A canoe on Lake Hudson in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. June 2026. (KFGO News Photo / Nate Coen)
ELY, Minn. (KFGO/CBS Minnesota) – The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness will close Tuesday as wildfires burn amid an active heat wave in northern Minnesota.
Visitors with overnight paddle, overnight motor and overnight hiking permits who were intending to enter the forest between Monday and Friday will have their reservations canceled. Day use motor reservations with entry dates of Tuesday through Friday were also canceled.
A full refund was already processed for Tuesday’s reservations, officials say.
The closure impacts all entry points to the BWCAW. The announcement comes two days after the U.S. Forest Service closed 225,000 acres of the region.
On Sunday, Gov. Tim Walz declared a peacetime emergency and mobilized the National Guard to assist in battling the 17 wildfires raging in the area. The fires are impacting the northwest part of the Boundary Waters, between Ely and Crane Lake, north of the Echo Trail and south of Lac La Croix along the Canadian border.
The wildfire risk continues throughout the week. The National Weather Service issued an extreme heat warning on top of a red flag warning as temperatures are expected to reach the mid-90s.
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