6/1/26 – Recently the Forest Service published their BWCA Permit and Use Visitor report for 2025 (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/passes/permit-and-visitor-use-report), and one issue that is continuing the catch our eye are the number of cancellations and no-shows. In recent years, we have seen a tendency towards people booking permits on the annual “Go-Live” day, the day in January when all of the permits become available for the season. In the broader history, the behavior was different, but for a handful of years now, the trend has clearly changed. Along with this change has come a dramatic increase in permit cancellations and no-shows. The end result is many potential permits go unused and hopeful visitors get left on the sidelines.
This recent Minnesota Star Tribune report by Bob Timmons dives into the issue, including several insights from our own Clare Shirley.
-Dan