Boundary Water Canoe Area and Wilderness is an enormous area full of wilderness that starts in the Northeastern part of Minnesota and spills over to the adjacent Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. This wilderness is popular for its vast number of lakes scattered across the landscape and the habitat this wilderness provides to its wildlife. Due to its untouched and natural persona, this area has become very popular camping and boating destination for nature lovers.
The History
The Boundary Water Canoe Area and Wilderness formed as a result of the glaciers melting right after the last glacial age. This melting permanently altered the landscape in this region and formed the thousands of lakes that are present there. These streams and Lakes were well utilized in the early days by the natives in the area who used the streams to transport goods and travel around. These tribes included the Hurons, the Sioux, The Chippewa, and Cree.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, traders specializing in fur and travelers used the waterways and streams to trade with natives around the area. President Theodore Roosevelt allotted land of estimated size 1 million acres as the “Superior National Forest”. Over the course of the next 5 decades, the wilderness was enlarged and very soon after the whole wilderness was put into protection by the National Wilderness Preservation System.
One of the most interesting facts is that there have been 2 women who have actually lived in the wilderness. Betty Ambrose and Dorothy Molter. They were given permission to stay in the area despite the protection act due to the support of the locals and the senator. Dorothy created and sold homemade root beer to the canoeists.
Topography
The area is made of more than one million acres of protected land that consists of boreal forests, rock cropping, cliffs, and vistas. The climate is quite harsh due to its northern location however the view is simply amazing. There are no vehicles allowed in the area and this area is one of the most lightly populated areas anywhere in the world.
Climate and Temperature
The Climate is unpredictable to say the least. The exceptionally long frigid winters are one constant. The continuous thickness of its lake ice during winters is an important reference to the protection of the survival of this ecosystem. From winter to winter, four to seven feet of lake ice is normal with the number of sub-zero days (that is, days within a 365-day year with temperature drops below 0 ° F/-18 ° C) averaging around 90 ° F (32 ° C). Snow may occur at any month of the year and is, in general, the strongest in March and April. At Tower, just south of the BWCAW, Minnesota’s state record low of -60 ° F(-51 ° C) was officially reported. Nevertheless, others fear that temperatures in some of the top ridges of the Laurentian Highlands that seem to bisect the BWCAW could be as many as 10 ° F cooler.
Things To Do
Ely is the BWCAW’s main western access point, while Grand Marais on Minnesota’s North Shore is the eastern entry point. All cities have multiple outfitters, often in advance, where you can book canoes/kayaks. Outfitters can help you plan your trip as well. Certain choices provide motorboat travel to the park from you and your gear (only some lakes require motors) to give you a jump-start to leave civilization. There is also the potential to drop off and pick up in different places to make a linear trip route rather than a circular one. Test to ensure that services are available prior to booking.
Camping permits and fees (both U.S. and Canadian trips): camping permits must be reserved for your party to control your entry date and location. The fee for each license issued by the Forest Service is $12. You will also have to pay $16 per person and $5 per youth per ride for a USFS user fee. Prepare for as long as possible in advance as the number of entries is reduced.