Canoeing into Canada (Almost): Boundary Waters Canoe Trip!

OVERVIEW

You know what I love? Canoes.
You know what I love even more? Overnight canoe trips.
And you know what I love the most? The Boundary Waters, one of the most beautiful and epic and fabulous wilderness areas in the United States which is ALSO an International Dark Sky Sanctuary!

*Please read the ENTIRE trip description to get the answers to all (most) of the questions you have and don’t even know you have!*

As of this morning (January 28th, 2026 at 10:08am), I have secured a permit for me and up to eight of my very best friends (you guys) to spend July 21-24th in the Boundary Waters! That means 4 days of canoeing in the remote lakes that make up the border between the US and Canada in northern Minnesota, and you’ll be especially pleased to hear that the trip I’ve planned takes us right along the line (in fact, some of our lakes are divided right in half by the border)!

The plan as of now is to group up in northern Minnesota on July 20th to get ourselves and our gear gathered, spend July 21st-24th canoeing the Basswood/Wind Lake Loop (details linked here: https://www.friends-bwca.org/route/basswood-wind-lake-loop/) with an extra day to spend on side trips or lounging around camp, all topped off with a delicious trip to Betty’s Pies (the best pie shop in Minnesota, probably) once we emerge from the wilderness. We’ll paddle, share stories, wave hello to the Canadians, see the gorgeous night sky, cook delicious meals, and perhaps even go fishing right out of our boats!

I have the most important details secured, though the rougher stuff is, of course, still rough, and will be something of a group effort. I’ll do most of the heavy-lifting when it comes to details (not when it comes to boats—I am not solo portaging a canoe so help me God), but I’ll definitely appreciate any and all input when it comes to getting people to/from the Duluth airport or wherever else you arrive to our outfitter in Ely, planning meals, and maybe coming up with things to do if we all decide we want to run around Minnesota for an extra day or two after the trip!

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Skills Disclaimer:

We’ll be paddling around 25 miles over the course of 4 days on a relatively easy loop through the Boundary Waters, so it’ll be strenuous but not extreme. You are, of course, expected to paddle each day, unless we happen to have an awkward group size that requires one of us to sit duff on the floor of the canoe. Because these are lakes that are deep and I do not, repeat: I do not, want to have to T-rescue a canoe, you are required to have at least some canoeing experience to come on this trip. If you have none right now, then don’t fret! Be on the lookout for a shorter overnight river canoe trip on the website once the weather gets warmer. We can also always go to Ragged or somewhere else nearby for a practice trip.

This trip also includes 3 short(ish) portages, in which we will have to pull our boats and gear out of the water and haul them overland to the next lake. This is the shortest amount of portaging that I could possibly find in basically the entire BWCA, so you’re welcome. The longest portage is 190 rods (a rod is the length of a canoe, so 190 canoes-long, a bit more than half a mile), and I’m not sure how long the other two are. Shorter, though, since our grand total of portaging shouldn’t be much more than 360 rods for the whole trip. Portaging is hard work, so be prepared for it, though I promise it’s not as bad as it seems and you forget about it quite quickly because it’s so beautiful around you. You must be ready to carry potentially heavy/uncomfortable loads for decent distances, however.

Also, if you’re concerned about safety, I will be renewing my Wilderness First Responder certification before the trip starts.

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Rough Itinerary:

July 19/20th: Arrive in Duluth, Minnesota—either fly or drive in. Everyone should try to be in Duluth by midday on the 20th, so that we can pile into car(s) and make the 2 hour drive to Ely with lots of time to spare. In the afternoon/evening, shop for food and camp at our outfitter’s basecamp. Currently, I’ll have spots for 3-4 people in my car (likely a little cozily because I’ll probably be living out of my car this summer), but if anyone can drive there or borrow a friend’s car or borrow a friend with their car (they can then come on this trip), it would be ideal! I want to avoid renting a car if possible, because it’ll probably make the trip more expensive for all of us, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

July 21st: Meet up properly with our outfitters (Cliff Wold’s Outfitting Company) and get shuttled to Moose Lake! Start paddling. Paddle all the way until July 24th.

July 24th: Take out from Moose Lake after having successfully completed our loop, and get shuttled back to the outfitter in Ely. Big perk is that our outfitting package includes hot showers afterwards, so we won’t have to enjoy each others’ inevitable stink for long. Depending on timing, we’ll drive to Betty’s Pie’s for a late lunch/early dinner. Either camp somewhere in a random bit of Minnesota in preparation for more days of fun, or head towards Duluth.

July 25th: TBD—either spend more time in Minnesota hiking/fishing/whatever we so desire or depart from Duluth! We’ll decide.

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Estimated Cost Breakdown:
– $16 per person for the permit
– $12 per person for one night of camping at the outfitter, though we can also camp elsewhere
– $75ish per person to cover all canoeing, cooking, & camping gear (meaning you don’t have to figure out how to get your gear or the club’s gear all the way to minnesota) + transport to/from our outfitter to the lakes
– Food costs: hopefully not that much if we plan well, but TBD—expect $20ish per person maybe + pie costs. Idk.
– Transportation to Duluth: very little if you are from Minnesota, but likely a couple hundred if you aren’t.
– $50 in unexpected costs (just in case)

Long story short, WOW! Look how cheap this once in a lifetime opportunity is! You should absolutely come join me on this adventure.

*And a note: All of these prices (with the exception of the permit and transportation to/from Duluth at the beginning & end of the trip) will go down if we have a larger group!

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If all of this sounds interesting/fun to you, then good instincts! Sign up! Text me at 678-579-4727 if you have any questions.

More specific packing lists and other necessary preparatory details will be communicated to the group once we figure out who’s going.