The Best Spring Reading we know of:

Time to plan your trip. Looking for ideas? We are always available to answer any of your questions and to get you the permits, gear and canoes you need for your trip: just call Bert or Drew at 1-800-223-6565

Sometimes it is fun to sit down with a couple of guide books and just explore the wilderness vicariously through the pages. We've sold more guidebooks on the Boundary Waters and Quetico than anyone over the years and we always have a good supply of the best.


Boundary Waters Canoe Area Volume 1 Western Region
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,8.html
By Robert Beymer. This guide describes 27 entry points in the western part of the BWCA Wilderness-those accessible from the Echo Trail, from the Fernberg Road, and from State Highway 1. It then suggests two routes from each entry point (a shorter route and a longer one). The reader is then taken through an entire trip, day by day, with attention to points of interest along the way. Includes map of the area and lake index for fishing that supplies useful information for anglers, featuring size and depth of lakes and fish species. pb 264 pages.

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Volume 2 Eastern Region
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,9.html
By Robert Beymer. This guide describes 28 entry points in the eastern part of the BWCA Wilderness-those accessible from the Sawbill Trail and the Gunflint Trail. It then suggests two routes from each entry point (a shorter route and a longer one). The reader is then guided through the entire trip, with attention to points of interest along the way. Includes area map and lake index for fishing with size, depth and fish species of individual lakes. pb 287 pages.

A Paddler's Guide to Quetico Provincial Park
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,21.html
By Robert Beymer. Quetico Provincial Park is one of the finest canoeing areas in the world. The rugged North Woods landscape with its majestic cliffs, spectacular waterfalls and sparkling lakes and rivers has made the park famous for its natural beauty. This book is a comprehensive guide to 31 canoe routes and 18 entry points. Also included is a color map showing all the routes and many campsites. pb 159 pages.

Boundary Waters Canoe Camping
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,10.html
By Kevin Callan. This is a paddler's guide to Quetico and beyond. Located west of Lake Superior on the Canada-US border and known to countless thousands of paddlers simply as "Canoe Country," Quetico Provincial Park is Ontario's second-largest wilderness park and connects to the United States via the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, mainland America's largest protected tract of wilderness. Eleven of Quetico's best trips. 192 pages.

Exploring the Boundary Waters A Trip Planner and Guide to the BWCAW
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,5541.html
By Daniel Pauly. "A must-have for canoeing the Boundary Waters and indispensable for those who go beyond the beaten path." CLIFF JACOBSON * A Steve Piragis Pick
Pack your paddles for the canoe trip of a lifetime in the one million acres of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This provides an overview of each entry point as well as detailed descriptions of more than one hundred specific routes including a ranking of their difficulty level, pros and cons, and 51 maps that feature the major waterways, portages, and designated campsites. Pauly, Boundary Waters expert, worked with the U.S. Forest Service, the Minnesota DNR and local outfitters (including Piragis) to show you how to: DESIGN YOUR OWN CANOEING ROUTES, DISCOVER PICTOGRAPHS, MINING SITES, LOGGING RAILROADS AND RUINS ON YOUR TRIP, HELP MAINTAIN THE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF THE WILDERNESS, OBTAIN A PERMIT, FOLLOW THE RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE PARK, AND SAFELY ENJOY YOUR TRIP

A companion Web site for this book presents useful information that can be downloaded for planning a trip, including gear lists, overview maps and route updates. Daniel Pauly is an attorney and has been a frequent visitor to the BWCAW for more than twenty years.

Day Hikes in Ely by Amy Wier, Piragis Staff

If you're in Ely and looking for an easy, scenic hiking trail reasonably
close to town, I would recommend two. The Kawishiwi Falls Trail is a new
attraction added around Fall Lake just outside of Ely on the Fernberg Rd.
Starting at the parking lot you gently wind around through a varying forest
of trees and some marshy areas full of songbirds and woodpeckers. Traveling
about 3/4 mile you are led to a breathtaking view of Fall Lake Dam. As the
water rushes over the Dam and the huge rocks below, it makes for a perfect
day of picture taking, picnicking, and dangling your feet in the water.
Caution should be used around the edges, especially if you have children,
the rocks can be slippery and the water is fast moving. Total length of
trail is 1.5 miles.



The other trail I would suggest is the Stub Lake Trail which can be
accessed also off the Fernberg Rd. The trail begins at Fall Lake Campground
6 miles east of Ely. Parking is at the campground's main parking lot and
from there you take a paved walk to the head of the Stub Lake Trail.
Immediately you begin a 1.5 mile hike along an upland forest, keep your eyes
open for various wildlife, we came across three deer along the way. One of
the trail highlights is a 200 foot long boardwalk through a cedar swamp. Later we
learned the materials were flown in by helicopter. The boardwalk allows you
to view yellow birch, basswood, and cedar trees. Just when you need to sit
and rest you come to the little opening of a sheltered Lake, known as Stub
Lake. Off to your left is a short trail that leads to the bird viewing
platform nestled in a wetland environment. Then you simply follow the trail
back. While at the campground please keep your dogs on leashes and avoid
the west shoreline of Stub Lake, as most of this shoreline is privately
owned. Total trail approximately 3 miles. So get out there and hike, and enjoy the outdoors.