since then. While guiding BWCA canoe trips for Camp Northland from 1969 through 1977, I saw the need for a published trail guide. None existed at that time. My trail notes at Camp Northland became the foundation for this book.
The BWCAW, with over 200,000 visitors each year, is the most heavily used wilderness in the nation. With over a million pristine acres of lakes, rivers, and forests within its borders, however, the Boundary Waters should be large enough to accommodate its visitors. In 1976, less than one-third of the available quotas were actually used. Unfortunately, however, over two-thirds of the visitors to the Wilderness used less than 14 percent of the designated entry points. The result was (and still is) congestion at some of the most popular entry points. My book was written to help you discover the entry points and routes that may suit your desires and will result in the highest quality wilderness experience possible.
Since publication of my first book in 1978, over 100,000 copies of both volumes have been sold to inquisitive paddlers. Over the years, I received feedback from friends and strangers alike. At my work with camping stores in the Twin Cities and in Ely, as well as at speaking engagements throughout the upper Midwest, I had opportunities to personally meet many of my readers—a valuable experience that presents itself to few writers. Because of the feedback received, and because of continuing research conducted from my current home near the Wilderness, there have been many changes made to these guidebooks in successive editions and printings.
It may seem odd to the casual wilderness observer that frequent changes are necessary to update a guidebook like this one. “How can a wilderness change?” you might ask. Natural changes do occur, however, and readers need to know about them. Forest fires and windstorms occasionally alter the landscape. Beaver dams deteriorate and small lakes upstream literally dry up. Or new beaver dams are constructed, flooding portage trails.
More often, the changes that may significantly affect your visit are caused by decisions of Forest Service officials. I have witnessed many changes in the administration of the Boundary Waters. The ban against non-reusable food and beverage containers (cans and bottles) took effect in 1971. The visitor distribution (quota) system was started in 1976. Implementation of the BWCA Wilderness Act of 1978, which eliminated motorboats from most of the interior lakes, took effect on January 1, 1979. Since then, entry points have been eliminated, renamed, grouped together, or separated for the purposes of quota restrictions. In 1995, a decision was made to restrict the number of people in a group to nine and the number of watercraft to four. Canoe rests on portage trails were also eliminated that year. These and many other changes did occur in the BWCAW.
Both my publisher and I want this guidebook to serve you, the paddler. We will continue to make changes in the future, reflecting new regulations, alterations to existing routes, and the wishes of our readers. I’ve tried to make this book interesting and useful. Above all, my goal has always been to impart accurate information. I believe that this attention to accuracy and to the concerns of our readers is why this book continues to be as popular today as it was when first published.
This book was written for the canoe camper who is capable of taking care of himself or herself in a wilderness environment. It does not take you by the hand and lead you through the often-complicated mazes of lakes, streams, and portages that characterize the BWCAW. It does not tell you when to turn right, when to veer left, or when and where to stop for lunch. You should already possess the understanding and the basic skills that are essential for a canoe trip into a wilderness, particularly the ability to guide yourself along the suggested routes without detailed directions. This book also does not include such topics as how to paddle a canoe, how to carry your gear across portages, how to shoot rapids, or how to pack your gear. Many good “how to” books have been written about canoeing and camping in the Boundary Waters. This guide is a “where to” book.
—Robert Beymer
June 2000
Preface to the 7th Edition
Although the numbers of people visiting the BWCA has increased, the demographics of those visiting (like the demographics of American society) are undergoing a watershed change. Outdoor industry trade associations and manufacturers of outdoor equipment have been noting that in the past two decades, the numbers of people participating in paddling, camping, hiking, and other wilderness-oriented activities are in serious decline. Longer work weeks, frantic family schedules, and children’s interest in organized sports, computers, and video games have pushed paddling or camping far down the list of leisure time activities.
There are two ways to react to those findings. Some, who prefer the solitude of their favorite BWCA route, may say it’s a good thing, but others fear this may lead toward waning support for protection of the wilderness. Today, if a logging or mining industry executive presented a proposal to open even the smallest portion of the BWCA to commercial development, millions of people would stand up in opposition. But will that same ethos to protect the wilderness continue?
As the Baby Boomer generation ages and participation rates of younger Americans continue a downward trend, will that same passion hold? Will a young man who grew up as an Xbox master fight for the forest?
Will a young woman who spent her outdoor time playing soccer understand the threat? Will they recall waiting for an early morning mist to burn off before starting out on the day’s journey? Will they remember the scent of the trees and earth the wind presents to them? What about the eagle circling high over a lake or a loon’s cry that cracks the stillness?
There’s no question America’s wilderness areas are under constant threat and need daily diligence to protect them. But wouldn’t it be sad if a new generation of children could not understand the value of these areas?
The interest is there. Kids of all ethnicities and cultures are waiting for the invitation. It’s time to extend a hand and take a kid into the wilderness for the first time. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is the perfect place to inspire a life-long love of the natural world. We need to create the next generation of stewards who will stand tall to protect this wilderness for people who follow a century from now.
—Lou Dzierzak
May 2009
The singing wilderness has to do with the calling of the loons, northern lights, and the great silences of a land lying northwest of Lake Superior. It is concerned with the simple joys, the timelessness and perspective found in a way of life that is close to the past. I have heard the singing in many places, but I seem to hear it best in the wilderness lake country of the Quetico-Superior, where travel is still by pack and canoe over the ancient trails of the Indians and Voyageurs.
—Sigurd F. Olson
1
Introduction to the BWCA Wilderness
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is paradise for the wilderness paddler. Stretching for nearly 200 miles along the Canadian border of northeastern Minnesota, this magnificent region offers more than 1,000 portage linked lakes, over 2,000 campsites, 154 miles of portage trails, and 1,200 miles of canoe routes through some of the most beautiful country in the world. That’s why over 250,000 people visit it each year and make it the most popular wilderness area in America. At over a million acres, the BWCA is one of the largest assets of our National Wilderness Preservation system, containing the largest remaining old-growth forests east of the Rocky Mountains.
HISTORY
The canoe
