Thousands of intrepid paddlers visit Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness each year. The BWCA, or Boundary Waters as it's commonly called among locals, stretches 150 miles along northeastern Minnesota's International Boundary with Ontario. It encompasses 1.3 million acres of dense boreal forest, marshes, bogs, and thousands of glittering lakes. Among these lakes are 1,200 miles of canoe routes, many dating back centuries to the region's earliest inhabitants.  Today, the portages remain, but their primary use is recreation as part of the BWCA and its neighboring Canadian component, Quetico Provincial Park.

 

Most who journey to the Boundary Waters plan a loop trip, or an out-and-back route. The average trip lasts between three days and a week and touches perhaps a dozen lakes, often in the more popular areas of the wilderness.

There have been longer canoe trips, for sure. But we love our corner of the world, and we think there's a special uniqueness to our challenging route, which cut across the heart of the wild Boundary Waters.