ELY — Paddlers of every skill level gathered here late last month to celebrate Permit Day – the day when reservations for Boundary Waters permits open each year.
Though the party had a set schedule of presentations, the conversation ended up flowing naturally as people recounted previous trips and planned new routes. Riley Smith, community coordinator for Friends of the Boundary Waters, guided the conversation. Rather than focusing on the logistics of securing permits, Smith’s presentation became something more: a love letter to the wilderness itself.
Smith guided participants through lesser-known routes, offered a bit of history, along with tips on how to find the kind of solitude that many come to the wilderness to enjoy.
He noted that on the far west side of the wilderness, near Crane Lake, voyageur history still marks the landscape. Those signs include oak trees descended from acorns planted by voyageurs to mark portage routes.
“Whether or not the oaks started there on their own or whether the voyageurs planted them is part of that discussion,” Smith said. “But there are oaks in a bunch of them along that route, and oaks are pretty rare in this part of the state.”
The wilderness reveals itself in contrasts. Lac La Croix stretches 23 miles, one of the largest lakes in the BWCAW, yet tiny interconnected lakes, like Kelsey, Toe, and Wabang, hide within it.
The Isabella River corridor, in the south-central part of the wilderness, shifts on a razor’s edge, from dense forest into burn scars from the 2011 Pagami Creek fire. That massive fire, which burned 92,000 acres, left lasting marks. Some campsites remain closed 14 years later, although the Forest Service lists some of them for eventual reopening. The fire consumed 98 percent of the lands around the Powwow Trail, and since then, 40,000 downed trees have been removed to keep the popular trail open for public use.
No matter where travelers in the wilderness choose to wander, each route carries its own character,” Smith noted. “Ely routes feel different than Gunflint routes, which feel different than Sawbill routes,” Smith said.
And while the Boundary Waters can seem busy at times, Smith noted that paddlers willing to venture a mile off main routes can find solitude even on the busiest summer days.
“The number of people that would go a mile out of the way for a campsite is pretty low. And if you’re willing to do it, you can get a spot even on the busiest day of the year.”
Smith offered practical wisdom from years on the water. The popular Moose Lake entry point can mean encountering 19 separate parties in a single day. The north side of Snowbank Lake climbs steep exposed rock. The Border Route Trail, purpose-built for hiking rather than fire tower access, offers the best overlooks in the state.
The evening returned again and again to a central theme: this wilderness rewards exploration. Different seasons transform familiar routes. Water levels shift. What seems impossible one year becomes accessible the next. The trick is venturing beyond the obvious.
“It’s a big place, and it takes a while to feel like you’re really comfortable with a lot of it,” Smith said. “That’s something, the magic of it, too.”