It would be foolish to visit the Boundary Waters without a map.

Ben Strege, the founder of Paddle Planner, says it would be foolish to keep writing articles about the Boundary Waters without showing some of the locations on a map.

We hear you, Ben. Loud and clear.

The Paddle and Portage team are excited to announce a partnership with Strege and his online database for the canoe country, Paddle Planner.

The partnership will involve maps supporting many of the articles that appear in the Paddle and Portage digital magazine, as well as our monthly podcast. Articles posted online will also feature maps from Paddle Planner. The maps will show readers and listeners where the story they’re learning about took place, be that in the BWCA, Quetico, or other paddling destinations across the country and in Canada.

While talking with Friedrichs on a gorgeous sunny afternoon in late March near Lake Superior in Duluth, Strege said Paddle Planner aims to make it easy for people to plan canoeing and paddling routes, not just on the Boundary Waters and Quetico, but throughout all of the different canoeing and paddling areas throughout North America. For the BWCA and Quetico, Paddle Planner shows more than just how to get somewhere, but also how long it will take to get there.

“That’s our main aim, to answer that question. You see that question all the time. How long is it going to take me to get to this lake or that lake? And we try to make that really easy for you,” Strege said. “Along with that we have a lot of campsite reviews and photos and such. And lots of people, including myself, and a lot of other (paddling) community members have contributed to the website.”

Strege is far from a casual paddler. Or simply a tech dude who sits behind a computer typing up things about the canoe-country wilderness from afar. He gets out there. He puts his boots on the portage trails and his paddle in the water. At last count, Strege said, he’s done nearly 75 trips to the BWCA or Quetico. His first trip came when he was 12 years old.

“My dad took me on my first Quetico trip,” he said. “I still remember almost every detail of that trip decades later. When I am not on the water, I am dreaming of the next time I can be.”

Strege sat down in Duluth near Lake Superior in late March with Joe Friedrichs to talk about the partnership between Paddle Planner and Paddle and Portage. Listen to their conversation in the audio shared below.

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