Boundary Waters Border Lakes Traverse: the route, the season and the permits

The border route runs from the Moose Lake chain through Basswood, the Knife Lake corridor and Saganaga to the end of the Gunflint Trail. Entry permits are quota-controlled by entry point and date, so your launch is fixed before you leave home. Motor restrictions, portage lengths and campsite locations are on the Forest Service visitor map.

The wilderness runs nearly 150 miles along the international boundary; a full traverse is typically 7 to 10 days.

Parties launch at Moose Lake, Entry Point 25 and take out at Sea Gull Lake, Entry Point 54 (Trail's End); the route map lists every agency-sourced coordinate in between.

Open the Boundary Waters Border Lakes Traverse route map · compare it with the other nine trips

• Moose Lake (EP 25) to Knife Lake and the border chain
• Fall Lake (EP 24) into Basswood country
• Mudro Lake (EP 23) loops through the smaller interior lakes

Best window: Mid-May – September.

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.

Recreation.gov — BWCAW permits ↗

Full permit page for this trip

• Cold water — hypothermia risk at ice-out and in fall
• Black bears at camps with poor food discipline
• Portage injuries: slips on wet rock and root tangles
• Sudden severe thunderstorms on big water
• Ticks and Lyme disease
• Giardia in untreated lake water

Treat every drop from lakes and streams — boil at least one minute, filter, or purify chemically. Wind, not current, is the force that sets your schedule on the big lakes.

Cell service is effectively nonexistent. Carry a satellite communicator, leave a detailed route with your entry point and dates, and know that help is measured in hours-to-days, not minutes.

• Kawishiwi triangle · 3 days — A moderate river-and-small-lake loop that avoids the big wind-swept water — a strong first BWCA trip.
• Moose Lake to Knife Lake · 5 days — The classic border route: high cliffs, clear water, and a return down the South Arm of Knife.
• Mudro interior loop · 4 days — In and out of Mudro Lake (Entry Point 23) through the smaller interior lakes — shorter carries and no big open-water crossings, good for mixed-experience crews.

Build your own dates in the Boundary Waters Border Lakes Traverse trip planner

Black bears, moose, timber wolves, bald eagles and common loons. Keep a clean camp and hang or canister your food — habituated bears get camps closed.

Group size is capped at 9 people and 4 watercraft. Cans and glass bottles are banned in the wilderness — repackage food before you drive up. Camp only at designated sites with fire grates.