Sign up for our newsletter to receive updates about new articles, great deals, and information about the activities you love and the gear that makes them possible:
Have You Read Our Other Content?
How to Chase the Northern Lights – A Short Story
Article writing can be a process for me. I usually have five or six partial articles in the queue and sometimes take long breaks from one before coming back to it again. Sometimes there are complicated graphics or illustrations to put together or lots of research to be done. Very rarely is an article reactionary…
Five Ways to Make the Most of BWCA Permit Day
With BWCA permit day just around the corner, plenty of people are waiting in eager anticipation of how opening day will set the trajectory of their summer trips. Some people will log on the moment that permits open to try to reserve a premium entry point on the dates that they are available to go.…
The Lost BWCA Entry Points
The Boundary Waters have always been steeped in discussions of how to manage the number of people who visit it. Unlike western wildernesses, there is no natural filter which prevents large numbers of visitors from enjoying it. Many wilderness areas are remote, buffered by dozens of miles of existing land that one must travel through…
Three Generations of BWCAW Rules Videos – Side by Side
It’s as ubiquitous of an experience as one can find tied to a canoe trip into the Boundary Waters, and the memories of it are deeply rooted in my childhood as they are for many who make the annual pilgrimage north to paddle the border waters of canoe country. Even now, I can close my…
Wildlife in Wildlands – A History of BWCA Wildlife
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Superior National Forest, and Voyageurs National Park make up the largest wild landscape in Minnesota as well as being one of the largest wild spaces east of the Mississippi in the US. Combine that with wildlands directly across the border in Quetico Provincial Park and the surrounding crownlands, and…
The Route Planning Game
“Probably the best remedy for the canoe freak is map watching. Pouring over maps can often get you through the canoeless season when nothing else can. I recommend it highly. If you coat the maps with plastic, you can even use them as tablecloths, curtains, and all sorts of things. However, no matter what you…
It Started in the Quetico: How One Trip Changed Me
A few weeks back, I reflected on why I enjoy introducing new people to the BWCA and the outdoors in general. My personal enjoyment for sharing those things is as much a reflection of the people that took the time to share them with me. This place would not be as special as it is…
Map Mondays – Week 1 – Hog Creek to Skipper/Portage
As part of our continuing series on the “route planning game,” we are creating routes using randomly selected entry points, exit points, and number of days to create unique and fun BWCA routes. This week is a big trip of nine nights from Hog Creek to Skipper/Portage. It’s certainly a big and challenging route, but…
Upward, upward: Which portage is the tip top?
What is the most difficult portage in the BWCA? This is an impossible question to answer. Is it the steepest? How about the longest? How about the one that has the most mud, the most bugs, the slipperiest rocks, or the worst landing? In truth, the most difficult portage is an entirely subjective question bent…
The BWCAW Permit and Visitor Use Report
At the end of July, last year’s visitor use report was published by the USFS. It notes current statistics and trends in visitor numbers and activities. It also provides a unique benchmark which, along with past visitor surveys (and more major studies from 2007, 1992, and 1969) gives a glimpse into the people utilizing the…
Author Bio:
Thank you for the summary of the report – interesting! You noted “Overnight hikers, for instance, make up about 1% of permits in a given year.” I’ve wondered if there would be value in more promotion of the BWCAW trails and even adding a few long trails (which would require allocating more money). It seems to me hiking allows more people (I’m thinking dozens not thousands) to enjoy the wilderness without interfering with canoeists. Hikers tend to be minimalists so really all they need is a trail that occasionally goes past a water source and some sort of camping space even far away from a lake. The existing BRT and KEK are good examples. There are plenty of permits available but the trails are under utilized. Maybe it’s just too hot during the summer for long hikes.
I considered hiking the Kekekabic Trail, but the part I was on was overgrown. The trail is maintained and marked. But the lack of hiking traffic allows the underbrush to grown knee high. It makes it difficult to see where your next step will land. And I don’t think it’s reasonable to expect the Forrest Service to trim the trail. I don’t know if the abundance of undergrowth is why people do not hike it. I did not camp on the trail. I was on an overhight paddle on Dissapointment Lake.
Hello Tom. Thank you for your insightful feedback. Hiking in the BWCA has always been a bit of a niche, and I have never really understood why. There are some really amazing trails like the BRT and the Kek (which you mentioned.) Others like the Sioux Hustler, Pow Wow, Herriman, and Angleworm are amazing also. There are also a bunch of small trails which see less support and are very underutilized. Part of the problem is, as you also inferred, summers are tough for hiking. The forests of the BWCA are dense and the bugs can be on another level. Part of it I think is the draw of the area. It is known for its canoeing; that’s what it is managed for and that’s what draws people. In the past, the USFS has been hesitant to allow new trails to open and has, at times, been hesitant to allow for existing trails to continue to be maintained (see the 1993 report article for an example.) In 1993, there was serious consideration in closing the Sioux Hustler. The Kekekabic was at one time abandoned before volunteers made it what it is today. The Pow Wow lost its eastern half and nearly lost its western half after Pagami Creek until volunteers did the nearly-unimaginable and cut thousands upon thousands of trees off of it. In other instances, the forest service has not allowed volunteer crews to reopen trails such as the old Stuart River trail which ran to Lac La Croix. So, with that, the volunteer organizations which cooperate with the forest service are world class. They make the hiking trails possible; these trails wouldn’t exist without them. That said, though hiking numbers have grown some over the years, it’s still small and likely will continue to be so. It’s just not what the BWCA is known for and nearby trails like the SHT and the state parks take higher traffic. In any case, for those in the know, the hiking trails in the BWCA are special and do provide a unique perspective on a place most people encounter from inside a canoe. For what it’s worth, I feel the BRT is the best hiking trail in the state, but it’s also wild, rugged, and challenging. With limited signage and limited trail marking, wilderness trails are not for everyone, but it’s also what makes them truly special!
[…] Explore The BWCAW Permit and Visitor Use Report […]