9/1/21 – We’ve just received the exciting news that the full closure of the BWCA Wilderness area is being lifted, effective September 4th. There is a new closure area, however, in the vicinity of the Whelp and John Ek fires. I will include the full press release from the Forest Service below, but here’s what it means for the Sawbill area.

The new closure area, as seen above, will affect some of the Sawbill area. Two entry points near us, Kawishiwi Lake and Hog Creek, will remain closed until further notice. If you have a permit for one of those entry points, it will be automatically cancelled by the Forest Service. If you have a permit for Sawbill, Baker, Homer, or Brule (the other commonly used entry points in our area) starting on September 4th or thereafter – your permit is valid and you may go on your overnight BWCA trip. If you have not yet reserved a permit, available quota permits for those entry points will become available on September 2nd at Noon on recreation.gov.

Importantly, if you enter at any of the open entry points, you still may not travel into the closed area. This area includes the popular Cherokee Lake and other spots due north and west of Sawbill. Call us to talk through the available routing options.

The Sawbill Campground remains open and very quiet. Occupancy has been much lower than average for this time of year. Day trips will be open again starting on September 4th, so if you are worried about finding a backcountry BWCA campsite, staying in the Sawbill campground and day-tripping into the Wilderness is a great middle-ground option. You can reserve a site at Sawbill (at least four days in advance) on recreation.gov. Half of our 50-site campground is always first come, first serve.

The Whelp fire is holding steady at around 50 acres and hasn’t grown appreciably in the last week thanks to the hard work of fire fighters on the ground and more favorable weather conditions. We are not currently under any imminent threat of evacuation, and the air quality has been very clear for the last week. There is still a strict fire ban for the entire area, so please plan appropriately.

We are open! Sawbill is so fortunate to have such a dedicated and consistent crew that has stuck with us through this very uncertain time. We are privileged to have had the support of our community and extended Sawbill family, that has allowed us to weather this brief pause in outfitting with relative ease. Please let us know what questions you have. We are so excited to welcome you back to the Wilderness!

Below is the text of the official Forest Service press release regarding today’s news:

“The Superior National Forest is reopening some areas of the Forest, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, given recent rains, cooling temperatures and progress made on active fire. However, certain closures will remain in place where active fires remain on the landscape. 

The Forest is lifting the full closure of the BWCAW, the Crooked Lake closure near the fires in Canada. The Forest is slightly modifying closure maps for the Greenwood Fire, and the John Ek and Whelp Fires. The closure of Forest Service land at the Upper Gunflint Trail remains in place. 

“We’re thrilled to reopen some of our public lands to visitors. The drought is not over but we’re starting to see more rain and lower temperatures. These conditions moderate fire activity and lessen the chance of new fires showing up,” said Connie Cummins, supervisor for the Superior National Forest. 

“After talking with our fire experts about the latest data and weather conditions, we believe we have the capacity to manage the potential risk to the public of wildfire in some portions of the Forest,” Cummins added. 

What this announcement means for visitors: 

• Full BWCAW Closure is being lifted: Portions of the BWCAW will reopen, effective September 4, including the Crooked Lake area near Canada. 
  • If you had a previously reserved permit for after September 4, your permit is still valid.  
  • Available quota permits will be live for reservation on Thursday, September 2 at 12:00 PM on Recreation.gov.
     
• BWCAW Closure due to John Ek & Whelp fires: A new closure area has been drawn for the John Ek and Whelp Fires: Seagull Lake EP #54/#54A/L, Saganaga Lake EP #55/#55A/J, Missing Link Lake EP #51, Brant Lake EP #52, Cross Bay Lake EP #50, Kekakbic Trail EP #56, Skipper and Portage Lakes EP #49, Kawishiwi Lake EP #37, Hog Creek EP #36. 
• Upper Gunflint Trail closure: Forest lands and roads along the upper Gunflint Trail remain closed. However, the Gunflint Trail and private land and resorts are open. Trails End and Iron Lake campgrounds remain closed.  
• Greenwood Fire closure: A closure remains in place for the Greenwood Fire, however it has been slightly modified to open the Stony Spur and a portion of prospector Loop Trail, which allows ATV riders to safety ride from Babbitt to Ely, Minn. The following entry points are closed due to Greenwood Fire: Island River EP #34, Isabella Lake EP #35, Bog Lake EP #67, Little Isabella River #75, Snake River EP #84, and Pow Wow Trail EP #86.

Of the 65 fires reported on the Forest in 2021, nearly half, or 29, have been caused by humans. To minimize risk of human-caused fires, fire restrictions remain in place across the entire Forest. Open flames are not allowed, including campfires and charcoal grills. However, visitors may use propane or gas-powered devices with on/off switches.  

“Although risk is being mitigated by the change in the seasons, it’s not completely eliminated. In the fall, we can get an alignment of low humidity, high winds, and high temperatures and a fire can get up and moving. This has happened in the past. The typical fire season for northern Minnesota extends through September,” said Cummins.  

