Serene canoe routes line wilderness area on Minnesota-Canada border

IF YOU GO

GETTING THERE: The Boundary Waters Canoe Area, part of Superior National Forest, is a four- to five-hour drive from Minneapolis-St. Paul and two to three hours north of Duluth. Entries to the western side of the wilderness area are near the towns of Ely, Cook and Crane Lake. The eastern side is reached by the Gunflint Trail or the Sawbill Trail, roads leading inland from the shore of Lake Superior.

PERMITS: Permits are required year-round for day and overnight visitors. Visit bwcaw.org or call (877) 550-6777 to make reservations. Outfitters also can arrange for permits.

TIMBER TRAIL LODGE AND OUTFITTERS: Cabin rates range from $900 to $3,600 a week during summer, while motel rooms with kitchenettes are $70 a night. The outfitting cost for a group of four on a five-day trip typically runs between $400 to $500; timber

As the “high-adventure” chairman of Scout Group 14 in suburban La Grange, John Lorenzen has gone on some exciting climbing, backpacking and sailing trips with his young charges.

But his favorite outings tend to be the mellower trips he’s led to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. This million-acre wilderness on the Minnesota-Canada border boasts more than 1,500 miles of canoe routes, nearly 2,200 campsites and 1,000-plus lakes and streams.

Since 2002, Lorenzen has visited the Boundary Waters nearly two dozen times.  He’s paddled hundreds of miles on crystal clear waters, camped out many a night, portaged (carried) canoes over scores of trails connecting lakes and has been sung to sleep by the eerie cries of loons. 

A former trial lawyer who became a stay-at-home dad more than a decade ago, Lorenzen said the Boundary Waters “has to be one of the most amazing places on Earth. It even smells different up there.  And while I wouldn’t recommend it to others, it’s so clean and pure that we drink right from the lakes without treating the water.”

When Lorenzen heads up to the Boundary Waters, he uses the Tuscarora Lodge and Outfitters along the Gunflint Trail, about 45 miles from Grand Marais, Minn. He said this side of the wilderness area is “less traveled . . . compared to Ely,” the other major staging point for canoe trips. “And I just like dealing with Sue and Andy Ahrendt, who run Tuscarora and have dropped us off at trailheads all over the place.

AG Thomson House Bed and Breakfast - Duluth MN Lake Superior Blog ...

We have enjoyed an unusually busy year so far at our Duluth Bed and Breakfast. If the first quarter of 2011 is any indication of how the rest of the year will be, we better hold on tight! We are deeply grateful to all of our guests, past and future, for choosing to spend their valuable time and resources with us. We are excited to see many of you again, and look forward to making new friends! We were incredibly excited to learn we were chosen for several prestigious awards and recognitions in 2011. We are grateful and humbled by the recognition, and know that we could not have accomplished what we have without the support of our wonderful guests, friends, family and colleagues! We love Duluth , and are very much aware of how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful destination area that allows us to share our home with you! Trip Advisor's #1 Bed and Breakfast in Duluth and Minnesota! Our Duluth, Minnesota Bed and Breakfast is nestled peacefully amid towering pines in ultimate seclusion, and perched high above majestic Lake Superior in Duluth's Historic Congdon Mansion District. Featuring seven exquisite guest rooms with whirlpools, lake views, and the ultimate in privacy and romance. Surpassing the ordinary...Let us welcome you home to the new A.G. Thomson House!

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