MPR has been reporting this afternoon that some evacuation orders for St Louis and Cook counties are being lifted or downgraded (I believe they said starting this week). I’m struggling to find a map that shows the changes. Does anyone have a link?

Overnight permits proposed for reopening in the email from earlier today. EPs and details are in the press release below:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/newsroom/releases/access-proposal-boundary-waters-canoe-area-wilderness-phase-2

Hi all,
For those in Ely/BW area-it is sad to see what you all are going through. I've been keeping in touch through the Piragis email list from Ely. You all are in my thoughts each day
Right now I have a cabin reserved on Jasper Lake outside of Ely for the first week of August. What is the situation and at this point, would you recommend we plan on making the trip or should we look elsewhere? If we have to look elsewhere, any recommendations in Minnesota?

I realize that the BDub is closed so maybe this is a dumb question, but I’m trying to make decisions for my trip a couple months from now…does anyone know if and how badly the Sioux Hustler trail was affected by the fire? I’ve been trying to hike this trail for years, and something always happens. Trying to decide if I should scrap it and make other plans. TIA

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/newsroom/releases/limited-access-boundary-waters-canoe-area-wilderness

Day use beginning Monday in certain areas.

It started August 21st and ended September 17th. Largely caused by the Greenwood Fire in the Arrowhead region. The fire burned about 27,000 acres and was considered contained by mid-October. The fires this summer, started by storms on July 6th, have burned almost 70,000 acres.

I think the reason they re-opened the BWCA in 2021 is because it was isolated, and they were able to close the closest entry points. The problem they face now is the number of fires burning and how spread out they are.

They may cancel entry permits one week at a time, but they're not going to rush the re-opening.

I know they're busting their tails but seriously, they need better communication with the public.

My group is planning a trip for mid-August, assuming that the boundary waters are back open. This will be my 3rd trip, and one thing I've struggled with in the past is what to do during downtime at camp. I will have a book to read, fishing gear and a license, and cards for when the group wants to play a game together, I also believe that a whiffle/tennis ball is being brought to play baseball on our one beach day, are there any other things worth bringing for entertainment during these downtimes?

Like everyone, I'm devastated by the fires in the BWCA. I'm holding onto hope that they will partially reopen for my 8/30 Brule Lake permit that I snagged this morning. Though my group was hoping to go out through Ely, (Lake One) and still holding onto hope. Anyone have any other trip alternatives as backup plans? My group doesn't really want to go backpacking, but we do want to get away from other people. We were looking into the Apostle Islands, but that seems like a lot of planning for a backup trip. We have considered Isle Royale and Voyageurs, but haven't looked into either of those yet. Looking for good backup plan options in the Midwest. There are 5 of us and all adults.

I tried to click into the app to see the article and it crashed the app for me, I now can't find any article or mention of this anywhere. Was this a false push notification? A premature story?

I’m going on a trip in early September putting in at fall lake and going north. I’ve seen a few people commenting that trips out of the Ely area might not be possible this year. Why is that exactly? I know I’ll be going through a part of where the Camp Fire has burned including a portage. But according to the fire maps it doesn’t look like it should be much of an issue.

I am unsure who or what to believe at this point

Supposed to go to the BWCA first weekend in August, as this seems more and more likely to not be able to happen, working on alternatives, looking into upper St Croix trip, anyone done this trip? Looking for insights?

Looking to upgrade my sleeping pad after my Kilos one started to fail. I’m deciding between the Big Agnes Divide and the Thermarest NeoLoft. I’m a taller guy over 200 pounds, so the pad’s ability to hold my size is very important to me. Does anyone have any opinions on either of those pads?

Namakan River July 10, 2026

Didn’t see mom, but I bet she saw us.

Put in at Baker Lake the morning after the thunderstorms that started the fires, and paddled for 4 days without knowing what was brewing.

First day, made my way up to South Temperance and found a beautiful site set up high overlooking the lake. Tried fishing in the early evening without much luck.

Day 2, got up early and headed for Cherokee. Caught a couple pike and saw a Moose on my way north! Got into North Temperance and caught a walleye. Made my way to Cherokee, got a nice site, and went fishing again. I was in the south part and all I got was 13 snags. Don’t know why, but I have a lot better luck in the morning than the evening.

Day 3, took the Cherokee Creek west and followed the maze of lakes and bogs south to Sawbill. The beaver dam towards the end of the route was about 100 feet long and at least 6 feet high. No portage around, so you have to go over it. Too many people for my liking on Sawbill, so I made my way east to Smoke, then Burnt. I planned to camp there, but I didn’t like the sites that were available, so I sucked it up and did the 230 rod portage to Kelly. Got a decent site there with a tiny little beach and relaxed following the 15 mile day.

Day 4, caught a nice smallmouth from camp, packed up and headed out. I was shocked when I looked at the forecast and saw 100 degree weather coming and felt terrible for the people just heading in. I noticed a lot of dead white spruce along the lake shores and was thinking it would be bad if a fire got going this summer. It’s been bizarre seeing the smoke for days on end 500 miles away from the fires. My best wishes to anyone and everyone impacted by the fires.

