Welcome to my blog! This year, my primary focus revolves around the planning of our Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) trip, which has now become our annual summer trip. A lot of people ask how I am able to plan these kinds of trips, so I want to share how we do it, and what we do so you too can get out on your own BWCA trip.Â
You will find informational posts scattered throughout the blog about the BWCA to just give you a bit more knowledge about the area, and posts down to the nitty gritty details of gear, food, and preparation over the next few months .Â
Usually it is just the two of us, but this year we will be bringing 3 other people with us, bringing our group total to 5! Which will be quite a beast in planning, dehydrating food, making sure we have enough water, and supplies for everyone (we will be packing extra toilet paper for sure!)
When we first start planning a trip we start with the basics. What do we want to see, do, and experience. This year, as we have a bunch of first timers, we are going to take it easy and plan for two paddle days and basecamps to relax and enjoy the scenery. We as a general rule like to plan our trips around the new moon, so we have the best view of the stars we can get, and this year, we are planning to see the Northern Lights again! Beyond celestial events you can plan trips around foraging, fishing, swimming, waterfalls, pictographs....needless to say there is something for everyone in the BWCA
As our main focus will be seeing the northern lights, we will be going to the Gran Marais side of BWCA, as it has the most northern point, and that is where we have seen them before. As we don't want to repeat routes, we are planning to enter at entry point 55 (again) and take a tow to Northern Lights Rapids, or portage. Two years ago we got a tow to American Point and it saved us TONS of paddle time across open waters, and allowed us to get deeper into the BWCA without tiring ourselves out, so we will be using Seagull outfitters to do this again.
This is just a rough plan as the permits don't come out till January 31st and it will be a mad dash to reserve ours for the dates and entry point we want. So always have a back up plan, with different entry points or dates to make permit day successful for you!
Some other things to think about at this stage of the trip planning is where you will be staying before and/or after your trip. We usually plan to get there the night before to pick up permits, and spend the night nearby camping, so we can get in early! There are hotels, and bunkhouse options which we may be exploring this year. If you are looking for resources on entry points and trip plans check out. Friends of BWCAÂ their resources have really helped us pick our trips and entry points with a very easy to use trip planner. It will give you the basic idea of what the routes look like, and skill level you need for those routes.Â
Reaching out to the professionals is always a great idea, get in contact with an outfitter as you plan your BWCA trip. They have been there for years, and know all the ins and outs of the boundary waters, and can give you trip suggestions based on your group experience level. We have worked with Ely Outfitting Company, Piragis, and Seagull outfitters
They have all been great to work with and have proven to be a wealth of knowledge every time. We like to get there a day early and go over our trip with the outfitters, as they always know whats going on in the wilderness at that time, where animals are, and what is going on in the area you're lookin to be in (flooding, dry rivers, if that path you want to take is over grown) So absolutely hit them up before your trip, and even throughout the planning process! One thing about the BWCA is the people who love it, love to share it with others. Just be respectful and leave no trace so others can continue to enjoy it for years to come!