BWCA Novice Canoe Trip

BWCA Wilderness Canoeing

Wander Woman Outings Trip | Canoe Basecamp

CANCELLATION POLICY: Deposit is non-refundable. Please be in touch no later than July 1, 2023 if you cannot make the trip.

Highlights

• Beginner Friendly

• Fish, canoe, swim, explore woods and lakes of the BWCAW

• See deer, eagles, loons, moose, bear, or hear a wolf howl in the distance

• Basecamp in hand-crafted log cabins

Includes

· Accommodations hotels and round-trip transport by van

· Most meals, all Kevlar canoe rentals, camping fees, and group gear

· Primitive Log Cabins on BWCA Wilderness Lake!

Overview:

The Trip

We will travel by van from Kansas City with a stop in Minneapolis. 

We will have considerable flexibility with our schedule. You will have memories of sunsets over lakes as smooth as glass and morning mist rising from lakes at sunrise. If we are lucky, there could be northern lights and stargazing as the campfire dies down.

Itinerary

Day 1: We will get acquainted as we drive north to Minneapolis for our first overnight hotel stay. Lunch and dinner are not included in the trip cost.

Day 2: After breakfast, we will proceed to our outfitter in Ely. We will wrap up a short briefing and orientation, load our canoes and paddle to our lakeside cabin on Fall Lake.

Days 3-4: We will paddle and portage a short distance as we head north toward Basswood Lake. 

Day 5: All too soon, our outfitter will pick us up and we will head to Ely by late afternoon for shopping and dinner. That night, we will stay in a local motel in Ely. Dinner is not included in the trip cost.

Day 6: We will retrace our steps all the way back to Kansas City through Minneapolis. Lunch and dinner are not included in the trip cost.

Logistics:

Getting There

We will meet at a parking lot near Shawnee Kansas on Monday, August 28. Our first night of the trip will be spent in Minneapolis and our last night will be spent in Ely. The trip price includes round-trip transportation by van from Kansas City. The van will depart our hotel near the Minneapolis airport by 8 a.m. on Tuesday, August 29. We will be in the Ely area early afternoon to meet our outfitter for canoes. At the end of the trip the next Friday night, we will clean up and stay in a local motel in Ely.  On Saturday morning, September 2nd, we will drive back to Kansas City where we should arrive that evening.

Accommodations and Food

We will have multiple stops for lunch type foods as we drive to our hotel in Minneapolis. Dinner will be at a restaurant near the hotel Monday night. These meals are not included in the trip cost. Our Minneapolis hotel provides breakfast. Our first meal of the trip will be dinner Tuesday night at our rustic hand-crafted log cabin overlooking Fall Lake.

We will spend the first night in Minneapolis before we drive to our launch point Tuesday afternoon. Friday, the last night, we will stay at a local motel in Ely to freshen up before heading out to shop and eat at the local brewery. Dinner is not included in the trip costs.  If participants wish, they can bring additional between-meal snacks. All extra snack food must be packaged according to BWCA regulations and must fit in a bear can. No glass bottles or cans are allowed. We will do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions.

Equipment

Kevlar canoes, paddles, and PFDs are included in the trip cost. Detailed equipment and gear lists will be provided to participants after registering for the trip. Please contact the trip leader if you have any questions.

LICENSE REQUIREMENTS + REGULATIONS:

A Minnesota fishing license is needed for this trip if you plan to fish. A resident Minnesota individual fishing license (Code 111) is $25 and it is good for the year. If you are a non-resident, an individual annual fishing license is $51 (Code 121). There is also a 72-hour/3-day individual license available $36 (Code 127). You can buy it online.

https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/licenses/fishing/index.html