As an active heatwave and wildfires impact the most visited wilderness area in the nation, the U.S. Forest Service will announce that overnight permits to enter the wilderness will not be issued at this time and all backcountry access is prohibited until further notice. Day trips to the BWCA Wilderness are not allowed under the closure.

The closure starts Tuesday, July 14. No overnight permits will be issued Monday. Day use motor permits will not be issued starting Tuesday. This closure includes all entry points and access to the BWCA Wilderness.

Paddle & Portage confirmed the news with multiple outfitters late Sunday night (July 12). One outfitter told P&P they were “shocked” by the news. Another echoed similar sentiments, but expressed a degree of understanding in the name of public safety and so the Forest Service can coordinate logistics to fight multiple fires burning in the BWCA at this time. Two active wildfires in the wilderness are now each larger than 600 acres.

A large section of the western side of the BWCA near Ely was closed ahead of the forthcoming announcement shutting down access to the entire wilderness area. A section of the Gunflint District near Ottertrack Lake was also closed late last week.

Even with a large section of the BWCA in the Ely area already closed ahead of the announcement to close the entire wilderness area, it will take time to clear the backcountry of canoe campers, backpackers and other recreationists. The BWCA is spread across more than a million-acres with many remote campsites dispersed throughout a series of lakes, streams and hiking trails. The Forest Service said it will send crews into the BWCA starting Tuesday (at the latest) to inform people that the wilderness is closed.

Included in the closure are all portages, lakes, waterways and hiking trails in the BWCA. Recreationists with reserved permits for the next week will be refunded.

News of the shutdown was being discussed widely on social media platforms Sunday night before the Forest Service confirmed the closure publicly. And while the BWCA shutdown is unique, it is not the first time access to this highly visited canoe country has been restricted. The BWCA shutdown entirely in 2021, largely due to the memorable Greenwood Fire that burned near Isabella.

When it comes to popular lakes such as Seagull and Saganaga at the end of the Gunflint Trail that are partially in and outside of the wilderness, it is typical that only the section of the lake inside the BWCA will be closed, if the 2021 closure serves as the blueprint for the upcoming closure.

Paddle & Portage will report on the BWCA closure in the days, and likely weeks ahead. Follow us on YouTube, where we will share footage from the BWCA and the Gunflint Trail on Monday, July 12.

Once the wilderness closes Tuesday there is currently no timeline for when the BWCA will reopen to public access.

There is no immediate word on if Quetico Park will also shut down entirely. There are temporary closures on the north side of Quetico at this time.

Regarding specifics on the fires themselves: Two BWCA wildfires are now both more than 600 acres. One of the fires currently burning in the BWCA Wilderness is the Thumb Fire, which was approximately 600 acres as of 11:50 p.m. Sunday. The fire was 20 acres at the end of the day Thursday, July 9, the day it was detected. The Thumb Fire is burning in the northwest corner of Contentment Lake, a remote lake in the BWCA located in the Weeny Lake Primitive Management Area (PMA).

Another active fire burning in the BWCA at this time is the Beartrap Fire, which was approximately 700 acres as of Sunday night. This fire is located near the Beartrap River in a remote section of the BWCA Wilderness, one with limited access for firefighters. The meandering river (more like a stream) is located in the Sundial PMA.

Near the Gunflint Trail, a prescribed fire the U.S. Forest Service started in late May flared up Sunday amid the dry, windy, and hot conditions. Smoke was visible along the North Shore and Gunflint Sunday evening, with the smoke getting thicker later into the evening hours. Smoke also rolled down from the Otter Track Fire, which is actually burning in Quetico near the Cache Bay Ranger Station and Saganaga Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail. Multiple calls Sunday afternoon from private landowners concerned about a fire being on Sag or Seagull proved to be false alarms. The fire and smoke were from the Otter Track Fire.

Subscribe to Paddle and Portage to support journalism and updates from and about the Boundary Waters. Use the promo code ‘Summer25’ this week to get 25 percent off an annual membership.