Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is one of the most visited wilderness areas in the United States. The wilderness lies within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota, in the north-central United States. The area forms part of the United States- Canada border. It has nearly 1,200 lakes, more than 2,000 campsites, and a number of hiking trails.
The U.S. Forest Service administers the BWCAW. The area covers about 1,700 square miles (4,450 square kilometers). It shares a 150-mile (240-kilometer) border with Quetico and La Verendrye Provincial Parks, both in Ontario, Canada. Voyageurs National Park, in northern Minnesota, lies directly west of the BWCAW. Eagle Mountain, which rises 2,301 feet (701 meters) in the BWCAW, is Minnesota’s highest point.
Thousands of hikers and canoeists visit the wilderness every year. The BWCAW has about 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) of canoe routes, and motorized boats are not allowed in most of its waters. All visitors must obtain wilderness permits from the Forest Service to enter the BWCAW. The Forest Service asks visitors to minimize their impact on BWCAW lands and thus preserve the natural condition of the wilderness.
Besides canoeing, popular activities in the BWCAW include camping, hiking, and fishing. In the winter, visitors may enjoy cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and mushing (driving) sleds pulled by teams of dogs.
The area is home to many animals, including beavers, black bears, deer, moose, otters, and timber wolves. Boundary Waters lakes teem with bass, lake trout, northern pike, and walleye. The area’s bird populations include bald eagles, blue herons, loons, and ospreys.
About 11,500 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, retreating glaciers formed thousands of lakes across what is now Minnesota. Hundreds of years ago, groups of Sioux and Chippewa people inhabited the region. In 1926, the U.S. government set aside part of the area that is now the BWCAW to maintain its natural, wild character. In 1938, the Forest Service set aside additional land in the area, which it named the Superior Roadless Primitive Area. The area became officially known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in 1958. In 1964, Congress passed the Wilderness Act, which designated part of the present area as a unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System. In 1978, Congress passed the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act, which restricted mining, logging, and other commercial activities in the area.
