Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

Hiking through Superior National Forest with a Canoe over my head.
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Summer Solstice sunset on Bonnie Lake
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Late Afternoon on Bonnie Lake
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Last Light on Knife Lake
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Pre Dawn on Vera Lake
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Vera Lake to Ensign Lake portage
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Long Knife Portage to Knife Lake with a thunderstorm chasing me
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A view form the Ensign Lake to Boot Lake Portage
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lost in the weeds looking for a portage
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Snowbank Lake with sunset behind Burnt Island.
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Snowbank Lake at dusk - The end of my trip

I've always wanted to go canoing in the Boundary Waters. Guess I should put it on my list.

It has a sublime beauty that far exceeds my photography skills.

Nothing can capture the sensation of effortlessly floating across the mirror smooth surface of a crystal clear lake in a fine mist surrounded by lush evergreen islands; Passing within arms reach of beaver, loons and baby ducks; or The intoxicating floral sent of the forrest.

Bring lots of deet if you go.

I especially like the first shot, I've seen that view many times.
Was last there about 20 years ago.
I wonder how the permitting procedure has changed since 9/11.
Is a passport now required?

On edit: Did you have a GPS, or just a compass?

Permits on the US side are very cheap and easy. There are a limited number of permits available each day for each start location. You should request the permit ahead of time. The cost is $12 regardless of the duration or distance of your trip.

Permits in Quetico Provincial Park on the Canadian side are more expensive. You have to pay a fee for every day that you are in the park. The Quetico side does not have any dedicated forest service camp sites or anything like that. Any decent outfitter can make the arrangements for you.

Some of the pictures that I posted here were from portages on the Canadian side. There is a treaty that permits the use of portages on either side of the boarder. I am all business when I have to use a Canadian portage. Some of the lakes along the border route are split between the US and Canada. I made every effort to stay on the US side. Once I missed a portage and a strong tail wind pushed me into into Canadian waters before I realized my mistake.

When you are on Canadian soil you must follow their laws. If you carry a pistol you might end up in prison. Even bear spray might be a problem. The high pepper content in US bear spray is illegal in Canada.

I did not do any fishing in any areas that might be gray. You can purchase a fishing license for Canada but they do not permit barbed hooks or lead in the park.

It is a lot easier to just do the US side or do the Canadian side. Just make a standard border crossing and put in again on the other side if you want to do both.

Canada will issue a remote border crossing permit. The paper work takes more than a month to process and they run back ground checks. You still have to check in with one of their designated remote entry stations. The US will issue a similar permit.

There is a slightly different process if you want to hire a float plane to drop you and your canoe in the Canadian back country.

You should not really need a passport if you intend to stay in the US. There are a lot of routs that don't go near the boarder. I chose to carry a passport.

I will not discuss anything that I have seen regarding surveillance or enforcement.

I never carried a gun or pepper spray. The "Bear Bell" seemed to suffice.

Properly hang your all of your food, trash and aromatics way away from camp at night. I use the expensive scent proof bags for my trash. I also cary a bear vault. The only stuff in my tent is bedding, some clothing and electronics.

If you see a black bear run it off if it is not already leaving. I have spent a ton of time in black bear country and never had any problems. If I am it grizzly bear country I will carry the spray.

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I once bear sprayed my self. I was loading my pack in the back of a shuttle service van. Somehow the safety wedge came out and it went off when I set my pack down. It definitely gets your attention. I could not breath, my eyes were burning and I ran away in a hurry. My skin was burning for several days.

In the middle of a lake every direction looks the same. There are no signs anywhere in the BWCAW. Some portages can be very difficult to see even if you are very close. Remote back country sites and portages can be overgrown. Frequent fog and rain coming off of Lake Superior can make identifying islands and other lake features impossible.

I carried 2 high end Garmin hand held GPS units with 24K topographic maps. I also had a set of high quality plastic navigation maps of the area and a good compass.

There were many times when it was not possible to do any navigation in the canoe. In high winds and or high waves both hands were needed on the paddle at all times.

I manually entered waypoints for potential camp sites and portages at night using the plastic navigation maps. I set waypoint to waypoint routs in the GPS unit. I only had to glance at the GPS to confirm that I was on course and make any necessary corrections. This type of waypoint to waypoint navigation could very easily be done with a compass. If the canoe had a mounted compass I would have used it a lot.

There are routes in the BWCAW that require little navigation skill. A good outfitter can help find a route appropriate to anyone's skill level.

When I went I didn't have the luxury of GPS it was compass & TOPOs only. Fortunately I'm fairly proficient with them. Backpacking & orienteering forces you to learn quickly. You don't have to tell me about high wind & waves. I had one trip last three days longer than it should have because of storms. I think I made a trip that was very similar to yours, I recognize many of those lake names.

Both of my trips were delayed by wind. Lake Superior low pressure systems are the price we pay for ultra lush forests. Just relax, stay put, do a little fishing, and move when the weather improves. Last year a Forest Service patrol advised me to stay put for the next 2 days. I was able to move a little anyway but you have to stay well within your comfort zone.

The northern part of Snowbank Lake has miles of open water in each direction. When I entered the lake this year the waves were higher than my canoe and the frequency was shorter than the length of the canoe. I was able to tack back and forth across the waves at an angle and stay dry. I hugged the coast until I reached the protected southern half of the lake. I felt in control but I would not have done it in high wind and I would not recommend it to most people. The best answer to that is to try again in the morning or choose a different route.

The pictures give a sense of how isolated and serene things can seem....

are some areas in the BWCAW that really are isolated, pristine and beautiful.

Now i have been on a canoe trip without lifting a paddle. :silly:

I'd like to have been there. It has been too hot here to even thing about photography.

The cool but not cold water felt great.

Lifting a paddle is the easy part. The canoe and the gear are a little more challenging. I hope that you find something that inspires you to shoot.

No doubt it was difficult to put your camera down as evidenced by the portage shot with the canoe on your head. :rofl:

Did a similar excursion #### years ago!

'Supplier' forgot 2 sleeping bags+, so husb. + son trekked back! And brother suffered from heat/sun! QUITE an adventure!

Remember sound of 'loons' at night! Dog (terrier) did enjoy the trip, of course!

wildlife made an impression on me.

It is very unfortunate that your outfitter messed up your trip. I do a lot of backpacking and the only gear I needed from my outfitter was a canoe and paddles. My outfitter actually made me calm down and go through a general gear list that he had before leaving. I know enough to take it seriously. Not having the right gear can be dangerous or at least ruin your trip. I hope that you were able to relax and enjoy part of the trip.

It widens my horizon, it soothes my soul, and it makes me want to keep expanding.
The photos are making me so happy.
The top 6-7 are setting me up, and the rest are dessert.
Thank you!!!

My brother has talked many times of Kayaking there (met his wife there) but I have never been. What a wonderful place.

Those are incredible. They truly capture the quiet and the solitude.

Add this place to my ever growing list of places I need to see in person.

They're all fabulous, but Last Light on Knife Lake is absolutely breath-taking. :wow: Beautiful framing.