Wilderness outfitters call for change to BWCA permit reservation system

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - If you’re hoping to camp in the Boundary Waters this summer and weren’t logged onto your computer at 9 a.m. January 31 to book your trip, you probably won’t be going where you want at the time you want.

January 31 marked the sixth annual free-for-all to secure a BWCA permit.

It’s a first-come-first-served system where all permits from May 1 to September 30 become available at once, leading to an online scramble of thousands rushing to book their trips simultaneously.

It’s a system that has many campers frustrated, and a handful of wilderness area outfitters calling for change.

January 31 was a chaotic day for outfitters like the Nelson family at Spirit of the Wilderness Outfitter in Ely.

“This morning all the motor permits were gone within three to five minutes,” said Spirit of the Wilderness owner Ginny Nelson. “It’s so intense to get all the permits at once. People can book their own permits on recreation.gov, or outfitters can help book permits. We all pull from the same pool of permits. The beauty of having an outfitter do it is we’ve just done it before.”

But having every permit become available for the season at once puts a strain on outfitters, could mean disaster if an outfitter’s internet service goes down, is tough on campers who may have to work the morning permits become available, and leads to hoarding of permits, making even fewer available.

“People say ‘oh there’s more permits available so I’m gonna book some more’ and they may not use them,” said Nelson. “And then they go unused, which means other people can’t go on a trip.”

The Forest Service says that while the current system may not be perfect, it’s actually an improvement on the way things were just a few years ago.

“Previous to the Go Live, you would almost shotgun approach a lottery, hoping you’d get a couple days,” said Forest Service Wilderness Manager Carl Skustad. “And now you know if you want a couple days, you just pick those days, with a little flexibility, and then you’ve got them and can plan accordingly.”

However, outfitters say the system can be further improved by mirroring what many wilderness areas in other parts of the country do -- make permits available on a rolling basis, rather than all at once.

“Trying to have the Forest Service do like a rolling start,” said Nelson. “So maybe one day all the May permits become available, then another day June and July.”

“It’s definitely an option that’s probably going to be looked at,” said Superior National Forest Public Affairs Specialist Christine Kolinski.

Kolinski works at the Forest Service office right down the street from Spirit of the Wilderness.

She says Superior National Forest is now in the process of forming a collaborative made up of businesses, groups and other wilderness stakeholders to address issues that might pop up, including the permit system.

“That’s one of the topics and issues they’re going to be looking at over the next few months,” said Kolinski.

In the meantime, the Nelson’s will continue booking permits for the entire season, hoping the process of getting campers into the serenity of the wilderness, itself, becomes a bit more peaceful.

“It would be nice to figure out what the solution should be,” said Nelson.

The Forest Service reminds campers that if you cancel permits at least 48 hours in advance of your trip, you’re refunded, and the permit goes back into the system for someone else to reserve.

They also say if you aren’t able to get the wilderness permit you want, there are more than 200 Superior National Forest backcountry campsites, many of which are at the edge of the wilderness.

Those don’t require permits or fees.

Click here to download the Northern News Now app or our Northern News Now First Alert weather app.