Re: [Paddlewise] Boundary Waters Region

It is a great area for paddling.  A several hundred (thousand?) square mile
area that straddles the Minnesota - Canadian Border.  It links to Voyagers
Park and Quetico.  The area is quite heavily restricted to keep if from
being loved to death.  There are required permits for entry, limits on
number of craft (4) number of people in a party (9), where power boats are
permitted, etc.  Power boats are restricted to the perimeter areas.  Parts
of the area can be quite crowded from early June through August, but with a
little work and a couple of portages you can find solitude.   Permits for
the popular areas during the summer can be difficult to get.  Prior
planning and/or flexibility is recommended.

It is primarily a canoe area.  It is a thousand small lakes linked by
portages ranging from a few meters to over a kilometer.  Most find
portaging a canoe much easier than dealing with moving a kayak over a
portage.  However if you plan your trip right and accept the limitations it
can be a great kayak area.

One of the better information sites is at:

http://www.gis.umn.edu/snf/bwcaw/

Piragis rents sea kayaks in Ely which one of the key entry points into the
area.  They have a web site at www.piragis.com.  They can set you up with
anything from just a kayak to a complete outfitting.  There are some other
great outfitters in the area but Piragis is the only one I know that rents
sea kayaks.

Went up the first week in October two years ago.  The crowds thin the end
of August.  By October had the place almost to myself if you don't count
eagles, moose, and loons.

At 01:25 AM 04-24-2000 -0000, Sailboat Restorations, Inc. wrote:
>I'm sure I'm revealing even more of my ignorance (which is monumental), but
>I was wondering if I could get a little guidance on the Minnesota area
>Boundary Waters region.  I never even knew about this area (please note, my
>background is in sailing, not paddling), until the last few weeks.  I
>stumbled on a magazine dedicated to the area, and then ran across an article
>in Canoe & Kayak mag about it.  It looks like a tremendous area for
>paddling.  Are there any list members who live or paddle in that area?  If
>this is a dumb question, please forgive me.  As I've indicated before, I'm
>relatively new to this sport and still learning.  Thanks.
>Mark L.
>
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