The Full Minnesota Wilderness Experience
Most people do either the Boundary Waters or the North Shore. This 10-day itinerary does both — an 8-day canoe route through one of the most remote corridors of the BWCAW from Sawbill Lake, bookended by two days on the Superior Hiking Trail above Grand Marais. The Sawbill route sees significantly less traffic than the popular Entry Point 30 corridor, offering the solitude the BWCAW is famous for on most lakes.
Trip Overview
- Duration: 10 days / 9 nights
- Days 1-2: Superior Hiking Trail above Grand Marais
- Days 3-10: BWCAW canoe route — Sawbill Lake → Cherokee Lake → Frost Lake → Polly Lake → Smoke Lake → Sawbill Lake return (~75 miles, 18 portages)
- Longest portage: 180 rods (Frost Lake to Afton Lake section)
- Permit: BWCAW quota permit via recreation.gov (Entry Point 38, Sawbill Lake). Book 6 months in advance.
- Base town: Grand Marais, MN (Superior Trail days) and Tofte/Sawbill Landing (canoe start)
- Fly-in option: Wilderness Air out of Ely can fly you to remote entry points for one-way routes
Days 1-2 — Superior Hiking Trail: Devil Track Canyon
Arrive in Grand Marais. Hike the Devil Track Canyon section of the Superior Hiking Trail (5 miles each way) — a sandstone canyon carved by the Devil Track River, accessible only by foot from the SHT, with pools deep enough for swimming in late summer. Best overlook: the canyon rim at mile 3 looking north toward Canada. Camp at the backcountry site above the canyon rim on night 1. Night 2: stay in Grand Marais (Gunflint Lodge, Clearwater Canoe Outfitters for gear repack).
Day 3 — Drive to Sawbill, Enter BWCAW
Drive the 25 miles up the Sawbill Trail from Tofte to Sawbill Landing. Pick up your quota permit at the Sawbill Outfitters (one of the oldest and most knowledgeable outfitters in the system). Paddle Sawbill Lake (4 miles), portage 57 rods to Alton Lake, continue to Cherokee Lake. Camp on Cherokee's northern shore — an island site if available.
Days 4-5 — Cherokee to Frost Lake
Two days pushing deeper into the Boundary Waters' quietest corridor. Frost Lake is accessed via a series of smaller lakes (Sitka, Ahsub, Omega) with portages ranging from 20 to 180 rods. Frost Lake has some of the clearest water in the system and excellent lake trout fishing in early season. Camp two nights on Frost, using day 5 to explore the eastern bays by canoe only.
Days 6-7 — Frost to Polly Lake
The Polly Lake loop is the geographic heart of this route — a large, island-studded lake with wolf territory on the northern shore. Timber wolves denned near Polly regularly, and howling is sometimes audible at night in June. Camp two nights on Polly's protected western islands. Day 7: day paddle to Koma Lake and back, minimal portaging.
Days 8-9 — Return Loop via Smoke Lake
The return via Smoke Lake and Beth Lake adds variety to the route — different lakes than the inbound path, with one long portage (165 rods) that requires multiple trips for most paddlers. Smoke Lake has a strikingly different character: shallow, marshy arms where moose wade in the early morning. Camp below the Smoke-Sawbill portage on night 9.
Day 10 — Paddle Out
Final paddle back across Sawbill Lake to the landing. Drive to Grand Marais for dinner and the night, or Duluth for the flight home.
Portage Strategy
For 18+ portages, the key is minimizing trips. Pack everything into two loads maximum: one portage pack per paddler plus the canoe. Experienced partners can one-trip most portages under 100 rods. For longer portages, a tandem carry system saves time — one person carries canoe, the other does a double carry of packs.
