Designated sites only
Overnight camping in the Boundary Waters is only allowed at designated campsites, each marked by a steel fire grate and a wilderness latrine set back from the shore.
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Boundary Waters trip tools
Before you go
First come, first served
Campsites cannot be reserved. Your permit covers your entry point and date, not a site, so plan to make camp by early afternoon on busy summer lakes and have a backup lake in mind.
Group limits apply at camp
A campsite holds one group of up to nine people and four watercraft. Larger parties traveling under separate permits must camp at separate sites.
Fires in grates only
Campfires are allowed only inside the steel grate at a designated site, and fire restrictions can ban them entirely during dry spells. Check current alerts before you leave.
Leave it cleaner
Pack out every scrap of trash, wash dishes and bodies at least 150 feet from water, and use the latrine. Hang or barrel your food — bears and rodents know where the sites are.