I have been waiting years to go back to the BWCA and finally set to do so in the late summer of 2026. My wife, Nikita, had never been into the BWCA or done this level of camping before and was nervous and excited to give it a shot. Our original plan was a Fall Lake entry, however the wildfires forced us to change plans on the fly and suddenly we were driving up to pick up our canoe from Cliff World's on 08/17/2026 with an entry permit for Moose Lake on the following morning. We had driven 4 hours north to get here and would be staying at the Cliff World's campsite for one night before driving out to our entry point around sunrise. Despite the changed plans and worries about closures, this trip turned out to be one of the most rewarding adventures we have ever been on together.
08/18/2026 - We entered the Moose Lake EP around 7:00 am and began our long paddle north. The water was incredibly calm and we didn't see anyone until the shuttles started passing us around the time we hit Newfound Lake. After about 2 hours of paddling, we passed through Sucker Lake and made it to our first portage. After a quick 10 rod portage we continued our paddle along Birch Lake and the Canadian Border. Another 51 rod portage into Carp Lake and we still had not seen a soul. However, much to Nikita's excitement there were lots of little critters to take pictures of (frogs, birds, crayfish, and six turtles!) and the weather was perfect with a slight cool breeze. We made our way through a sequence of river sections, some of which were low enough we had to get out and pull the canoe along, until we finally hit Knife Lake. This would be our final stop for the day, however, we ended up travelling much further than we planned as most of the campsites we had planned for were taken. We finally found a lovely lookout point campsite just west of Thunder Point in a small cove. We had travelled much further than we had planned in one day and were happy to finally lay down and eat some food.
08/19/2026 - We got up and had a slow morning with some delicious coffee (melting werthers caramels into coffee is amazing). We set out to begin our push south through a series of small lakes until we hit Wisini Lake. The day started easy through Bonnie and Spoon Lakes until we hit Pickle and Kekekabic Lake. The portages suddenly became much more vertical with not much downward travel to match. This culminated in the portage from Kekekabic Lake to Strup Lake which was practically a rock scramble with a canoe on your shoulders. This was the end of the great struggles for the day and after one last tiny 10 rod portage into Wisini all our effort was rewarded. The most amazing cliff top campsite I have ever stayed at was available and we claimed it immediately. We set up camp and Nikita took a hammock nap while being harassed by two of the most annoying yellowjackets to ever live. After some intrepid bug hunting I was able to take out one of them and the other seemed to leave for a bit. I got some reading done and we decided to spend a zero day at this amazing site and try out some fishing the next day.
08/20/2026 - We spent the morning sleeping in during some light rain. Once the rain stopped we decided to check out the southern coves of the lake and try fishing for the first time in the BWCA. Nikita had the only luck for the day with two small mouth bass. We saw more rain coming on the horizon and made our way back to camp. We also saw some incredible rock structures to the southern end of the lake which looked like perfect squares had been cut out of the cliff sides.The rest of the day was spent relaxing, reading, and exploring some of the nearby cliffs when it wasn't raining. The night time brought a small thunderstorm that was pleasant to fall asleep to.
08/21/2026 - The morning was foggy and we got on our way to Ima Lake which was our destination for the day. We started the day with one of the longer portages of the trip at 90 rods which was not too bad compared to the hills of the previous travel day. We quickly passed through Ahmakose and Gerund Lakes and reached Fraser Lake while it was still morning. Fraser was beautiful and we saw a River Otter swimming between some rocks. To the southern end of the lake there were large groups of baby ducks all swimming together in a row. The small narrows between Fraser Lake and Thomas Lake were amazing and the rock structures were a particular favorite of Nikita's. Thomas Lake was uneventful if only a little windy which made this section of paddling annoying. We then hit the river section that would take us to Ima Lake. Almost as a good sign for what was to come, we saw multiple baby pikes swimming and resting in the river underneath us. There was a very cool section of rapids early on which led to a shallow section of river we had to walk the canoe through. Eventually, we made it to Ima Lake and spent the next hour circling the entire lake looking for a good campsite only to end up at the one just north of the portage we had just come from. We set up camp and decided it would be a good time to take a dip in the water to wash off. The water was the perfect temperature and being able to clean off was a great reward for all the paddling. We had some food and rested for a bit before deciding to go for an evening fishing trip to the cove just north of us. This would prove to be both the best catches of the trip and forever infect Nikita with the goal of hunting monster pike. The only time we did not bring the camera with us, Nikita's rod suddenly bent all the way to the water. We initially thought she had snagged a log, however, the line quickly ran out to the middle of the cove and pulled the canoe along with it. A 10 minute battle ensued which resulted in ~36 inch pike being dragged onto the boat barely fitting into the net. Shortly after, I was able to haul in a ~28 inch pike which was a personal best for me but still thoroughly outclassed by Nikita's monster. We returned to camp triumphant until Nikita realized she would now have to catch an even larger pike next year and get a photo with it.
