Boundary Waters Camping | Backpacking and Hiking Trips

Boundary Waters: Trails End to Hunter Island

Submitted by: Backpacker Magazine
Sheltered camps with bugling moose. Coves with ancient rock art. A raging waterfall. You'll find even the portages delightful as you paddle this 38-mile, 3-day route through Minnesota's million-acre water park into Canada's Quetico Provincial Park.

Boundary Waters: Eagle Mountain

Submitted by: Backpacker Magazine
Tag the highest peak in Minnesota on this 6.6-mile hike, which courses under a coniferous forest and past a glacial lake with nice backcountry campsites.

Boundary Waters: Pow-Wow Trail

Submitted by: Backpacker Magazine
Scramble around beaver dams, trek through timber wolf territory, and ford countless creeks on this 30.1-mile loop that skirts 15 backcountry lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

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Right Place, Perfect Time: Aurora Borealis

BACKPACKER Review
Notch the best northern lights show in the Lower 48.

Best. Hikes. Ever.

BACKPACKER Review
We've covered 245,591 miles of trails in our 37-year history. Here are our 20 all-time favorite trips, plus—shocking!—20 routes we never covered.

Great Easy-to-Difficult Boundary Waters Paddling Trips

BACKPACKER Review
Want to test the waters before attempting a Primitive Management Area? Get some experience on these traditional Boundary Waters trips first.

Disappearing Act: Paddling the Boundary Waters

BACKPACKER Review
Want to vanish into the quietest, wildest corners of the Boundary Waters? Say these magic words: Primitive Management Area.

Zones: 6 Topographies, 18 Amazing Trips

BACKPACKER Review
Whether you're looking for Coastal, Canyon, Peak, Forest, or Urban hikes, we have those. Plus some paddling (Water) trips for good measure.

Zones: Water

BACKPACKER Review
Hit the water, and see plenty of wildlife and scenic views, on these paddling trips in Alaska, Florida, and Minnesota.

Lake Superior Caribou

BACKPACKER Slideshow
Travel to Lake Superior's Slate Islands for an up-close-and personal look at caribou in the wild. (Layne Kennedy)

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Photos + Videos

Packing for a Backcountry Ski Day Kristin Hostetter shows you the essential gear, and how to pack it, for a day of backcountry skiing.	Adjust Your Pack Straps on the Trail Maximize your pack's comfort with a few easy, on-trail strap adjustments.

Life's Short, Hike More!

What makes a backpacker a backpacker? It's not the garage full of gear or piles of guidebooks--it's the experiences, from thru-hiking a long trail to pushing your personal envelope to inspiring a child's love of wilderness. Here we present BACKPACKER's new Life List: 10 experiences to add to your tick-listnow--and the key skills you need to nail them.