Boundary Waters Canoe Map + 3-Day Beginner Route from Ely
A beginner-friendly Lake One to Lake Three loop, from Ely.
3-day beginner canoe trip in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A loop from Entry Point 30 through Lake One, Lake Two, and Lake Three with short, well-maintained portages, quiet campsites, and excellent walleye fishing, all launched from Ely.
Excellent itinerary planner! Detail oriented with thoughtful tips for my family’s trip.
12 stops on a real mapEvery stop pinned in order→Every stop is a real pin, in order.
Lake One, Lake Two & Lake Three · Entry Point 30 · Minnesota
5 of the stops on these 3 days.
Plan and book your 3 days in Boundary Waters, one step at a time
How 3 days in Boundary Waters split up
For a first canoe trip in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), base your logistics out of Ely and launch from Entry Point 30 (Lake One). This 3-day loop threads the interconnected chain of Lake One, Lake Two, and Lake Three, with short, well-maintained portages that make an ideal introduction to the lift-and-carry rhythm of wilderness paddling.
Day 1: Permit Pickup & Paddle to Lake Two · 5–7 miles
4 stops · Day one
Day 2: Explore Lake Two & Lake Three · 4–6 miles
4 stops · Day two
Day 3: Return to Entry Point 30 · 5–7 miles
4 stops · Day three
Permit Pickup & Paddle to Lake Two · 5–7 miles
Start in Ely by picking up your physical permit and watching the short orientation video at your outfitter or the Kawishiwi Ranger Station, then drive about 30 minutes east on the Fernberg Road to Entry Point 30 (Lake One). Launch by late morning and paddle Lake One through its maze of islands and bays, tackling a couple of short, flat portages as an introduction to lift-and-carry travel.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
Tony Webster from Minn / CC BY-SA 2.0Drive fromPermit pickup + ~30 min to Entry Point 30 · car required · DriveEly is the main gateway town for this section of the Boundary Waters. Pick up your physical permit and watch the orientation video at your outfitter or the Kawishiwi Ranger Station, then drive about 30 minutes east on the Fernberg Road to Entry Point 30. Ely is roughly 2 hours from Duluth (DLH) and 4.5 to 5 hours from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP), so a car is required.
- Entry Point 30 (Lake One) landing
Signed turnoff off Fernberg Road · parking at the landing · ViewpointFrom Ely, drive east on the Fernberg Road to the signed turnoff for Entry Point 30. The road is paved and then gravel, with a parking lot at the landing and no services beyond it. Your quota permit specifies this entry point and entry date, and you must enter here on that date. Launch by late morning to give yourself time to find a campsite.
- Tony Webster from Minn / CC BY-SA 2.0Paddle Lake One & portages
2–3 mi · short flat portages under 80 rods · activityLaunch into Lake One, a winding lake full of islands and bays. You will hit a couple of short, relatively flat portages as you work deeper into the chain, a good chance to practice lifting and carrying the canoe. Landings are clearly signed, and you should watch for submerged rocks in the shallows.
- Camp on Lake Two
First-come wilderness site · Leave No Trace · lodgePaddle into Lake Two, a larger lake with many bays and islands, and start scouting for a campsite early in the afternoon. Look for a brown sign with a tent symbol, wind protection, a level tent pad, and easy canoe access. Set up camp, hang your food, and use only the established fire grate. Loon calls and stargazing cap the first night.
Explore Lake Two & Lake Three · 4–6 miles
Spend the morning exploring Lake Two, known for its walleye and smallmouth bass, then make the short portage into Lake Three. This portage is typically well-maintained and under 100 rods, opening access to more remote, secluded water. Decide whether to move camp or run this as a day trip and return to your Lake Two site.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Morning fishing on Lake Two
Walleye & smallmouth bass · MN license required · activityAfter breakfast, spend the morning exploring more of Lake Two, which is known for walleye and smallmouth bass. Paddle into hidden coves and islands or fish straight from the canoe. A Minnesota fishing license is required, and catch-and-release is encouraged for larger fish.
