Table of Contents
Written by Julie Kosker
This post contains some affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you. Financial compensation was not received for this post. Gear rentals and accommodations were gifted from Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. Opinions expressed here are my own. Read here for our full disclosure policy.
When my husband asked to choose the destination for our next epic family adventure, we gladly handed him the reins. The summer before, he had invited his brother and a friend to northern Minnesota to canoe a loop of lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. When he returned from that trip, he had glowing reports from his first time Boundary Waters experience and vehemently stated that he wanted to take the family there for a family canoe camping trip, not only to explore the Boundary Waters, but also to explore the north shores of Lake Superior during the drive.
Our all-time best family canoe trip was in Killarney, Ontario and Jake assured us that the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness family trip would be ideal for our next canoe camping with kids adventure.
Family canoe camping trip in the Boundary Waters
Read on for all the details on how we planned a 5 day Boundary Waters trip (spoiler alert: this ended up being a 4 day boundary waters route) and enjoyed another successful family canoeing adventure. This was truly an epic Boundary Waters family trip!
(for reference, our trip was during the first week of August. This guide is written by a canoe family of 4, our daughters were 10 & 12).
Trip Planning
In preparing for the BWCA canoe trip, I thought it might be wise to connect with a Boundary Waters outfitter for Boundary Waters canoe trip planning. There are many options for Ely outfitters and I picked Voyageur Canoe Outfitters because their website was really user-friendly and helpful in my early research. I was hoping they would ease my anxiety a bit about driving such a huge distance and embarking on a trip in a canoe area wilderness that felt outside of my experience level. I cannot say enough good things about Voyageurs and their canoe trip packages! They immediately eased my worries with their gear rentals, trip planning and resources. So, instead of having to lug our canoes 2,500-mile round trip, we could simply plan our meals and leave the rest of the gear up to them!
I also purchased this Boundary Waters guidebook. I noticed that it was also the main guidebook sold in various Ely outfitter stores. I’ll admit that we barely used it. I had hoped my girls would dig into the book and make a plan for their ideal family canoe camping trip in the Boundary Waters route. They did not 😉 I also signed up for Explore Minnesota’s free visitor guides and though we underutilized the print resources, it did help with building the excitement all spring to have these guides on our coffee table!
Pro-tip: Utilize the Outfitters!
Through utilizing Boundary Waters outfitters, you don’t have to own any camping or canoeing gear in order to explore the Boundary Waters! Voyageurs will supply you with everything you need for your canoe camping trip and teach you how to use it! While we COULD have executed this trip with Jake’s previous knowledge and our own gear, this made our family canoe trip such a positive experience. I feel strongly that the canoe trip outfitting and guided Boundary Waters advice was key to the positive experience.
We opted to use our own tents, sleeping pads and sleeping bags. We also opted to plan our own meals (will link our menu and recipes soon!) and take most of our own cooking equipment. In retrospect, we would like to have sampled their meal planning and it would have saved the hassle.
When you arrive at Voyageurs, they engage in a personalized route review and provide the relevant maps. They also include a night in one of their bunkhouses (2 triple bunk beds, electricity, clean), use of their lodge, shared restrooms with hot water and showers, a pancake break, transportation to your entry point and of course full or partial outfitting gear packages.
Entry Permits
To canoe on an overnight trip in the Boundary Waters, you need a permit just for the entry point that you will use on the first day of your trip. Once you have entered, you can explore and stay as long as you to want in the wilderness.
Permits for all Entry Points will be released on a first come, first served basis beginning at 9:00 a.m. Central Time on the last Wednesday in January through recreation.gov or through the reservation center at: 877-444-6777. Jake had a rough idea of where he wanted to explore for this trip, so he grabbed our entry permit before route planning with Matt & Cassidy Ritter, managers of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters. It worked out, but in retrospect, we wish we had discussed a few ideas/options with them (or used their online handy Boundary Waters route planner) before the entry permit window opened. Overnight camping is allowed on established sites only. They cannot be reserved and are first come first served.
We got Entry Permit 48 which includes a mile portage right off the bat. Gulp… let’s take a step back…. PORTAGING!
Portaging 101
When canoeing a lake region, you will want to lake hop. Therefore, you portage (we pronounce it the French way “pour taj”) which is when you carry your canoe over land to the next lake. The rest of the gear is typically carried in backpacks.