08/22/2026 - We woke up at 5:45 am and broke camp quickly this morning as the forecast was showing heavy headwinds for the day. We quickly paddled across Ima to get off any big water before the winds started. We made our way into the Jordan Lake narrows and saw two very faded pictographs. It is incredible to think how long those have lasted along the water. We kept pushing through Cattyman Lake and reached the Cattyman Waterfall which was tucked down some side trails off the portage into Gibson Lake. The waterfall was incredible and felt like something out of a dream. We spoke with some people passing us the other direction and learned that Ensign Lake was very busy and already likely full of people. After we made it to the longest portage of the trip (105 rods, Gibson Lake to Ashigan Lake) we spoke with another couple who had just left camp at Ashigan Lake. They told us the site they had stayed at was amazing and there was a Bald Eagle living on the lake as well. Not wanting to pass up the chance to see it and hoping to avoid the crowds on Ensign, we decided to stay the night on Ashigan and end our day early. The campsite was just west of the portage and was as amazing as described. We immediately saw the Bald Eagle which flew low and fast over the campsite multiple times. We suspected its nest was close by and after bushwacking for about 150 feet to the west of the campsite we were able to spot the nest at the top of one of the tallest trees in the woodline. In full bird watching excitement, Nikita spent the remainder of the day collecting feathers and tracking all manner of birds in the woods around camp while I rested and got some reading in. We were both very content and happy to be slowly working our way back out of the wilderness and looking forward to seeing our cats at home.
08/23/2026 - I woke up earlier than Nikita and was greeted by a thick fog that obscured all other shorelines around the campsite. It felt like we had set camp up in a void of grey and white. I spent some time watching a family of four Loons gathering food in the morning fog as the two babies were learning how to dive from their mother. Eventually the morning sun burned off the fog and we set out for our final campsite on Ensign Lake. With only one portage and about an hour of paddling to do the day of travel passed quickly. We found a small tucked away campsite on the west end of Ensign Lake and watched a small boy haul in a large pike with his dad while his cheers echoed across the lake. We were very excited to get out and try some fishing ourselves. I set up camp while Nikita tried her hand at foraging. She collected a full bowl of choke cherries which were partially eaten by us and then left for a chipmunk who shared the site with us. We went out for an earlier afternoon fishing run and found a few smallmouth bass. We then took a small snack break and headed back out for the evening. The last fishing attempt for the trip was very fruitful as multiple small pike were caught and Nikita pulled in a ~12 inch small mouth bass that fought like hell. Finally, as the sun set below the trees we returned and bedded down for the last night in the wilderness.
08/24/2026 - We woke up just before sunrise on our last day, intent on getting home early with time to spare. We pushed out of Ensign Lake and quickly across Splash Lake. Once we were back on Moose Lake the only thing left to do was paddle hard until we hit our exit. We were travelling at the fastest speed we had travelled the whole trip, passing other canoe groups near us as we imagined a hot shower and a large dinner from Olive Garden once we got home. After an hour and a half we finally hit our exit and pulled the canoe out of the water for the last time. We packed up the car, chatted with some of the people who were just starting their trips and then headed back into Ely to return the canoe.
This was my first time planning a BWCA trip myself and Nikita's first experience with wilderness camping at all. It was intense, amazing, difficult at times, and very rewarding. Nikita has already told me we have to go back so she can continue hunting for trophy fish and I agree. I see this becoming a more regular yearly experience for us and one we can share with other friends and family to show them the beauty of northern Minnesota.