and trip reservations are managed by the forest service. Reservations are recommended and can only be made for a quota permit. Great easytodifficult boundary waters paddling trips. Overnight permits are issued on a quota system which regulates how many groups can begin a trip at each entry point, each day.
Create your adventure in the boundary waters explore minnesota. You can create your own adventure in the boundary waters. The boundary waters canoe area wilderness bwcaw or bwca, is a 1,090,000acre 4,400 km 2 wilderness area within the superior national forest in northeastern part of the us state of minnesota under the administration of the u. With over a million acres of beautiful forest jam packed with thousands of pristine lakes, rivers and streams, planning a trip to the boundary waters of minnesota requires maps. Portages in the bwca a boundary waters canoe area bwca.
With over a million acres of beautiful forest jam packed with thousands of pristine lakes, rivers and streams, planning a trip to the boundary waters of. Boundary waters canoe routes boundary waters canoe trip. Boundary waters enty points selection selection of a boundary waters entry point for your canoe trip into the boundary waters canoe area is important. Map of entry points, pmas and map overlays of the boundary waters canoe area wilderness bwcaw. Piragis northwoods company is located in northern mn on the edge of the boundary waters canoe area. In july of 2017, i drove up to ely, minnesota along with my father and sister to begin our first epic boundary waters adventure into the north woods. Bwca, boundary waters, canoe area, maps, quetico, campsites. Boundary waters entry points map boundary waters entry points.
Canoe trip photography canoe routes discussion forums site map quietjourneys portage database. One of the hardest things about planning your first boundary waters trip is deciding where to go within the vast preserves 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 11 hiking trails and. The most difficult, long portages are given a high difficulty rating number l10, while the easiest, shortest portages are given a low difficulty rating number l1. Part of the problem was trying to identify landmarks while sitting near water level. Only fisher maps are accurate enough to be used for finding portages, hiking trails and campsites. Navigation within the boundary waters should be done with quality maps such as true north, fisher, mckenzie, or voyaguer maps. Boundary waters and quetico park maps bwcaquetico map provided for general information and location of both areas, not intended for navigational uses. None fishing spot upload photo place of interest portage comment campsite comment general note marker coming soon tell me more. Maps, quetico, boundary waters maps, canoe trips, canoe.
Day use permits are selfissuing and may be picked up. This has all the portages and campsites as of 2009. Alphabetical list of portages in the bwca sorted by lake being portaged from scroll down the landing for the stuart river portage. The following are not just routes in the boundary waters but descriptions of different areas within the canoe country. Chances are, if you canoe, fish, camp, snowmobile or hike in the border country of minnesota and canada, youll use one of our fisher maps. Bring at least two copies of each map for the route you will be covering, that way you will still be able to. The two most popular boundary waters entries on map 3 south of the echo trail are in the west at trout lake ep1 and in the east at crab lake ep4. Many trip options from mudro with additional portages. Minnesotas boundary waters canoe area wilderness bwca and superior national forest are without a doubt the worlds premier canoeing areas. The bwcaw act of 1978 added more acreage and specific management direction with the purpose to protect, manage, enhance and restore the area. The boundary waters map shows the boundary waters bwcaw and its relationship to canadas quetico provincial park. Interactive map of the boundary waters bwca and quetico. Enjoy guided and unguided canoe adventures in thousands of northern lakes.
Campsites and portages 7 comments articles, gpx, routes by bryan hansel the boundary waters canoe area wilderness is a million acre wilderness area in northern minnesota established to protect pristine boreal forests and historic and recreational canoe routes. Portage ratings do not take the length of the portage into account, only the difficulty of the terrain. On my most recent boundary waters trip, we took two portages one short, one about a halfmile long. The boundary waters bwca map illustrates where river point outfitting co. Get some experience on these traditional boundary waters trips first. Logging road to old saw mill site and remains of a vintage automobile from horseshoevista portages. One of the hardest things about planning your first boundary waters trip is deciding where to go within the vast preserves 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 11 hiking trails and approximately 2,000. There are several great resources for data in the boundary waters canoe area wilderness and surrounding paddling areas. Only fisher maps are accurate enough to be used for finding portages, hiking trails and campsites in the superior national forest, bwca and quetico park. Ely outfitters is located in reference to the ely area entry points into the boundary waters canoe area of northern minnesota.
Maps of the superior national forest including the boundary waters canoe area in minnesota and quetico provincial park in canada. List of portages in the bwca a boundary waters canoe. In 2018, we observed the 40th anniversary of the boundary waters canoe area wilderness act pl 95495. Boundary waters east canoe area wilderness, superior national forest national geographic trails illustrated map 752. A portage is defined here as a connection between two lakes or other bodies of water. Oct 26, 2019 as time goes on, more and more lakes, rivers, creeks, entry points, portages, pictographs and campsites will be added to the website. Maps are an important part of your trip into and around the boundary waters and quetico. Want to test the waters before attempting a primitive management area. New boundary water maps from true north map company.
