Along the Gunflint Trail, canoe camping is a family affair. Canoeing groups of all ages venture into northern Minnesota’s famed Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to explore a wonderland of pristine lakes interconnected with forested portage paths. For many children, a BWCAW visit is their introduction to camping and the outdoors.
Along the Gunflint Trail, canoe camping is a family affair. Canoeing groups of all ages venture into northern Minnesota’s famed Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to explore a wonderland of pristine lakes interconnected with forested portage paths. For many children, a BWCAW visit is their introduction to camping and the outdoors.
Encouraging more families to enjoy the outdoors, Gunflint Trail wilderness outfitters launched the Becoming a Boundary Waters Family program this year.
"We’re making the Boundary Waters more accessible to families," says Sue Ahrendt of Tuscarora Lodge and Outfitters.
Beginning at the Lake Superior village of Grand Marais, the Gunflint Trail is a paved road that goes north to the Canadian border, ending at Saganaga Lake. From the Gunflint, there are numerous access points to the BWCAW. It is a world-famous destination for wilderness paddlers.
In recent years, local outfitters have noticed fewer families are taking canoe trips. Nationally, researchers are finding today’s children, for a multitude of reasons, have fewer opportunities to experience the outdoors. Becoming a Boundary Waters Family is intended to reverse that trend by teaching folks camping and outdoor skills.
This summer, participating outfitters are holding a series of free, family friendly seminars at their businesses that focused on skills and activities such as setting up a tent camp, paddling and portaging basics, fishing, and wilderness navigation. Next year, they hope to expand the instruction by having a guide accompany Boundary Waters neophytes on the first day of their trip to show them the ropes.
A wealth of information is available on the website www.BecomingABoundaryWatersFamily.com.