The Forest is evaluating other current closure orders with our state partners and will notify the public when we have additional updates. Please visit the forest website for more information or call your local district office.”

-Clare

8/31/2021- In the midst of some chaotic crew bonding last night, we received a knock on the door which was nonother then our magnificent leaders Clare and Dan (along with our favorite fuzzy friend Huckleberry!) Clare told us we needed to step outside and see what she brought us, so we did. What we saw blew our minds! It was a little thing called foxfire.

Foxfire can also be known as “Fairy Fire” which is the reaction of a fungi eating rotting wood. The fungi creates light due to the chemical reaction that occurs when the fungi cells consume the wood. The oxidative enzyme luciferase reacts with luciferin, creating the glow. This has been documented throughout time, the earliest was noted from Aristotle who claimed the fungi to be a “cold fire” emanating in the woods. I had never heard of Firefox before last night but it was really awesome! Go explore the woods at night and maybe you will also get the chance to see this natural glow!

“Bioluminescent life forms create their own light by mixing certain chemical compounds together to form a glow. As this luminescence neither requires nor produces heat (unlike much light humans use), it is often called cold light. Scientists estimate that creatures produce light either to scare off predators or to attract insects and promote the spread of spores. Either way, bioluminescence is equal parts breathtaking and eerie when one stumbles upon it in real life.” Information Pulled from: https://allthatsinteresting.com/foxfire-bioluminescence

-Diana

8/30/2021- Every fall we sell our used canoes. This is a great opportunity for our boats to find new, loving homes! So if you or someone you know are searching for a gently used canoe, send them our way! We will be selling canoes through our online store: https://sawbill.com/product-category/used-canoes/

We just sold our first canoe and are excited to to answer questions and prepare the rest of the boats to be sent off. Further questions on the actual process can be found on the blog post below. This blog post talks about replacing the skid plates, the new resin coat, and other repairs we may make before listing the boats!

-Diana

8/27/21 – While it hardly seems possible, the Forest Service has just announced further closures in the Superior National Forest. In addition to the existing closure of the BWCA Wilderness and the closure area surrounding the Greenwood fire, they have announced a closure of the undeveloped camp spots in the Superior National Forest.

The Press Release states:

Now for the million-dollar question: Where can you camp right now? Here’s the list, per the official order:

• Devils Track Lake Campground
• East Bear Skin Lake
• Flour Lake
• Kimball Lake
• Two Island Lake
• Birch Lake
• Fall Lake
• Fenske Lake
• S Kawishiwi River
• Echo Lake
• Lake Jeanette
• Cadotte Lake
• Pfeiffer Lake
• White Face Reservoir
• Big Rice Lake
• Crescent Lake
• Ninemile Lake
• Sawbill Lake
• Temperance River
• Baker Lake
• Cascade River
• Clara Lake
• Four Mile Lake
• Harriet Lake
• Hog Back Lake
• Kawishiwi Lake
• Oxbow
• Poplar River
• Silver Island Lake
• Toohey Lake
• Trestle Pine
• White Pine Lake
• White Fish Lake
• Wilson Lake

To be clear, when it says you can camp at Sawbill Lake, Baker Lake, and Kawishiwi Lake, what it means is that the campsites in the established campgrounds are open – NOT the backcountry lake sites that are within the BWCA Wilderness.

In happier news, they were able to put 14 firefighters in on the Whelp fire today. While we haven’t received any measurable rain, it has been overcast, humid, and drizzling on and off all day. This is good firefighting weather, and we are feeling hopeful and grateful for the crew working on the Whelp fire. We were happy to be able to pack food for that crew, and we made sure to include lots of high-calorie, high-carb eats!

We are using our down time to work on some of the used canoes that will be for sale this season. Expect the first batch to go live on the website in a couple of days, with more available as they are done being refurbished.

As always, thank you for following along with us, and please let us know what questions you have.

Clare

8/24/21 – Not surprisingly given the very active fire days recently, the US Forest Service has decided to extend the closure of the BWCA Wilderness. Overnight permits for the period of August 28th – September 3rd were cancelled today (and automatically refunded).

The Whelp Fire miraculously showed very little growth over the last few days. It remains at about 50-60 acres. The John Ek fire grew to about 1500 acres, mostly to the east and northeast. There were some new fire starts, the only one near us was about a mile north of Crescent Lake just across the border of the BWCA, it is being called the Petit Fire. It is currently under an acre in size and has a fire crew actively working to contain it. Thankfully, it is in a very accessible area and they anticipate having it contained very quickly.

We continue to be in a safe position, with no evacuation orders imminent. We had a brief 12 hour period, from late last night until this afternoon, of bad smoke from the Greenwood fire. The winds have shifted and thankfully we had clear skies this evening.

Clare

8/23/21 – We spent our day yesterday contacting Sawbill customers, fielding phone calls, and talking with the Forest Service. At the moment, the John Ek (renamed after confirming it was a map error that led to the name John Elk) and the Whelp fires are holding steady at about 800 and 50 acres, respectively. A relatively quiet day of fire activity allowed for more accurate measurement and mapping of the fire boundaries.

