A trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota is like no other. Motorized watercraft are prohibited in most of the area, so access is by canoe – you paddle through chains of lakes and rivers to explore and reach designated campsites. But a trip here is a lot of work. From permits to packing, there’s a lot you need to know about the BWCA! Here’s all the important information on planning your trip and packing tips for a trip to the Boundary Waters.
Planning Your Boundary Waters Trip
First things first, you’ll want to plan how long you intend to travel – how many days you want to go. Do you want a short three-day trip? A weeklong adventure? Even longer than that? Once you know your trip duration, you’ll be ready for the next step: plan what area/section of the Boundary Waters you want to travel through. Where will you put in and where will you go? What places do you want to see on your trip? These are the most important factors in planning your Boundary Waters trip.
Consider how far you want to paddle each day, and how confident you are managing portages. Be realistic, especially if you’re traveling in a group with mixed experience levels. Remember that it’ll be harder to paddle on windy days or bad weather days. Portages, particularly multiple portages throughout a single day, can be very tiring – even if the portages themselves are relatively short. Try to pick a route or break up your days to avoid having lots of hard portages in a single day.
Plan out campsite options for your preferred overnight areas. All campsites in the Boundary Waters are available on a first come, first served basis. There are no campsite reservations, so you’ll need to be strategic about where you intend to camp. Always check the maps for back-up options, in case your first campsite choices are taken. There’s no way of knowing if a site is taken until you physically see it – so be prepared to check out other campsites!
Secure permits as far in advance as possible. All visitors to the Boundary Waters from the months of May-September need to obtain a permit through the US Forest Service in advance. (You’ll also need to pick up your physical permit at one of the stations once you’re up north.) Self-issued permits are required from October-April. Permits, particularly for the popular summer period, can sell out months in advance. Permit bookings open on the last Wednesday of January each year at 9am – it’s never too early to plan your trip! You’ll pay the $6 permit reservation and the camping fee ($16 per person in your group) when you book your Boundary Waters permit. The US Forest Service is hinting that fees may rise next year.
An outfitter will do a lot of the logistical hard work for you. If you don’t have all the gear required for a Boundary Waters trip (and yes, there’s a lot of gear required!), consider going through an outfitter. There are a number of BWCA outfitters that can provide canoes, packs, all equipment, food, permits, itineraries, and more. If the planning admin is overwhelming, let someone else do the work for you!
Packing for Your Boundary Waters Trip
Packing for a trip to the Boundary Waters can be tough, especially as you’ll be transporting all your gear and equipment yourself in your canoe. I’m lucky to have parents who have been doing this for 50 years, and are true experts at packing for canoe trips! On my recent trip, they did the bulk of all our packing, and helped suggest some items I personally needed to pack.
The most important thing to know for your Boundary Waters packing list is that bear vaults are a legal requirement. You must store all your food inside the bear vault – you risk a hefty fine if caught not using one appropriately. While there are good reasons for this (as bears can’t get the food from bear vaults, they’ll hopefully leave campers alone), it means a truly tricky situation for packing.
All your food needs to physically fit inside the bear vault. Not only will you need to plan out all your meals in advance, but the food itself will need to be of a small enough size to fit inside your bear vault. On our recent trip, a five-day trip with four adults, we had three bear vaults for our food. Shout out to my mom for doing all the meal planning for us, and making sure everything we ate for our trip could fit inside the bear vaults!
How you pack your gear itself will depend on what type of packs you’re bringing. My family has several waterproof Duluth packs, which we line with thick plastic lining for extra waterproofing. We also have plastic garbage bags for lining other packs and for waste. We also brought Ziploc bags – essential for keeping toilet paper dry! I used several of my dry bags for my personal items like electronics, books, toiletries, and clothes. Between the lined packs and drybags, everything I had stayed perfectly dry!
Here are some important must-haves to pack for a trip to the Boundary Waters:
- Bugspray
- Bug headnet (much better to have it and not need it, than need it and wish you had one!)
- Drybags, plastic bags, garbage bags, and a waterproof phone case
- Power bank (you’ll need one to charge a phone/any other devices in the wilderness)
- Waterproof layers
- Hat and buff
- Hand sanitizer and toilet paper
- Sturdy footwear that can get wet (portages can be rocky, muddy, and tough to navigate, so some ankle support is good)
- Normal camping gear (tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, stove, camp dishes, first-aid kit, etc.)
- Bear vaults
- Maps of the Boundary Waters and a waterproof map case
For clothing, I recommend quick-drying, wicking athletic gear – as well as clothes that can get dirty and wet. I had one pair of shorts for paddling (and one spare pair), one workout top and one tank top, one t-shirt, one half-zip, one fleece, one pair of leggings, and pajamas. Of course, I packed my swimsuit and changing robe for swimming in all those beautiful lakes! I had one sports bra, and enough clean underwear for each day. Be sure to bring an extra pair or two of socks. There is no better feeling than putting clean, dry socks on while on a canoe trip!
Remember you’ll be carrying everything you bring with you on portages, and paddling all your gear. Less is more – try to pack as light as possible. Bring only what you need. You might not look fashionable, but you’ll be grateful for it when hauling your gear on a tricky portage! If you’re going with an outfitter, they’ll likely provide a packing checklist.
A trip to the Boundary Waters isn’t easy – there’s a lot of planning and preparation that goes into this type of trip. But it’s so, SO worth it. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a special destination and offers a real chance to experience true, untrammeled wilderness. I grew up going on canoe trips every year as a kid, and it was such a unique experience to return as an adult with my family! From planning your itinerary, securing your permit, and packing for your trip, you’ll need to do a lot of work before your BWCA trip. I hope this post helps planning your trip to the Boundary Waters!
A special thanks to my Dad, Kevin Proescholdt, for his help with this post!
Have you been to the Boundary Waters before? What planning and packing tips would you give to a first-timer?
You might also like my posts:
Amazing Places to Visit Up North in Minnesota
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