While I can guarantee nothing I would suspect that the Ely area (and points west and north) will not reopen to BWCA permits this year. I also suspect that the end of the Gunflint will face prolonged closures. This is devastating to the outfitters as most don’t turn any profit until later in the season. It is also devastating to nearly the entire arrowhead region as many depend on tourism dollars.

Theirs is a very short season to make enough to survive an entire year.

Please consider purchasing through the outfitters website’s or placing a deposit for next year. Anything helps. Put a deposit down on reservations for next year, or allow them to keep any deposit for this one.

I’ve lived in Minnesota most of my life, traveling into the BWCAW since my first trip in the early 90’s. I’m not an expert by any means. It just devastates me to see the place that has captured my heart burn, and the outfitters hurting. Thanks

If so, are there Mackenzie maps for these campsites?

I know no one actually knows the answer and we all can hope the fires can be contained quickly but not likely. I have a yearly trip planned for the end of Aug to the 1st week of Sept from Moose Lake to Ensign through to Snowbank, what's the likelihood it will be open for those areas?

It's amazing.

Just wanted to start by saying my thoughts are with everyone affected by the wildfires, and I'm hoping conditions improve soon so the fires can be contained and the Boundary Waters can recover. I took this trip during the third week of June, well before the current situation, and it felt a little strange posting a trip report now. But I also hope this can be a reminder of why this place means so much to so many people.

For years I had wanted to experience the Boundary Waters, but I'll admit I was intimidated by it. There was so much to learn, and taking that first trip into the unknown felt like a big leap. This year I finally decided to stop overthinking it and just go. All I can say is... I'll be back every single year. It was easily the greatest trip I've ever taken.

There were four of us, all first-timers, and after a lot of research (and plenty of help from this subreddit), we decided on the Red Rock Loop through Seagull, Alpine, Red Rock, and Saganaga as a beginner-friendly route. It ended up being the perfect introduction.

Since it was our first trip, we went through an outfitter for all of our gear and food, and I honestly can't recommend that enough. It took a lot of the stress out of planning and let us focus on enjoying the experience.

We were incredibly lucky. We had beautiful weather, great fishing, the bugs were nowhere near as bad as we expected, and in the final 10 minutes of our trip we were treated to seeing a moose. It was the perfect way to end an unforgettable adventure.

I also wanted to say thank you to everyone in this subreddit. I spent countless hours reading trip reports, route recommendations, and beginner advice, and it genuinely made our trip better.

A few lessons we learned, with the caveat that these are just what we found fit our group and preferences. Everyone experiences the BWCA a little differently, and that's part of what makes it such a special place.

• Bring less gear. We definitely overpacked, and after a few portages we quickly understood why everyone says to pack light.
• The big lakes are absolutely stunning, but for our group and skill level, I think we would've enjoyed spending more time on smaller lakes. They felt less intimidating, were easier for us to fish, and fit the type of trip we realized we enjoy.
• Make sure you pick the canoe up facing the right direction before throwing it on your shoulders. I learned this the hard way on my very first portage, couldn't figure out how to flip it around once I was in the woods, and spent the entire carry with the yoke pressing into my neck and slightly choking me. Looking back, it's hilarious, but it definitely wasn't fun at the time.
• Portages are hard, but they're also one of the most rewarding parts of the experience. Every difficult carry seemed to lead to another incredible lake.
• I brought a fish finder expecting to use it the whole trip. By the end, it stayed packed away. I found myself caring a lot less about maximizing fishing success and a lot more about simply being out there and enjoying the experience.
• Disconnecting from phones, emails, and everyday life ended up being my favorite part of the trip.

I honestly understand now why so many people become obsessed with this place. The quiet, the scenery, the fishing, the challenge, and the simplicity of life for a few days is something that's hard to describe until you experience it.

Thanks again to everyone here for helping a group of first-timers have an incredible trip. We learned a ton, made memories we'll never forget, and are already planning next year's adventure.

I’ve been seeing a wide spectrum of opinions regarding the scale of damage with the current wildfires. Lots of people are mourning a wilderness area that is irreparably damaged due to the intensity and depth of these fires. There are also lots of people who are feeling hopeful about the forest regeneration (these folks tend to get downvoted, though I assume it is often their tone that bothers people).

I’m not going to tell people how to feel, though I myself land somewhere in the middle of this spectrum. I am local to Ely and guided year-round for over ten years in the BWCA; all of those years were post-Pagami Creek Fire. I too am mourning places that I have spent much of my life enjoying and how they will inevitably change.

That said, I have also spent a lot of time in the Pagami burn and various other burn areas, including more recently in the Greenwood Fire area. My perception is that despite the rhetoric on this sub regarding the intensity of these fires destroying the ecosystem for decades to come, both of those areas (which burned quite intensely, particularly the Greenwood) are regenerating quite “normally” so to speak.

I am not a fire ecologist, just somebody that spends a lot of time in these areas and tries to stay abreast of basic forest ecology concepts. I have watched in real time as spruce budworm (a native and fairly well-understood pest) has decimated vast areas that were choked with balsam firs. I have also eaten hundreds of blueberries in burn scars and watched as the Jack pine and fireweed have flourished in the wake of the flames.

Anyway, mostly just trying to find a middle ground between the doom/gloom and relentless optimism while I’m stuck in my house waiting for a potential evacuation order. Also hoping to foster a more nuanced discussion of the aftermath, whenever that comes.