While you can portage any ole canoe, it is worth its weight in gold to upgrade to a Kevlar canoe for the Boundary Waters! Most portages are much shorter than a mile, but the terrain is rocky and surprisingly hilly. The paths are narrow and you usually pass at least one other portaging group. So, being nimble and fast are excellent goals.
I carried one canoe for the mile portage and then declared that Jake would henceforth portage both canoes and I would stick with carrying gear. Jake’s fitness level is way higher than mine and I struggle with back pain… though the canoes are “light”, they really put a lot of pressure on my shoulders AND I wasn’t strong enough to lift it off without help. He and I typically made two trips and the girls made one trip for each portage.
For example, here was a typical portage situation for us:
Trip 1
Jake- canoe 1, life vest
Julie- Large Granite Gear bag of supplies, life vest, 2 drybags of personal items/snacks
Daughters: Medium Granite Gear bag with all their own camping gear, small drybag with snacks, life vest
Trip 2
Jake- canoe 2 (later while also carrying the food barrel)
Julie- Food Barrel (with Harness) and 4 canoe paddles
Daughters: snacking and hanging out at the entry point to the next lake. Be sure to be off to the side so any other groups can easily get in and out of the entry point.
*our daughters felt safe to stay together without us during this time, each family situation will be different.
We came away from this trip with STRONG views about the best shoes for canoe trips and portaging! Our review of the best sandals for outdoor adventures is coming soon.
Boundary Waters’ Campsites
As mentioned earlier you can only camp at established campsites. They are clearly labeled on your map and easy to distinguish because the understory and forests are so dense throughout the Boundary Waters! The only place you can really get out of your canoe is these campsites.
Each campsite has a fire pit and a pit toilet. Head here for a short video tour of a typical Boundary Waters campsite.
We were there during a fire ban (and right before major forest fires that shut down the entire wilderness area!). This was truly not a problem at all for us because… READ THIS CLOSELY… you absolutely must be in your tent at dusk.
Once night falls, the mosquitos DESCEND!
We were really fortunate to not have many bugs during the day. The girls and I still used bug spray daily (we were traumatized during our family canoe trip in Killarney). However, Jake didn’t use it and none of us experienced many bites.
Laying in our tents at night was a different matter! You could hear the hum of mosquitos just hovering over the tent! At some point in the night, they dissipated… which is great news for anyone who needs to go to the bathroom or take care of feminine hygiene at night!
One key thing to note when discussing Boundary Waters Campsites and we can’t stress this enough, the Entry Points are reserved, but the campsites are FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED. This is a part of a long tradition at BWCA and allows for a sense of adventure and greater flexibility in a trip when things don’t go as planned. However, this really stressed me out.
When we were canoeing through the Boundary Waters, the northern bordering Quetico Provincial Park in Canada was already experiencing wildfires and people were being rerouted to our area. Additionally, many entry points near Ely were also closed due to wildfire pushing more people into other areas of BCWA. So, perhaps it was more crowded than normal, but it seemed like every campsite was full on every lake.
Jake knew from his previous trip that most people seem to get moving early, claim their campsite by lunch and then use the afternoon to rest at the campsite or explore without their gear loaded in the canoe.
*We did not plan to enjoy Boundary Waters fishing, but fishing trips are really popular and we certainly chatted with lots of fishermen who were enjoying their Boundary Waters fishing canoe trips!
Boundary Waters Trip Report
On our first day, we put in at Poplar Lake in order to reach our actual Entry Point at Meeds Lake . Between Poplar and Meeds we muscled through the one-mile portage and officially crossed into the BWCA. After the portage, the wind picked up on the water so our younger daughter and I were majorly struggling to get any forward movement in our canoe.
While scouting the first island campsite for occupancy, a group was gaining on us from the portage behind us. When Jake signaled that the site was taken, I gave him the signal to make haste and claim the next campsite before the other group could make it there. He and our oldest daughter raced forward and the other group eventually gave up and headed towards a different potential campsite. To our joy, the site was empty and we had a home for the night! Our main campsite criteria at this point included space for two 2-person tents and hammocking trees. Score!