The grand portage lake superior to the pigeon river about 2,720 rods web page still under construction. We are dedicated to bringing you maps that aid as a planning. In conjunction with quetico provencial park in canada this beautiful area is home to over 2000 lakes connected by rivers and portages that are only accessible to paddlers. On my first trip to the boundary waters i was surprised at how difficult it was to find portages and routes among the maze of islands and bays. Access is a canoe landing and three portages to enter big moose lake. Selection of a boundary waters entry point for your canoe trip into the boundary waters canoe area is important. Owners, jane, steve, and james provide expert guidance on which. Boundary waters east canoe area wilderness, superior national forest national geographic trails illustrated map 752 national geographic maps trails illustrated on. Footware the debate on what kind of footware to have, while taking a canoe trip, has probably dragged on since raddison paddled these lakes in 1660. This map of the boundary waters bwcaw and quetico provincial park shows an overview of the region and its vast interconnected. If you choose one of these routes we will customize it to fit your parties needs for a memorable northwoods vacation. Boundary waters canoe area wilderness campsites, portage trails, trailheads, and entry points. Campsite locations are updated annually on many maps. The back of all voyageur maps contain a large, detailed finder map including a thorough index of boundary waters lakes.
Aug 11, 2016 on my most recent boundary waters trip, we took two portages one short, one about a halfmile long. Permits are required yearround for all visitors to the boundary waters canoe area wilderness. Also note the location of the lake, campsite, trail or portage on a map to help. Some visitors establish a base camp, and take day trips from there, limiting the amount of gear they carry over portages.
That ended up being a good distance for us, given the added factor of lessthanideal weather. Accessible primarily by canoe, the boundary waters in northern minnesota is one of americas most beautiful and remote adventures. We also carry maps by national geographic, voyageur and chrismar. Because the scale is smaller, it shows less detail than any of the other maps, and it is recommended to bring other maps to navigate. Boundary waters map showing the boundary waters canoe area bwca entry points near ely, minnesota. Plan your first trip using this fourday beginnerfriendly itinerary. Interactive map of the bwca and quetico with campsites, portages, and a route time and distance calculator. You could encounter closed campsites and portages, fires, and major. Canoe trip photography canoe routes discussion forums site map quietjourneys.
However, they are good for getting the big picture of a trip or as a backup map. Wisconsin inventors create boundary waters maps you can wear. A database of bwca portages described by fellow paddlers. Fisher company, mckenzie maps, and voyageur maps are three companies that produce boundary waters maps showing locations of campsites and portages, in addition to all navigable lakes and streams, plus surrounding topography. Were happy to help you narrow down your options and select a route that fits your interests and expectations. Wisconsin inventors create boundary waters maps you can. For more information, please call the lacroix ranger district in cook at 2186660020. This allows you to actually do a virtual trip through the boundary waters canoe area starting from an entry point or the lake or stream of your choosing. Boundary waters east canoe area wilderness, superior. Boundary waters entry points ely outfittersely outfitters.
Each route may have several different entry and exit point possibilities. Dec 27, 2011 free boundary waters canoe area gps data. Boundary waters canoe area maps planning a canoe route. The scale of the maps is generally too small to navigate with. Map 3 covers the boundary waters south of the echo trail, plus a small part of the area north of the echo trail. Considering that you need to carry your canoe and supplies over the portage, we sometimes get asked the question, is it possible to plan a trip without portaging. Finding your way in the canoe country by ed stiles.
The two maps cover the entire map region with clearly marked hiking trails, portages. Bwca, boundary waters, canoe area, maps, quetico, campsites login. Anyone whos explored the boundary waters canoe area wilderness knows the value of a good map. This information can be about campsites, portages, general points of interest, or fishing spots. The true north maps cover all the things youd expect from a boundary waters map.
Brule lake is one of the largest lakes in the boundary waters that does not allow any motorboats and its direct access makes it a great option for quick weekend trip, or for those looking to introduce kids or first timers to the wilderness experience. A trip planner and guide to the bwcaw daniel pauly on. Boundary waters canoe area wilderness map pack bundle. Bwca shirts west end outfitters east end outfitters make a location note. Fisher maps offers secure online shopping for boundary waters map orders and quetico park map orders. We took a look at the data that is available and compiled a single. Maps, quetico, boundary waters maps, canoe trips, canoe maps. Stop by the canoe country book store for a many selections of book titles about the bwca, quetico and canoe camping, including boundary waters and quetico guide books. Here in ely, minnesota, our backyard is the boundary waters canoe area wilderness bwcaw. Boundary waters map with entry points the boundary waters bwca map illustrates where river point outfitting co.
A mixture of forests, glacial lakes, and streams, the bwcaws preservation as a primitive wilderness began in the 1900s and. For this reason were in the process of producing a number of downloadable files that we believe boundary waters visitors will find very useful, ranging from tripplan templates, to pdf map updates, to high resolution photoquality map tiles. The maps are printed on both sides, thereby saving room for example, the entire boundary waters fits on two doublesided maps. These maps include freshwater lakes and rivers, highdefinition shorelines, underwater depth contours, terrain contours, elevations, summits, portages and camping areas. You need to download several maps to make this work. Create your adventure in the boundary waters explore. Boundary waters canoe area maps worth having on hand before and during your wilderness excursion.