Boundary Waters

The Emergency Forest Order, which prohibited campfires and charcoal-fueled cookstoves, will be lifted on June 12, 2026.

A few wilderness campsites may be closed, but there are no other closures in the Boundary Waters. There is currently a campfire ban within the area because of dry conditions.

The Emergency Forest Order will be in effect in all areas of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness beginning at midnight on June 6, 2026.

The Senate's 50-49 vote on April 16, 2026, reverses a 20-year mining ban in the Superior National Forest in the Rainy River watershed, within which the BWCAW is located.

As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on reversing a 2023 mining ban in the Superior National Forest, Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith spoke on the Senate floor April 14, 2026.

Conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts are pleading with the public to demand that protections in the BWCAW concerning mining interests stay in place, with a key vote in Congress pending.

A single text quickly became a community-powered benefit concert in support of Save the Boundary Waters, a nonprofit aiming to protect the area from copper-nickel mining.

Permits are needed to visit the Boundary Waters in May through September. The Superior National Forest encourages planning your backcountry trip and only reserving permits you can use.

The area is located in the Rainy River Watershed, next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and contains deposits of copper, nickel and cobalt.

The U.S. Forest Service will maintain its rules restricting how food, food containers and other attractants are stored in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.