Boundry Waters Canoe Area-Waypoints??

[seekers8711]

A friend and I are planning a canoe trip to The Boundry Waters Canoe Area north of Ely, MN this June.

Our permits are all secured and reserved.

MY QUESTION: Is there any source of Lat. & Long. coordinates for the lakes, designated campsites, and portages so we can enter them as waypoints into our GPS Map 76’s?

It sure would add a degree of confidence if some or all the above could be gleaned prior to the trip.

Any direct replies can be sent to me at:
[email protected] and I will also check this page frequently.

Hope someone can assist.

Thanks, seekers8711

[MR Andersen]

You could get yourself a Delorme Atlas & Gazetteer of Minnesota. I have one of WI and it has very detailed maps of lakes and backroads all with GPS Grids on each page. I once set up a trip ahead of time and figured out the grid co-ordinates of each intersection and was only off by 50 to 100 feet. Here’s the link to the web-site. http://www.delorme.com/atlasgaz/

Hope this helps, Mark

[parkview]

What lakes are you guys starting from and where are you ending up? I went last June (
2003) and did all my routes on Maptech software (http://www.maptech.com). This software showed me every campsite and all the portages that we needed to take. I ended up making a waypoint at every portage spot (start and finish) and at every campsite that we might want to stay at. This method got us within 50 feet everytime.
We still used Fisher maps, but the Garmin Vista did a great job letting us know how far we had to canoe and long it would it take.
We ended up traveling 72 miles in 8 days and knew where we were every second of the day and how far we had to row to get back.
I guess the one draw back of having the GPS is knowing just how far you have to go and not seeing that number go down really fast because your only going 4 to 5 miles an hour if your lucky (wind to the back is the only way we got up to 5 mph)

If you don’t have your own canoe make sure to get a kevlar one. It made such a huge difference when it was time to carry them. Just ask Uncle_Fun… He’ll tell you.

If you need anything else let me know

Parkview

[wzbt03]

I went on a trip up there two summers ago and bought the Magical Maps CD that has the whole area on it. This is the special CD just for the canoe trips. They request that copies not be made of the software but I would be happy to loan you my original if you would return it when done mapping.

I agree with the Kevlar canoe idea. We did a couple of portages that were greater then 1 mile and I would have hated myself if I had not gotten the Kevlar one.

When we were up there and set up for camp for the night, we had a visit from a couple of ladies that just wanted to rest a bit at our site before moving on. They we a pair of breast cancer survivors who where in the final stage of their “quest” as survivors on a month long canoe trip and were headed for the grand finish that features a 8 mile portage. Those were some neat people to meet.

If you would like to borrow my disk, just send me a email.

[Green Bay Paddlers]

I agree with the “Magical Maps” approach – we bought it last summer and love it.

Amy and I have been doing the BWCA the last couple of years. Definitely go with the Kevlar. Last year we did 12 portages in one day – the longest being a mile – it pays to have the kevlar in those types of situations.

Good luck! If you post the route you’re taking I’m sure many of us may know it (or parts of it)… We could help you plan…

Jeff

[Grandma & Grandpa]

Where is this Magical Maps available? Cost? What areas does it cover?

We do one or two big canoe trips every summer, plus several small 1-2 day trips. We’ve been to the Ely area, Canada a few times, & northern WI & the U.P. a lot. This resource sounds great!

quote:

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Originally posted by wzbt03:
I went on a trip up there two summers ago and bought the Magical Maps CD that has the whole area on it. This is the special CD just for the canoe trips. They request that copies not be made of the software but I would be happy to loan you my original if you would return it when done mapping.

I agree with the Kevlar canoe idea. We did a couple of portages that were greater then 1 mile and I would have hated myself if I had not gotten the Kevlar one.

When we were up there and set up for camp for the night, we had a visit from a couple of ladies that just wanted to rest a bit at our site before moving on. They we a pair of breast cancer survivors who where in the final stage of their “quest” as survivors on a month long canoe trip and were headed for the grand finish that features a 8 mile portage. Those were some neat people to meet.

If you would like to borrow my disk, just send me a email.

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