Gunflint Trail Association

There’s been a bit of buzz lately about possible changes to how Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permits will be issued in the 2012 season. However, if you’ve always trusted a Gunflint Trail canoe outfitter to both reserve and issue your permits, you won’t experience any changes at all with your canoe trip next summer. If you’re a person who reserves and picks up permits independent of your outfitter, here’s the scoop:

USFS officials have been exploring two changes for next year’s BWCAW permit process.

1)      End of the permit lottery. (This decision is official and final.)

2)      Self-issuing permits through an online system. (This decision is pending. A final decision is expected by year’s end.)

Before we explain any more, remember that May 1 – September 30 each year is known as the “Boundary Waters season,” when overnight campers in the wilderness area are required to purchase a permit. The BWCAW is divided into tens of entry points and each entry point has a daily quota: only so many permits (each permit can encompass as many as 9 persons and 4 watercrafts) can be issued for that entry point each day.

Decision 1)

The end of the BWCAW permit lottery does away with an often confusing way for BWCAW visitors to “pre-apply” for their overnight permit. In past years, from December 1 – January 15, BWCAW visitors could submit pre-applications (or lottery entries) for a permit on a specific date and entry in the coming season. On January 20, those permit applications were processed at random to fairly fill the permit quotas for high traffic dates and entry points. Beginning on January 25, all remaining permits for the season were made available for the public to reserve on a first-come, first-served basis.

However, with more than 90 percent of lottery entries being fulfilled each year, the USFS has decided to do away with the lottery option. Instead, this year all permits for the coming season will be available: first come, first served. The date when visitors can begin reserving permits for the 2012 season has yet to be determined, but we’ll be sure to let you know as soon as possible when that date is.

Decision 2)

The USFS is also exploring the possibility of letting BWCAW visitors issue their own permits through an online process. Historically, BWCAW visitors have always had to pick up their overnight permits at either a USFS district office or a canoe outfitters.

Regardless of what changes may be made to how you reserve and pick up your BWCAW permits, the heart of the BWCAW – the woods, water, and portages – remain the same. It’s never too early to start planning your route for next year’s trip. Gunflint Trail canoe outfitters are happy to help!

Tags: Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, camping, canoe, Gunflint Trail, minnesota, Minnesota weather, summer