Getting a Permit for the Boundary Waters

So, you’ve decided to visit the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (or “BWCAW”).

Now what?

There are a lot of logistics to plan and prepare for, and getting a permit is an important step in this process. The United States Forest Service (or “USFS”) has collaborated with 12 other federal organizations to create the Recreation.gov website. This site is full of helpful information you can use when planning your next adventure.

In the video below, we’re going to show you how to use this site to see what kinds of permits may be available to you in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (or “BWCA”) as well as how to create and pay for a permit reservation. The entire video is just shy of 30 minutes, so if there’s any specific content you want to review you can take a look at the video’s content and where those sections start below:

• In this video 00:00

• Introducing Recreation.gov 00:44

• What is a cooperator? 07:19

• Creating an account with Recreation.gov 08:30

• Checking permit availability for the Boundary Waters 10:53

• Booking a permit reservation 18:54

• Things to know about permit holders 23:12

• Traveling to Canada 25:11

• Finalizing and paying for your permit reservation 27:41

Still have questions?

Let us know what questions you have by Contacting Us - the team at Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply is always happy to help you plan and execute an excursion along the North Shore. Maybe you’ll even inspire our next video!