BOUNDARY WATERS — Changes to toughen the cancellation policy for Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness permits are in the works, and the public is invited to weigh in.
The goal is to get unused permits back into the system faster by updating refund timing to encourage earlier cancellations.
Those who cancel 28 days or more before a trip would get back half of the deposit. Cancellations between three and 28 days would get 25% back, while those who cancel within two days would forfeit their deposits.
The current cancellation policy allows people to be refunded fully, minus the $6 reservation fee, if they cancel two or more days ahead of time.
The BWCAW is managed with daily entry quotas from May through September, and those permits are released in January.
Late cancellations and no‑shows continue to climb, according to the U.S. Forest Service. In 2025, nearly 40% of January reservations were never used, limiting timely access for others.
If changes are approved, they would go into effect in January 2027.
People may comment on the proposal through July 22 on the Superior National Forest website, by email at sm.fs.bwcawsurvey@usda.gov or by mail to the Superior National Forest, Attn: BWCAW Cancellation Policy, 8901 Grand Ave Place, Duluth, MN, 55808.
-
Contributed/Minnesota Department of Natural ResourcesThe intent of the ban is to reduce the risk of chronic wasting disease spread, following detections of CWD in wild deer in new areas of the state last year. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEThe business would grow, manufacture and sell cannabis out of the building off Highway 2, though there are still moving parts as far as the sale of the warehouse. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEMichael Hart escaped from a correctional facility and was later mistakenly released from jail. He was in custody for these charges when he escaped in 2025. -
Contributed/Office of the Governor via Minnesota ReformerSchiltz said the incursion of 3,000 federal agents and the Trump administration’s statements show the subpoenas were issued for harassing political opponents and coercing them into action. -
Plus: Changes are in the wings to the BWCAW permit cancellation policy; and the DNR is expanding a deer feeding and attractant ban in two Northern MN counties. -
Contributed/City of HermantownHermantown and Google jointly agreed to the updated study with current information allowing for greater specificity, the city reported. -
Canva Graphic/KAXEThe Beltrami County Sheriff's Office reported Floyd Cloud was hit June 21, 2026, on Division Street Northwest, west of Bemidji in Grant Valley Township. -
Lorie Shaull/KAXETimothy Scouton, 65, of Badoura Township in Hubbard County, pleaded guilty to accepting ballots from 11 unregistered voters in the 2024 general election. -
Photo illustration/Canva ProDennis N. Hyatt was traveling north on a Harley-Davidson Cruiser at 4:49 a.m. June 18, 2026, on Highway 371, making a left turn on Pine Beach Road north of Baxter. -
The three-sport athlete and recent graduate made an impact through her positive attitude, hard work and leadership — whether her team was winning or losing.
