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Folks who have not been to canoe country ask us many questions about planning a trip.  Invariably, we answer their question, and quickly add, “Figure out the dates of your trip and contact your outfitter with those dates as soon as possible.”  We addressed the idea of finding an outfitter and what they can do for you in an earlier post.  Now we must address the “dates” issue.

Permits are required for entry into both Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in northeastern Minnesota.  Both areas are controlled entry, meaning that only a specific number of permits are allowed per day into each entry point.  Additionally, there are a maximum number of canoes and people allowed under each permit.  Outfitters are experts at handling this information.  But they cannot begin to help you until they know the date you will arrive at their base, and the date you want to go out on the trail.  The most important thing for you to realize in this process is that “the early bird gets the worm.” (more…)