Boundary Waters Canoe Area: Western Region

Find your way into the western BWCAW via 27 entry points, accessible near Ely, Minnesota.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in northeastern Minnesota—over a million acres of wilderness on the US-Canada border—is a magnet for visitors seeking to explore some of the most beautiful waterways in the world. With a canoe or kayak, you can paddle its remote lakes, rivers, waterfalls, forests, and trails. Boundary Waters Canoe Area: Western Region by Robert Beymer and Louis Dzierzak helps you select the perfect trip for your schedule, ability, and interests.

This classic guide—along with its companion volume, Boundary Waters Canoe Area: Eastern Region—has been the trusted source for more than 40 years on where to go in the BWCAW and its 1,000+ lakes. Now fully updated, it’s the bible to the 1,200 miles of canoe routes and 154 miles of portage trails in the wilderness.

The guide describes 27 entry points in the western part of the BWCAW—those accessible near Ely, Minnesota, from the Echo Trail, Fernberg Road, and State Highway 1. For each entry point, both a short and a long route are described, along with all the information you’ll need to plan a successful trip.

Inside you’ll find:

Complete trip data, including total distance, time, difficulty, required Fisher maps, and permit and quota requirements
Day-by-day details, such as number and difficulty of portages and recommended campsites
Fishing recommendations for surrounding lakes and rivers
Wise advice on navigation and points of interest
Added bonus: “Lake Index for Fishing,” covering the 185 lakes that lie on this book’s described routes