Customer Reviews

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area: The Western Region

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have canoe camped in the BWCA since 1971 and have found previous editions of this guide essential for my trip planning. This well-written, newly-revised edition is even better. It contains the latest information on obtaining a permit for entry into the area as well as general information regarding the destructive storm that swept through the BWCA on July 4, 1999. The 2000 edition is slightly larger in size and with bigger print is easier to read. It is also about 70 pages longer than the previous book. The author has changed the format of the route numbers to better correspond to the entry points, making it easier to relate the two. There are updated photos throughout the book and some route recommendations have been changed. This edition is full of information to make your trip planning into the western region of the BWCA easy. It allows you to choose routes based on your physical ability (easy to rugged), fishing desires (it lists type of fish in 185 western region lakes), scenery (waterfalls, pictographs), time constraints (suggested routes for over 50 2-8 day trips), etc. It tells you how to reach each entry point and one of my favorite statistics, the popularity rank of each entry point (I like to find solitude as quickly as possible). This is trip planning guide, and does not provide detailed camping "how to" information, although the author refers you to reliable books on this subject. I recommend it and am planning to purchase the revised eastern region edition as soon as it is available.

The Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota (BWCAW) -- 100 million acres of pristine lakes interconnected by overland portages and streams -- is the closest place to heaven I've seen on this earth. Journeying through it in a canoe, one is struck by its "cumulative grandeur" as a friend described it to me.

Many uninitiated visitors from out of state just arrive in Ely, get outfitted, and head out with little advance preparation. Most of them live, but this is not the way to experience the Boundary Waters. Along with books on the specifics of canoe tripping and camping, and back country cooking, you will want to research possible canoe routes in this indispensable book and its pendant, volume 2 on the eastern region. If you're planning a trip, keep in mind that trips out of Ely generally fall in the western region, trips out of Gunflint fall in the eastern region, but a single trip can easily wind through both regions.

This book provides specific routes that can be followed exactly or used as an outline for a trip you customize. Each itinerary gives helpful general information: suggested trip length; miles per day; number of lakes and rivers; and number of portages (overland routes between lakes); and difficulty level. It also tells you which Fischer maps will cover the trip ... but I prefer the McKenzie maps myself. Then comes a full description of what you can expect to encounter on the trip, highlights along the way, tips for avoiding pitfalls, etc. If you're new to this kind of wilderness experience, you should read several itineraries -- even ones you don't plan to follow -- to get a feel for the terrain. If you're a BWCAW veteran, then reading these itineraries will fuel your daydreams! (You may even learn something to make your next trip go more smoothly.)

The book also includes general information on planning your trip: BWCAW reservations and regulations, advice to trip planning, an introduction to the ecosystem and its attractions and dangers, recommendations for camping guides and other references.

A couple of caveats. When the blowdown of July 4, 1999, that leveled 1/3 of the trees in the BWCAW hit ... this book was just going to press -- a fact that is acknowledged in the Preface. Recovery of this vast ecosystem will take a century or more, and the landscape has been altered forever. Therefore, to a certain extent this book was obsolete before it was even published. Needless to say, not all descriptions and photos represent what you are likely to find in the hardest-hit areas -- although lakeshores, with more windfast trees, are in many places the only trees still standing, extending a curtain between the paddler and the devastation inland.

The other caveat, which should be needless, is that even if you have mapped out a specific route, you must be prepared to alter it in case of weather, low water in streams, or other unexpected occurrences. Be alert and adaptable.

I'ts hard to imagine going on a trip to the BWCAW without the appropriate Robert Beymer book. I refer to his books constantly when planning a trip, at the campsite, and even on the water; it never leaves my fanny pack except to be read. His information is clear and accurate (some of the rules have since changed). I even think his prose is pretty good. Highly recommended!

Now in a thoroughly updated and revised sixth edition, Boundary Waters Canoe Area: Western Region continues to be the definitive guide for outdoor enthusiasts seeking to enjoy a land of beautiful landscapes and wildlife. Veteran travel writer and outdoorsman Robert Beymer provides details on 27 entry points in the western part of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and includes important information on the length of time needed to complete each trip, distances and difficulty of each trip, number of lakes, rivers and portages encountered; and the maps required. Boundary Waters Canoe Area: Western Region is enhanced with a four-color pullout map and is a "must" for canoeists, anglers, vacationers, and hunters seeking to enjoy what this unique and remarkable country have to offer.

This is a great book to start your plans for a trip into the Boundary Waters. There are suggested routes for every entry point in the western region and whether you use the suggested route or not it's a great place to start!

As we read the descriptions of "Easier" and "Challenging" routes we realized that Beymer lives at a higher physical level than we do. The information is well-presented and useful, but it would have been nice to find some routes appropriate to our out-of-shape adults and younger kids preferences

This book is an indispensable tool for beginning to plan a canoe trip to the BWCAW. There is an abundance of useful information concerning each entry point, good campsites, portage conditions and sights to see along the routes. The book that I relieved had the map of the entire western region and helped provide a good overview of our trip in better perspective. I will purchase more detailed maps as we get closer to the dates.

This is the only comprehensive guidebook to many of the lakes and portage trails in the Boundry Waters Canoe Area. It is published in two volumes that concentrate on the eastern and western sides of this wilderness area. Each volume comes with a good map that covers the areas mentioned in the book that will assist you when you go to purchase specific maps for the area you are going to travel. It lists sites to see while paddling, good places to camp and those to avoid and describes portages in rods and detail. A must have title for true paddlers or armchair dreamers!