Individual fees to travel into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will more than double beginning in 2027 under a proposal unveiled Monday by the U.S. Forest Service.
The agency said in a news release that more money is needed because “wilderness ranger staffing and maintenance costs for points of entry, portages and campsites have increased substantially.”
The fee for an adult would increase from $16 to $40 per trip; for a youth, from $8 to $20.
Fees into the BWCAW, in the Superior National Forest, haven’t increased since 2008, the agency said.
The Forest Service said on its webpage that the increased fees will “go right back to the national forest” and that visitors will see improvements. The extra fees also will support search-and-rescue expenses.
Three open houses are scheduled to learn more about the proposal:
- In-person, 4 to 6 p.m. July 14, Kawishiwi District Office in Ely
- Virtual, 4 to 6 p.m. July 15
- In-person, 4 to 6 p.m. July 22, Gunflint District Office in Grand Marais
Learn how to submit a comment or offer feedback via email or online at bit.ly/bwcawfeecomment. The deadline to comment is Sept. 2.
