Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Every state has its national treasure but few states have an international wonder like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). This expansive chain of 1,100 lakes along the Minnesota-Ontario border impresses visitors with its beauty, serenity and vast solitude.
The BWCAW is a magnificent place with its towering pines that hug the lakeshore, the soaring eagles that nest in its trees, and the shimmering water that fills its placid lakes. Perhaps most importantly, the place is nearly silent. Because motorboats are prohibited from most of its lakes, often the only sound visitors hear is the cry of a loon or the ripple of a canoe paddle dipping into the water.
Such attractions make the BWCAW the most popular wilderness area in the United States, with an estimated 200,000 annual visitors. The Boundary Waters is a federally-designated wilderness area, which means greater restrictions apply to the activities in the area. For instance, the BWCAW prohibits snowmobiling, logging, mining, large groups, aluminum and tin cans, and glass bottles. Such restrictions help the Boundary Waters retain its wilderness character, a place “untrammeled by man.”
RECOMMENDED READING
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Volume 1: The Western Region; Robert Beymer; Wilderness Press, Berkeley, CA
Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Volume 2: The Eastern Region; Robert Beymer; Wilderness Press, Berkeley, CA
Boundary Waters Fishing Guide; Michael J. Furtman, Alan Linne (Illustrator)
Canoe Country Wilderness: Canoe Trails and Tales from the BWCA, Quetico, and Beyond; William N. Rom, M.D.
Paddler's Guide to Quetico Provincial Park; Robert Beymer
Boundary Waters: The Grace of the Wild; Paul Gruchow; Milkweed Editions
The Boundary Waters Wilderness Ecosystem; Miron Heinselman; University of Minnesota Press
The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability; Paul Hawken
The Forest for the Trees; Jeff Forester
Sigurd F. Olson books: Singing Wilderness, Listening Point, Lonely Land, Of Time and Place, Open Horizons, Reflections from the North Country, Runes of the North, Hidden Forest
Root Beer Lady: The Story of Dorothy Molter; Bob Cary; Pfeifer-Hamilton Publishers
Saving Quetico-Superior : A Land Set Apart; R. Newell Searle; Minnesota Historical Society
Troubled Waters: The Fight for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness; Kevin Proescholdt, Rip Rapson, Miron L. Heinselman; North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.
The Voyageur’s Highway; Grace Lee Nute; The Minnesota Historical Society
HELP REPORT VIOLATIONS
The Friends asks its members and allies to report violations and overuse seen while traveling in the BWCAW. The purpose is to provide the Forest Service with information to target campsites, lakes, and portages that suffer from increased traffic and lack of care, as well as identify illegal activities that undermine the wilderness.
Take the Friends' violation form with you on your next trip to the BWCAW and return it to the Friends. People are advised not to directly confront other parties committing violations but to leave this job to the Forest Service Law Enforcement Office.
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