The network of lakes, rivers, and portages in the BWCAW creates an infinite combination of routes. Adventurous paddlers can pick an entry point and travel routes to match the time and energy they have to spend. Some basic routes, each launching from the region of a different permit-granting ranger station, are listed below.

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Seagull Lake – Alpine Lake – Red Rock Lake – Saganaga Lake – Seagull River – Gull Lake
1-2 Days, Easy to Moderate
Explore the effects of fire on the Boundary Waters on this canoe route. Read More >

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Rose Lake Weekender (Gunflint Ranger Station)
2-4 Days, Easy
Paddlers short on time or in the mood for a quick, easy trip should consider picturesque Rose Lake. From the launch on Bearskin Lake, it’s just two portages to this lovely border lake. A base-camp on Rose is nicely positioned for a day-trip to the Height of Land Portage between North and South Lakes–the drainage divide between waters flowing to Lake Superior and the Atlantic Ocean and those going north to Hudson Bay. In the voyageur era, travelers who crossed this portage heading north earned the title “Men of the North” and the honored status that went with it.

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Sawbill–Long Island–Winchell Lake Loop (Tofte Ranger Station)
6 Days, Difficult
With a week to commit to canoe and paddle, trippers can circle a large swath of the eastern BWCAW with this route. Heading north from the Sawbill Lake entry point, venture out through Cherokee Lake toward Long Island Lake. From there, you can follow either of two routes to lovely Winchell Lake. From Winchell, head south to massive Brule Lake, but plan extra time in case the winds are unfavorable.  From Brule, head back to Sawbill via Knife and Jack, Burnt and Smoke Lakes. The trip includes big lakes and sinuous creeks. There are some long portages and you’ll be covering a lot of ground, but if you’re ready for the trip you’ll be well rewarded.

The Sawbill Lake Outfitters website describes in detail eleven trips to do in the area.

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Bald Eagle–Kawishiwi River–Lake Three (Isabella Ranger Station)
4-6 Days, Moderate
From your entry point at Snake Creek which flows into Bald Eagle Lake, you can loop to the northwest via Gabbro Lake and the Kawishiwi River.  From the “Kawish,” you can work your way east through the “Number Lakes”–Lake One, Lake Two, and Lake Three.  You can extend your trip through, yep, Lake Four toward, nope, Lake Insula, but you’ll need to backtrack to return. (A base-camp on Lake Four, however, offers two nice day-tripping loops to the north and south.) To get back home, portage to Rock of Ages Lake from Lake Two and then from Clearwater Lake return to your entry point via Pietro and Gull Lakes.

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Mudro–Fourtown–Basswood River–Crooked–Angleworm (Kawishiwi Ranger Station, Ely)
6 Day, Difficult
This classic BWCAW trip features pictographs, waterfalls, and time spent paddling along the international border. Start at Mudro Lake (but leave a second vehicle at nearby Hegman Lake) and paddle through Fourtown and Horse Lakes and down the Horse River to Lower Basswood Falls. After enjoying and portaging the falls, admire the pictographs downstream made famous in the Francis Lee Jacques painting. (Or camp within evening paddling distance of Wheelbarrow and Upper Basswood Falls.) From there, follow the river to Crooked Lake. If you want to see one more waterfall, paddle beyond Friday Bay on a day-trip to admire Curtain Falls at the outlet of Crooked Lake. Otherwise, portage out of the lake at the bottom of Friday Bay toward Angleworm Lake. From Angleworm there’s a 460-rod portage to get home, but you should be fit and your food pack light by now. At Hegman Lake, you’ll be rewarded for your efforts by the lake’s famous set of pictographs.

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Moose River–Lake Agnes–Lac la Croix (LaCroix Ranger Station, Cook)
6 Days, Moderate
Here’s another BWCAW classic: Follow the Moose River north to Nina Moose Lake and Lake Agnes. Then follow the Boulder River North into Lac la Croix. (As an alternative, you can take the less traveled Stuart River–and its 480-rod portage–to reach Stuart Lake, and then follow the lovely Dahlgren River to Lac la Croix.) On Lac la Croix you’ll find two of the landmarks of Quetico Superior country–the Lac la Croix pictographs and Warrior Hill. Off Iron Lake to the east you can enjoy Rebecca and Curtain Falls. You can lengthen the trip and avoid back-tracking by paddling west through Lac la Croix’s Fish Stake Narrows to Pocket Creek and then returning south through Ge-be-on-e-quet, Green, Rocky, and Oyster Lakes back to Agnes.