Our primary service is to help you choose an entry and plan a route. We do this based on party make-up, previous experience desire for solitude, trip interests, and length of trip. Please phone us to discuss trip ideas.  Entry points should be thought of as the small end of a funnel. Each day a limited number of parties may enter through that "funnel".  The farther out they travel, the fewer other parties they will encounter.

If an entry point has a low quota (1-4 parties per day), dispersal happens relatively quickly. When starting from heavy use entry points with large quotas (14-27 parties per day), it will probably take a few days of traveling before the "crowd" thins out. In most cases, these heavier use areas are the easier routes to travel ... they have fewer portages, and usually they are short. There are a few low quota entry points that lead toward routes with only a few short portages, but these are exceptions. Don't get too hung upon portages, though; roughly 80% of the portages in the BWCA are less than 1/4 mile in length.

The intent of this information is to introduce you to the various locations from which your travel group may start your trip. We would hope that you do not treat this listing as a catalog from which to choose a particular location. Instead, pick out an two or three entries that sound good to you and let us know why you think they would be a good match for your group. This will help us understand what you are thinking and be more accurate in applying for your permits.

If your group has been to the North Country before on a canoe trip, you may already have a favorite entry point. But if this is your first trip, or if you are just looking for a chance to consider something new, the following is our synopsis of each of the major Entry Points in the Ely area.