- Tony Webster from Minn / CC BY-SA 2.0Portage to Lake Three
Short, well-maintained · typically under 100 rods · activityMake the short portage from Lake Two into Lake Three. It is typically well-maintained and under 100 rods, though it can be muddy after rain. This opens access to more remote water. Decide whether to move camp onto Lake Three or run it as a day trip and return to your Lake Two site.
- Explore Lake Three
More secluded · moose, eagles & rocky points · ViewpointLake Three offers similar paddling and fishing to Lake Two but feels more secluded. Spend the afternoon along its shores watching for moose and eagles, taking a quiet lunch on a rocky point, or swimming on a warm day among the small islands.
- Camp on Lake Two or Lake Three
Second night · wilderness camping · lodgeReturn to your Lake Two site or settle onto a new site on Lake Three for the second night. Secure all food and scented items away from camp, conserve firewood if you build a fire, and enjoy another evening under the stars before the paddle out.
Return to Entry Point 30 · 5–7 miles
Break camp early, double-check the site for forgotten items and trash, and start paddling before the afternoon wind builds. Retrace your route through Lake Two and complete the familiar portages back into Lake One, which feel more manageable the second time around.
Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.
- Break camp & paddle Lake Two
2–3 mi · start early to beat the wind · activityWake early, eat, and break down camp efficiently, double-checking the site for forgotten items and trash and leaving it cleaner than you found it. Begin paddling back through Lake Two toward Lake One, starting early to get ahead of the afternoon winds.
Daniel Ziegler / CC BY-SA 4.0Portages back to Lake One2 short portages · familiar route · activityComplete the familiar portages that connect Lake Two back to Lake One. Having carried them on the way in, they feel more manageable now. Use proper lifting technique, be courteous to other groups on the trail, and stay hydrated.
- Paddle Lake One to Entry Point 30
2–3 mi · off the water by early afternoon · ViewpointThe final paddle across Lake One brings you back to the Entry Point 30 landing. Enjoy the last of the wilderness, then unload your canoe and gear and confirm everything is accounted for. Aim to be off the water by early afternoon.
Tony Webster from Minn / CC BY 2.0Drive back & stay in Ely~30 min · return rental gear · celebrate · lodgeLoad your canoe and gear and drive the 30 minutes back to Ely to return any rental gear and grab a celebratory meal and a hot shower. Ely makes an easy pre- and post-trip base, with cabins, outfitter bunkhouses, and the Kawishiwi Ranger Station in town.
Book the 2 nights
Beds near the trailheads are the one thing on this trip that genuinely runs out. Everything else can be decided later.
Tell us your dates and we will do the calling. We check every booking site, put your points and card perks against the cash price, and email you this plan back with the best room we can find for each night. Nothing is charged and you decide at the end.
Request to bookWhat to pack for Boundary Waters
Built from this route, not a generic list. Every line says why it is here.
On every day of this trip
Because you are sleeping indoors
For the driving days
Essential wilderness regulations & planning.
Permits & the quota system
An overnight quota permit is required for all trips from May 1 through September 30 and must be reserved through Recreation.gov. Permits are tied to a specific entry point and entry date, and you must enter the BWCAW on that date at Entry Point 30. Reservations open in late January, and popular summer weekends sell out fast.
Fees & fishing license
Expect a $6 Recreation.gov reservation fee plus a per-person user fee of about $16 per adult and $8 for youth and seniors for the quota season. A separate Minnesota fishing license is required to fish, and America the Beautiful Senior and Access passes reduce the per-person fee.
Camping & fire rules
Camp only at designated sites, which are first-come, first-served and marked with a brown tent sign. Campfires are allowed only in the established steel fire grates unless a burn ban is in effect. Bring a small saw for deadfall and never leave a fire unattended.
