Thinking of planning a trip to the Boundary Waters this summer? Here's what you need to know permit-wise.
Let's break this down. If you want to visit during the day, any day, you can enter on a self-issued free permit. Same thing goes for overnight stays during the off-season.
However, during quota season, which runs May 1 to September 30, a permit is required. The off-season runs October 1 through April 30.
"For an adult, it's $16 per person for overnight trips during the quota season," says Superior National Forest's Kathy Quinn. "Two, there's also a $6 reservation fee that is associated with each permit, just for the whole permit. It's not per person."
And if you do go, you can stay as long as you'd like. Quinn says visiting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area has been made easy.
"As long as you don't stay in any one particular campsite for more than two weeks at a time, you're ok to stick around for a long time," Quinn explains.
She adds that there are plenty of resources for getting ready for a trip into the BWCA.
"There is a wealth of information about planning for a trip, all about our permitting process and the fees associated and why we charge fees as well," Quinn explains. "And there's even a downloadable PDF. Our Boundary Waters trip planning guide is really, really handy."
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness contains more than 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails and more than 2,000 designated campsites. The Wilderness offers an experience of solitude, challenge and integration with nature.
Because this area was set aside in 1926 to preserve its primitive character and made a part of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1964, it allows visitors to canoe, portage and camp in the spirit of the French Voyageurs of 200 years ago.
The BWCA also shares a border with Ontario, Canada's Quetico Provincial Park, which contains thousands more acres of water and routes to explore if you want to turn your trip from "epic" to "ultra-epic". You just need to get another permit for that side of the border as well.
Visit Reservation.gov to start planning your trip.