What time of year is best for a Boundary Waters overnight canoe trip?
We get asked this question frequently. To answer this question, we ask a few questions – what is most important during the BWCAW trip experience? Is it the best fishing? The warmest water for swimming? The fewest bugs? The fewest people? You need to pick your time of year depending on your group’s interests.
Below is a compilation of a few interests and what to expect during the months to help with your selection of which month to experience a BWCAW canoe trip.
MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUGUST | SEPTEMBER | |
WEATHER | Highs in 60’s Lows in 40’s | Highs in 70’s Lows in 50’s | Highs in 80’s Lows in 60’s | Highs in 80’s Lows in 60’s | Highs in 60’s Lows in 40’s |
RAINFALL | 2.87″ | 4.19″ | 3.72″ | 3.84″ | 3.63″ |
FISHING | Great Fishing! Fish can be caught in shallow water | Top water fishing can be amazing | Warm weather drives the fish deeper | Fishing is good early morning and evening | Fish start coming back to the shallows |
VEGETATION & WILDLIFE | Birds and animals return | Wildflowers are in full bloom. Moose are active | Blueberries & raspberries are ripe | Berries can still be found if we had rain | The colors are changing |
BUGS | Usually no bugs | The first 2 weeks of warm up the bugs are bad | Bugs are fewer, but typically still dawn & dusk | Bugs are gone during the day | No bugs! |
SWIMMING | The water is still really cold | The water is warming up enough to jump in | After a day of paddling – go for a swim | The water continues to be warm | Typically you need to be brave to take a swim |
CROWDS | Fishing opener might be busy, but rest of month is quiet | School is out, families & groups are arriving | Busy season | First few weeks are busy | The crowds are typically gone |