Bears & food storage
Black bears live in the BWCAW. Store all food, trash, and scented items by hanging them from a tree or using a bear-resistant container at least 100 feet from your tent and 200 feet from your cooking area, and never leave food unattended.
Leave No Trace & no cans
Pack out everything you pack in and keep noise to a minimum. All cans and bottles are prohibited, so repackage food and drinks into reusable containers. No motorized watercraft are allowed in this section of the wilderness. Group size is capped at 9 people and 4 watercraft.
Getting there & outfitters
Ely is about 2 hours from Duluth International Airport (DLH) and 4.5 to 5 hours from Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP); a car is required. Entry Point 30 is roughly 30 minutes east of Ely on the Fernberg Road. Outfitters such as Piragis Northwoods, Spirit of the Wilderness, and Boundary Waters Outfitters rent canoes, gear, and full kits.
Wet-foot portaging & protecting the hull
Practice wet-foot portaging instead of balancing on slick rocks: wear water shoes, step into knee-deep water at the landing, and lift the boat cleanly onto your shoulders before you walk. Coming into a landing, slow right down. Submerged boulder fields sit just off many portage takeouts, and a fast approach can crack a rented Kevlar hull. Ease the bow in gently and step out before the canoe grounds.
Everything you'll actually want to know.
Everything you'll actually want to know before a Boundary Waters trip.
This route from Entry Point 30 (Lake One) is beginner-friendly. The portages are generally short and flat, and the interconnected lakes are sheltered by islands, which reduces exposure to large open water. Wind can always add difficulty, but the overall physical demand is moderate, making it a good first wilderness canoe trip.
We'll find the cheapest way to do this trip.
Tell us your dates and we price the plan you just built: every booking site, the hotels direct, and your own points and card perks against the cash price. You get it back by email with a link for each night and what it saved you.
- It is free. The hotel pays us, not you. You pay their normal price.
- Nothing is charged and nothing is held. You decide at the end, or you walk away.
- Beds near trailheads are the part that runs out. Everything else can wait.
The figures below are estimates from local nightly rates, so you know the ballpark before you ask. The real number comes back once we have checked what is free.
- 2 nights, sites held for you
- Any permits secured before you fly
- Gear rented locally and waiting at the site
- The route pinned to your phone before you leave
- Everything in Camped
- Rooms booked for every night, one base where the route allows
- Dinner reservations on the nights that need them
- A rain-day plan written before you go
- Everything in Glamped, plus a local guide for the trip
- Airport pickup and every drive handled
- All the gear rented and waiting, so you pack clothes and nothing else
- Weather turns and they rewrite the day while you are still at breakfast
Written and walked by Yulia Vasilyeva · Co-founder · Lead planner and guide
Builds every custom itinerary herself and leads guided hikes in the Pacific Northwest, rated 5.0 by 20+ verified guests. Based in Seattle.
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What adventurers say about us.
All reviews are from verified guests. ★★★★★ 5.0 average from 20+ bookings.
"Felt like going out with a really knowledgeable friend who just happens to know everything about the area. No awkward tour-guide energy, just a magnificent day."
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"Phenomenal experience. Yulia has deep local knowledge and a real passion for the outdoors. She went out of her way to show us the hidden gems tourists never see. Will remember this forever."
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Fees, reservation windows, shuttle dates and trail closures are planning estimates. Confirm hours, road status and any reservations with the land manager before you go.
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You can't hike it if you can't get the permit.
The best hikes in America run on lotteries that open once a year and sell out in minutes. Every trail runs on its own calendar. Pick the ones you want and we do the watching.
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How it works
- An email the morning each window opens, never the day after.
- A 14-day heads-up so you can line up your group and dates.
- Win odds and a ranked backup plan for every trail you pick.
Didn't win? We keep watching. We check recreation.gov every day for The Enchantments, Half Dome and Angels Landing, and email you the moment a sold-out date frees up. Cancellations are the second chance most people never hear about.
Excellent itinerary planner! Detail oriented with thoughtful tips for my family's trip.