Surviving the Pagami Creek Fire: Outfitters Say the Boundary Waters is Open for Business

The Pagami Creek Fire had many paddlers fearful of visiting our favorite destinations, which is especially disappointing as autumn is a beautiful time of year in the border lakes country….the bugs are gone, the days are warm, the nights are crisp…the northern lights are vivid. But there’s good news according to local friends and outfitters — there is still time to enjoy the BWCAW this year! While the fire affected over 90,000 acres, that is just 1/10th of the protected wilderness area. Outside of the fire zone, thousands of lakes and tree-dotted shores await you.

We checked in with a few outfitters to see what they had to say about the fire and taking the canoe up to the Boundary Waters now:

From Mark Olson at Canoe Country Outfitters:

“The Pagami Creek forest fire has affected the entire region east of Ely but we have many excellent canoeing routes still open to the north and northwest. Entry points that have been unaffected by the fire include Mudro Lake, Fall Lake, Hegman, Wood, Slim Lake, the Moose River and the Little Indian Sioux River. Come and enjoy the beautiful Fall colors and end-of-season solitude!”

From Andy and Sue at Tuscarora Lodge and Outfitters:

“The Gunflint Trail Boundary Waters and Quetico Park Cache Bay entry points are open! Whether one is going into Lizz, Cross Bay, Missing Link, Brant or Seagull Lake, the fall is a beautiful time for a wilderness canoe or day trip – the trees are changing, warm days, no bugs, wilderness solitude. The upcoming forecast looks fabulous with a nice stretch of weather heading our way for canoe-country travelers. We would love to share this wilderness with your readers. Get the word out – the water and woods are waiting.”

From Bill Hansen at Sawbill Outfitters:

“Sawbill Lake entry point, and all the entry points east of Sawbill are open and available for some beautiful fall canoeing. The foliage is peaking during the next two weeks, raptors are migrating and the long range weather forecast is dry and warm. Without very much effort, you can have the a pristine wilderness lake to yourself.”

From Jim at Moosetrack Adventures:

The conditions in the Ely area have been surprisingly smoke free. There are plenty of paddling areas within the BWCAW still open and more are expected to open as fire containment continues.

From Steve and Ginny at Spirit of the Wilderness Outfitters:

“Spirit of the Wilderness Outfitters in Ely, MN is still open and renting canoes and outfitting groups. A number of the BWCA entry points are still open and permits are available. Entry points along the Echo Trail including Fall Lake, Moose Lake, Wood Lake, Crab Lake and Mudro are open.

Fall Colors
The Fall tree colors are becoming a great sight to see. The Echo Trail is full of maples and oaks changing to bright yellow, orange and red. Now is a good time for a visit.

Ely sky is clear
Ely is not experiencing any smoke from the Pagami Creek Fire. We do see many USFS and MN DNR vehicles traveling to and from the fire line south and east of Ely.

Walleye Bite
With the cooler temperatures at night, the lake waters are cooling off which means fish are coming closer to the surface. A good time to drop a jig or spinner laced with a night crawler or minnow and try your fishing skill.

Entry Points on Lakes One and Two
We saw air photos of Lake One-Two portage trail. It is ok and green. At this point the USFS expects 50-60% of the campsites in the area will be open in the Spring, 15% will need some reworking and 10% extensive work.”