BWCAW Sees More Visitors in 2024

The United States Forest Service Superior National Forest has released the 2023 Permit and Visitor Use Report. In 2024, 149,723 people visited the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Annual visitors increased 2.4% in 2024 over the previous season. The increase was due to an 11% increase in Day Use Non-motor visitors traveling during quota season from May 1 through September 30. Last year, 93% of visitors traveled to the BWCAW from May 1 through September 30 on a quota permit while only 7% of visitors traveled from October 1 through April 30 on a self-issued permit.

Use of a lottery system for permits often means daily quota limits for each entry point are filled before the ice melts on most lakes. The study tracks the number of permits that are left unused after the reservation date.

BWCAW No-Shows decreased from 2,2792 in 2019 to 1,245 in 2020 at the pandemic’s onset. In 2022, No-Shows peaked at 4,277 and moved downward in 2023, dropping to 3,572 by 2024. In 2024, 95 percent of No-Shows were from permits reserved by permit holders, while 5 percent of No-Shows were from permits reserved by commercial issue stations.