Additional Boundary Waters entry points to open for day use Friday

BOUNDARY WATERS — Another 15 Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness entry points will open for day use Friday, July 31.

The Superior National Forest announced the additional openings Thursday as Phase 3 of its reopening of the Boundary Waters. The entire wilderness closed July 14 due to numerous wildfires.

Phase 1 began Monday with multiple Cook County entry points opening for day use, and Phase 2 reopened overnight camping for much of the central and eastern Boundary Waters, effective Thursday.

All other entry points will remain closed as wildfires continue to burn.

A total of 29 camping, boating, hiking and other recreation sites in the western portion of the Superior National Forest will also reopen Friday. The sites have been closed since July 15 because of the wildfires.

The Fenske Lake, Lake Jeanette and Fall Lake campgrounds remain closed.

The U.S. Forest Service stated it expects to announce additional Boundary Waters reopening updates later this week and "will continue coordinating closely with partners to determine when conditions are appropriate enough to reopen."

"Many areas of the BWCAW remain heavily affected by wildfire. Active fires continue to burn, smoke impacts persist, and crews must clear hazardous snags, assess damaged infrastructure such as campsites and latrines, and manage the presence of firefighting equipment throughout the region," a news release stated Thursday.

"Current containment of the fires is at 56% and there are still over 1,000 firefighting staff — between ground and aerial resources — suppressing the fires."

For those with permits for closed entry points, forest staff pointed to alternative recreation in the national forest, including its campgrounds and 254 backcountry campsites, plus other recreation opportunities on nearby state and county land.

Forest staff noted if wildfire activity increases or conditions shift, the reopening plans may change. Conditions across the entire wilderness are being monitored daily.

"The Forest Service reminds visitors to be diligent in planning trips into newly reopened and all parts of the BWCA," the release stated. "Plan to be self-sufficient, ensure a travel plan is in place and shared with family or friends, know weather forecasts and fire conditions before your trip, travel with multiple means of communication, and understand that you are entering a remote Wilderness area with risks due to weather, access, and potential wildfire activity."

The latest wildfire conditions can be found on InciWeb.

Areas reopening Friday, July 31

Editor's note: This story was updated at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, July 30, to include information about the reopening recreation sites.