News and Features - Paddle and Portage

No RABC Permit, No Problem: Telephone Reporting Sites Go Live in Quetico in June

May 21, 2026

News, The Magazine

Quetico entrance at Cache Bay. Photo by Joe Friedrichs Paddlers will be able to enter Quetico Provincial Park at the Prairie Portage and Cache Bay ranger stations using the new telephone reporting sites starting next month. Paddle & Portage...

Helium Exploration Rolls Along Near the Boundary Waters

May 16, 2026

News, The Magazine

Looking for helium near the Boundary Waters. Photo courtesy of Pulsar Helium Deposits of helium found near the Boundary Waters remain a quiet talking point amongst industry insiders, state and federal regulators, politicians, and others interested...

Wildfire Shuts Down Highway 61 Near Two Harbors

May 15, 2026

News

Wildfire burning May 15 near Lake Superior alongside Highway 61 A wildfire is burning along Highway 61 near Two Harbors. The fire is torching in the trees with 50 to 60 ft. flame lengths, according to the manager of operations for what is being...

More Details Emerge As RABC Program Enters Final Months

May 12, 2026

News

The RABC Program ends Sept. 14. P&P file photo BOUNDARY WATERS – People who cross the border lakes this fall who are enrolled in the NEXUS Program may have an easier time traveling into Canada. In a statement sent May 8 to Paddle & Portage...

Gunflint Trail Bait Shop Reopens In Time for BWCA Fishing Opener

May 8, 2026

News, The Magazine

Scott Stahnke greets customers May 8 at Ugly Baby Bait & Boats on the Gunflint Trail. Photo by Joe Friedrichs GUNFLINT TRAIL – The building was the ugly baby, he’ll tell you. It’s an oft-asked question as people pass by this iconic landmark in...

Fernberg Project to Commence Without Prescribed Fire in the BWCA Wilderness

May 6, 2026

News, The Magazine

Prescribed fire is a tool the Forest Service uses, primarily outside the BWCA Wilderness. Photo courtesy of Superior National Forest ELY – Expanded hiking opportunities, logging, and prescribed fire are coming to a popular gateway to the Boundary...

Minnesota Politics and the Future of the Boundary Waters

May 4, 2026

News

The BWCA remains the most visited wilderness in the nation. P&P file photo SAINT PAUL – Alex Falconer once ran across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. On Friday, May 1 he was stationary, taking questions from an ethics committee about...

Wilderness Watch Files Appeal on BWCA Towboat Ruling

Apr 26, 2026

News

The issue of towboats in the BWCA Wilderness is back in court . P&P file photo from Willy Vosburgh Environmental advocates want a federal appeals court to restrict the ability for people to use motorized boats in select areas of the Boundary...

Permit Cancellations and No-Shows Continue to Dominate BWCA Visitor Report

Apr 24, 2026

News

Sign at an outfitter in Ely. Photo by Joe Friedrichs For the fifth consecutive year, the number of people cancelling a permit to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness continued to climb, according to a new report from the U.S. Forest Service....

Forest Service Says Proposed Ely Facility Closure Not ‘Final’

Apr 23, 2026

News

State Highway 1 is the road between Ely and the North Shore. The future of a facility owned by the Forest Service along the highway near Birch Lake is in question. P&P file photo by Erica Dischino ELY – The problem is, the U.S. Forest Service...

U.S. Senate Grapples With Mining Ban Near the BWCA Wilderness

Apr 16, 2026

News

U.S. Sen. Tina Smith talks April 15 on the Senate floor about her concerns for lifting a mining ban near the BWCA. Image courtesy of the U.S. Senate UPDATE: The U.S. Senate today (April 16) approved a resolution that would lift a mining ban from an...

Stauber Cites Iran War as Another Reason to Build a Mine Near the Boundary Waters

Apr 14, 2026

News

Congressman Pete Stauber (center with cap on) and District 3A Rep. Roger Skraba talk with BWCA business owners at Crane Lake in fall 2025. Photo by Joe Friedrichs UPDATE: It's possible (even likely) the U.S. Senate will vote on Stauber's resolution...

News & Features

No RABC Permit, No Problem: Telephone Reporting Sites Go Live in Quetico in June

Helium Exploration Rolls Along Near the Boundary Waters

Wildfire Shuts Down Highway 61 Near Two Harbors

More Details Emerge As RABC Program Enters Final Months

Gunflint Trail Bait Shop Reopens In Time for BWCA Fishing Opener

Fernberg Project to Commence Without Prescribed Fire in the BWCA Wilderness

Minnesota Politics and the Future of the Boundary Waters

Wilderness Watch Files Appeal on BWCA Towboat Ruling

Permit Cancellations and No-Shows Continue to Dominate BWCA Visitor Report

Forest Service Says Proposed Ely Facility Closure Not ‘Final’

U.S. Senate Grapples With Mining Ban Near the BWCA Wilderness

Stauber Cites Iran War as Another Reason to Build a Mine Near the Boundary Waters

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