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Canoe trip planning

Canoe Trip Permits: Rules, Windows and Fees by Destination

Every permit rule we have verified for the top extreme canoe trips — who requires one, when the season opens and closes, what the agency charges, and where to read the rule yourself.

Each entry is copied from the managing agency's own permit page and dated. Where an agency publishes no season window or no fee, this hub says so rather than estimating one. Rules change — open the agency link before you book travel.

Yukon River: Eagle to Circle

Interior Alaska

Permit
The National Park Service does not require a permit to float the Yukon through the preserve or to camp on it. Commercial and guided operations do need authorization, and public-use cabins have their own rules. Confirm the current posting before you go.
Window
No dated window published.
Cost
No fee published — confirm with the agency.
Best months
June, July, August
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

Middle Fork Salmon River

Frank Church–River of No Return Wilderness, Idaho

Permit
A float permit is required year-round for every boater on the Middle Fork. During the control season (May 28 – September 3) permits are allocated by competitive lottery through Recreation.gov; outside those dates you self-issue. Confirm the current season dates before applying.
Window
Opens May 28, closes September 3.
Cost
No fee published — confirm with the agency.
Best months
June, July, August, September
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

Green River: Desolation and Gray Canyons

BLM Price Field Office, Utah

Permit
A BLM river permit is required year-round for Desolation and Gray Canyons. Peak-season launches (roughly May 1 – September 30) are allocated by lottery through Recreation.gov; off-season permits are available without the lottery.
Window
Opens May 1, closes September 30.
Cost
No fee published — confirm with the agency.
Best months
May, June, July, August, September
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

Apostle Islands Sea Caves Crossing

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Wisconsin

Permit
A wilderness camping permit is required for every overnight stay in the national lakeshore, reserved in advance through Recreation.gov. Day paddling the mainland caves needs no permit, but every island night does.
Window
No dated window published.
Cost
No fee published — confirm with the agency.
Best months
June, July, August, September
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

Sylvania Wilderness in November

Ottawa National Forest, Michigan

Permit
Overnight trips into the Sylvania Wilderness require a camping permit for a specific designated campsite, reserved through Recreation.gov. Sites are individually numbered on named lakes, so you book the lake you actually intend to sleep on. Day use is also fee-managed at the recreation area. Fees change season to season — confirm the current amount on the Recreation.gov listing before you drive up.
Window
No dated window published.
Cost
Day use is also fee-managed at the recreation area. Fees change season to season — confirm the current amount on the Recreation.gov listing before you drive up.
Best months
May, June, July, August, September, October
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

Boundary Waters Border Lakes Traverse

Superior National Forest, Minnesota

Permit
A quota permit is required for every overnight trip from May 1 through September 30, reserved in advance through Recreation.gov — popular entry points sell out the day the season opens. Day use and off-season overnights use self-issued permits at the entry point.
Window
Opens May 1, closes September 30.
Cost
No fee published — confirm with the agency.
Best months
May, June, July, August, September
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

Everglades Wilderness Waterway

Everglades National Park, Florida

Permit
A wilderness permit is required for all overnight camping in Everglades National Park, with reservations available on a rolling 90-day window through Recreation.gov. Chickee and ground sites are site-specific — your permit names where you sleep each night.
Window
No dated window published.
Cost
No fee published — confirm with the agency.
Best months
January, February, March, April, December
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

San Juan Islands Circumnavigation

San Juan Islands, Washington

Permit
No permit is needed to paddle the Salish Sea itself, but overnight camping is almost entirely at Washington State Parks marine-trail sites (per-night fee, first-come) or BLM sites in the San Juan Islands National Monument with their own capacity rules. Cascadia Marine Trail sites are reserved for non-motorized, beachable craft.
Window
Runs March–March.
Cost
No permit is needed to paddle the Salish Sea itself, but overnight camping is almost entirely at Washington State Parks marine-trail sites (per-night fee, first-come) or BLM sites in the San Juan Islands National Monument with their own capacity rules.
Best months
June, July, August, September
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

Allagash Wilderness Waterway

Northern Maine

Permit
Overnight campers register and pay per-person, per-night fees at North Maine Woods checkpoints or with Allagash Wilderness Waterway rangers. No advance lottery — but you must pass a checkpoint to reach the put-ins, and fees are collected there.
Window
No dated window published.
Cost
Overnight campers register and pay per-person, per-night fees at North Maine Woods checkpoints or with Allagash Wilderness Waterway rangers. No advance lottery — but you must pass a checkpoint to reach the put-ins, and fees are collected there.
Best months
May, June, July, August, September
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

Upper Missouri River Breaks

BLM Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, Montana

Permit
No fee or lottery for private groups under 20, but self-registration at the launch point is mandatory for all river users — it is the BLM's only safety record that you are on the river.
Window
No dated window published.
Cost
No fee or lottery for private groups under 20, but self-registration at the launch point is mandatory for all river users — it is the BLM's only safety record that you are on the river.
Best months
May, June, July, August, September
Permit detailsTrip plannerAgency source

Verified 2026-09-15

Comparing a few trips at once? Use the trip comparison page, or start from the planning hub.