Located in the northern third of the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) is some 1 million acres of amazing and unique landscape. Stretching more than 150 miles along the International Boundary adjacent to Quetico Provincial Park, Canada, and sharing boundaries with Voyageurs National Park, BWCA features roughly 1200 miles of canoe routes, some 2000 designated campsites, and a dozen hiking trails. Before the name was changed to BWCA, the region was called Superior Roadless Area, and in 1964, the area was incorporated into the National Wilderness Preservation System in an effort to maintain its primitive features. Arriving after the Sioux who sparsely populated the area, the first
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Animals that call the BWCA home includes, moose, deer, timber wolves, lynx, pine martens, wolverine, painted turtles, cougar, red fox, mink, fisher, otters, beaver, and black bears. It is also an important bird habitat that shelters loons, bald eagles, gray jays, ospreys, ravens and peregrine falcons.
The BWCA area is situated within the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, also known as the “North Woods,” which is a transitional zone that features the characteristics of both the boreal forests in the north and the temperate hardwood forest in the south that envelopes this zone. A divers array of tree exists within this area, which includes red pine, eastern white pine, balsam fir, Jack pine, Labrador tea, black spruce, white-cedar, and white spruce, along with deciduous birch, ash, maple, and aspen. Bunchberries, blueberries, red berries, and raspberries, can also be found during specific seasons.
A true wilderness is what you can experience in the BWCA with modern amenities such as electricity, motor vehicles, no designated roads to the interior, and telephone lines. Canoeing, hiking, camping, bird/wildlife watching, horseback riding, along with winter activities such as skiing, dogsledding, and snowshoeing are some of the activities that can be enjoyed in the
Animals that call the BWCA home includes, moose, deer, timber wolves, lynx, pine martens, wolverine, painted turtles, cougar, red fox, mink, fisher, otters, beaver, and black bears. It is also an important bird habitat that shelters loons, bald eagles, gray jays, ospreys, ravens and peregrine falcons.
The BWCA area is situated within the Laurentian Mixed Forest Province, also known as the “North Woods,” which is a transitional zone that features the characteristics of both the boreal forests in the north and the temperate hardwood forest in the south that envelopes this zone. A divers array of tree exists within this area, which includes red pine, eastern white pine, balsam fir, Jack pine, Labrador tea, black spruce, white-cedar, and white spruce, along with deciduous birch, ash, maple, and aspen. Bunchberries, blueberries, red berries, and raspberries, can also be found during specific seasons.
A true wilderness is what you can experience in the BWCA with modern amenities such as electricity, motor vehicles, no designated roads to the interior, and telephone lines. Canoeing, hiking, camping, bird/wildlife watching, horseback riding, along with winter activities such as skiing, dogsledding, and snowshoeing are some of the activities that can be enjoyed in the