A sparkling boundary waters lake with paddler and dog.
© Boundary Waters Guide Service     PO Box 731, Ely, MN 55731     info@BoundaryWatersGuideService.com     218-343-7951
There is magic in the feel of a paddle and the movement of a canoe, a magic compounded of distance,
adventure, solitude and peace. The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness and of a freedom almost
forgotten, the open door to waterways of ages past and a way of life with profound and abiding satisfaction.
– Sigurd Olson
What is the Boundary Waters
Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW?
Guided and fully outfitted canoe trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) near Ely, Minnesota.
Fully Outfitted Guided Boundary Waters Canoe Trips for Friends and Families
Fully Outfitted Guided Boundary Waters Canoe Trips for Friends and Families
 
First, it is a place of many names.  
People often shorten the name to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area or the acronym, BWCA.  
Some affectionately call it the “Ole’ B Dub.”  You may hear it called “Up North,” “North Woods,” "Quetico-
Superior," or "Voyageur Country."  Those who have experienced it refer to “God’s Country.”  

In local lingo, it is simply the Boundary Waters.
The Boundary Waters is Unparalleled Beauty.
Over a million pristine acres of wilderness on the Minnesota-Canada border.
1,200 sparkling lakes.
Hundreds of miles of pure streams.
Roaring waterfalls.
A boundary waters stream.
Rushing rapids.
Towering granite cliffs.
Curtain Falls in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
Murphy's Rapids in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
No motors allowed on interior lakes.
The painted cliffs on Lac La Croix along the United States and Canada border.
A Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA - lake in the morning.
The Boundary Waters is Canoe Camping Paradise.
Paddling a canoe into the sole campsite on a lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
The only way to see this is by canoe.
A kevlar canoe at a campsite in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
Hundreds of miles of canoe routes.
Two paddlers on the North Kawishiwi River in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
Waterways connected by historic portage trails.
Walking in the steps of ancient inhabitants, we carry our canoes and gear between lakes.
Almost 2,000 remote campsites.
Crackling campfires.  Delicious camp cooking.
Massive pines tower overhead.
The Boundary Waters is Adventure.
National Geographic Adventure Magazine proclaims a BWCA canoe trip
one of their Top 10 Outdoor Adventures
Explore around the next bend.
Travel the ancient routes of Native Americans.
Wonder at their mysterious pictographs.
Portaging a canoe on a camping trip in the Bounary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
A remote campsite in the boundary waters.
Everything tastes better on trail.
Feisty smallmouth and largemouth bass.
The Boundary Waters is Fishing.
Lakes teeming with fish.
Lunker (and "good eating size") walleye.
Big northern pike.
Elusive lake trout.
And a delicious fish fry!
A towering white pine in the BWCA.
A view of Lac La Croix in the boundary waters.
Native American pictographs on South Hegman Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
Majestic moose.
The Boundary Waters is North Woods Wildlife.
No humans may live here. We are merely guests of the wild creatures and the call of the loon.
Elusive timberwolves.
Mighty black bear.
Soaring bald eagles, deer, busy beavers, and more critters.
Three common loons on Fourtown Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
A bull moose and a cow moose in a sea of wild rice in the boundary waters.
A gray wolf at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota.
A black bear at the North American Bear Center in Ely, Minnesota.
A young bald eagle in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
The Boundary Waters is our Passion.
Let Boundary Waters Guide Service lead your memorable adventure!
A nice smallmouth bass caught in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
A happy fisherman with his big lake trout caught in Lac La Croix.
A big northern pike caught in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
A fish fry in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
Guide Kate Ford with a lunker largemouth bass.
A good eating size walleye caught in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness - BWCAW - BWCA.
Guide Jason Zabokrtsky on Fourtown Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) Wilderness.
Guided and fully outfitted canoe trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) near Ely, Minnesota.
A boundary waters sunset.
No roads, motors, signs, airplanes, cabins, docks...
The Boundary Waters is Solitude.
Silence.  Pure wilderness.
No man-made structures.
Only small groups may travel together.
Group size is limited by law to 9 people and 4 watercraft.
Only a limited number of groups may enter.
Access is strictly limited by quota permits.
Solitude along the shorelines of granite and pines.
Arriving at a campsite on Lower Pauness Lake in the BWCA and accessed from the Echo Trail.
Arriving at a portage while canoeing the Kawishiwi River in the BWCA.
Sunrise on a BWCA guided camping trip.
The sun sets on a boundary waters lake.
Fun with kids.
The Boundary Waters is Family Fun.
Lifetime memories.
Fireside stories.
Soul shaping experiences.
A young family of four all fit in one canoe for the kids' first canoe camping trip.
Smallmouth bass and kids like crayfish hunting.
Tending the campfire on an island in Crooked Lake.
Rest by the shores of a quiet lake.
The Boundary Waters is Relaxation.
Put up your feet.
Nature rejuvenates your spirit and uplifts your soul.
Leave your stress in New York City. This couple did when they came on a guided BWCA wilderness canoe camping trip.
Expect beautiful moments you pray you will never forget.
All is right at the end of the day after paddling the Boundary Waters.
Bring the book you've been meaning to get to, or anything by Ely writer Sigurd Olson.