Day 2
The next day, we had four portages between Meeds and Gaskin, so we paddled steadily and worked efficiently through the portages. The girls even took one of the short pond crossings on their own in a canoe and waited for us. They worked so hard during those portages and rarely complained. When we finally made it to bigger water on Gaskin Lake, we passed on several campsites before we hit our five-star campsite for the night. This site was truly gorgeous! We ended up staying there for a second night. We’ve learned that staying at a basecamp for two nights mid-trip is really good for our morale!
Day 3
On Day 3, we got to load into one canoe and enjoy some day trips from our base. We paddled a few nearby lakes and experienced an incredible loon call-and-response mating ritual. That was definitely a high point of the trip!
Day 4
The fourth day we intended to grab a campsite about halfway to our planned exit point/ pick-up spot. The girls were great paddles/campers, but they let us know that they would prefer to push through a long day of paddling and head back to Voyageur’s for a night in one of their bunkhouses or our camper.
We opted to play it by ear. If we saw a great campsite, we would stay. The weather via our Somewear Global Hotspot showed that rain would be coming, so we were definitely willing to push through a long day of paddling if the girls truly seemed up for it.
As it was now a Saturday, the lakes were noticeably more crowded. Our exit point was also a popular area, so the closer we got to the exit lake, the more people there were coming in from that area (tip: if your schedule allows, plan to camp at sites FAR from any Entry Points or roads over the busy weekends).
The following is now an object of family debate: Julie, the mother who is typically right (ahem), did not see any open campsites. The girls insist there was one early on in the day. Regardless, we HAD to keep paddling because there were truly no available sites! If we had been counting on camping this 4th night, we would have had to pivot to yet another lake in hopes of better luck. Very stressful!
At one point, we pulled up to a campsite just minutes after someone else claimed it and asked to use their camp toilet. That’s one blessing/ curse… you have to use the established camp toilets, but if you can’t access a campsite all day, well this gets quite problematic!
The story ends on a high note! We finished off our Boundary Waters meals with delicious appetizers and drinks at Poplar Haus Restaurant while we waited for Voyageur Canoe Outfitters to arrive and transport us back to their main location. Once we arrived, we headed straight for their complimentary showers! HEAVEN!
family canoe camping trip in the Boundary Waters
Family trip ends on a high note!
We lucked out and Voyageur Outfitters was able to offer us the use of one of their bunkhouses for our last night in the Boundary Waters, this time across the river from their main lodge. Before we headed across the river, we enjoyed one of their gourmet frozen pizzas (seriously, the best!) and sorted our gear.
Then we reloaded our sleeping bags and a pint of ice cream into a canoe and paddled across the Saganaga River. We were literally gobsmacked by what they have across the river! Up a short path are numerous bunk cabins and a LOVELY shower house with hot water! Not at all what we expected for this rustic, secluded location!
There is even a gorgeous sauna that we eyed up, but didn’t use. I can just imagine how amazing it would be to visit in the winter, walk across the frozen river to the sauna, head back to the lodge for some Voyageur Brewery Samplings (same owners), sit on their lodge deck and look for moose!
While I can’t speak about any of the other outfitter options, I am SO glad that we used Voyageurs. They are located at the END of the Gunflint Trail. It’s such a gorgeous drive and you truly feel as though you’ve entered a different world. At first, Jake was worried about the outfitter’s location being so far from our Entry Point, but it was a nonissue. They promptly and seamlessly dropped us off & picked us up and their location is truly breathtaking. If backcountry camping doesn’t appeal to you, I highly recommend making one of the cabins at Voyageurs your base camp and enjoying Boundary Waters day trips from their location.
In conclusion- family canoe camping trip in the Boundary Waters
This was such an awesome, memorable family canoe camping trip in the Boundary Waters! The Lake Superior shoreline is as gorgeous as we had hoped and we are so thankful to have experienced this area of the world. That being said, it is SUCH a far drive from our home in Pennsylvania that I do not plan to return to the Boundary Waters. There’s a whole world waiting to be explored 🙂
I may however decide to drive ½ of the total distance and spend more time in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula! Sign up for our emails to receive a notification when we share our two whirlwind days in the UP!
We hope that this article serves as a Boundary Waters trip planner! Please reach out to us to ask questions or share your BWCA/ Quetico Park adventures!
Sign up for our blog emails for upcoming related posts:
- Favorite backpacking tents
- Road trip along Minnesota’s Lake Superior
- Best backcountry water purifier for families
- Backcountry meals
- Best sandals for canoe camping
- Backcountry activities for kids and teens