We are still safe, and are not under any imminent evacuation orders at this point. The Sawbill campground is still open, and the south end of Sawbill Lake is still available for paddling, fishing, and swimming. It’s eerie to have these beautiful, warm, sunny August days with so few visitors to share them with. Air quality has been very good, all things considered. Occasionally you can smell smoke on the air and things get hazy, but it seems to blow through pretty quickly. Today you can’t even smell it.

We are expecting the Forest Service to make a decision whether to extend the BWCA Wilderness closure for the week of August 28th – September 3rd either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week. As soon as we know what their determination is, we’ll be sure to post it here.

Clare

8/21/21 – We have just received the official closure notice from the Forest Service. Below is the news release we received and a map of the closure area.

“The Superior National Forest is closing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, effective August 21, 2021, due to active and increasing fire activity, extreme drought, limited resources. The closure will be in place for seven days, and may be modified or extended as conditions allow.  

This closure includes all lands, waters, trails, portages, campsite, canoe routes and Wilderness entry points in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Forest has notified permit holders and outfitters and is cancelling permits today through August 27. Permit holders will be fully reimbursed. At this time, all overnight paddle, day use and motorized day use is cancelled. The Forest will reopen portions of the Wilderness and/or some uses when it is safe. 

We understand that this will have a significant impact on our visitors, cooperators and communities near the forest. This emergency closure is necessary for the safety of our visitors, our wilderness rangers and our fire-fighters. It allows our fire crews to focus on responding to existing fires and new starts.  

Northern Minnesota is facing severe to extreme drought conditions. Active and increasing fire across the landscape. Yesterday, the John Elk Fire grew from 3 acres to 1600 acres and the Whelp Fire grew from 30 acres to at least 80 acres. The Forest has ordered a Type 3 team to respond to the John Elk Fire. Although the Greenwood Fire is being managed by a Type 2 Eastern Area Incident Management Team, forest resources are working with and assisting the team with the 9,000-acre fire. There are additional fires on the Superior and Forest staff are responding to initial fire starts and monitoring fires that are in controlled status including the Bungee Fire, Fourtown Fire, Sundial Fire, Moose Lake Fire, and the Clara Fire. Additionally, the Forest is monitoring the fires in Canada, which continue to show movement towards to the US border. The Forest is coordinating with Ontario counterparts on these fires.”

If you had a trip planned to begin in the next week, you have some options if you’d like to still salvage a camping vacation. The Sawbill Lake, Crescent Lake, and Temperance River campgrounds that we manage are still open. Crescent is not within the BWCA, so it is entirely open for paddling (it’s also a great walleye lake). The southern portion of Sawbill, outside of the Wilderness, is open for paddling.

There are a few other options for remote camping and paddling in our vicinity in the Superior National Forest, including the Timber Frear loop, Cascade Lake, and Lichen Lake. If you’d like to talk about any of these options we are happy to help you make use of those vacation days.

In the event you would like to cancel your reservation for canoes or equipment with us, please give us a call or an email and we will process it as soon as we are able.

Thank you for your flexibility, your well wishes, and for hanging in there with us!

Clare

8/21/21 – We know there’s lots of news swirling around right now about the expanded closure of the BWCA Wilderness. We have been notified that there is a forthcoming closure order, but we do not have the official notice in hand yet. As a general rule, I won’t post about the details of an order until I see it in writing and signed by the Forest Supervisor. Things are happening quickly, and there are many considerations and changes taking place up until the moment an order is signed. In an effort to circulate only accurate information we will wait until we can see for certain what the details of the closure are. Once we know, we will be sure to post about it here.

Thank you for hanging in there with us! Stay tuned…

Clare

8/20/21 – Official orders have come from the Forest Service expanding the closure within the BWCA in the Sawbill Area (see map below). Due to the high-traffic nature of the closed area, overnight paddle permits for the Sawbill Lake Entry Point (EP38) have been cancelled through August 23rd. If you had a permit for Sawbill Lake Entry Point (EP38) for August 21st, 22nd, or 23rd your permit has been cancelled and you will receive a refund directly from the Forest Service. It is possible that this closure will extend through the 26th. Stay tuned for that update should it happen.

What are your options? At this point, there are no overnight paddle permits available at the other entry points in our area for those dates. These entry points are not closed they are just sold out.

• Option 1 is to cancel your trip altogether. If you had a deposit for a canoe rental with us we will waive our usual cancellation policy and refund your deposit in full at your request.
• Option 2 is to come to Sawbill, camp in our 50 site campground on site here and take day trips into the BWCA. Day trips on Sawbill Lake are still allowed, as well as day trips north of Sawbill and east of Sawbill. Day tripping into Smoke and Burnt or up towards Cherokee, in other words, is still fine. Day use permits are free, self issued, and unlimited. At this time, the Sawbill campground has plenty of open campsites.
• Option 3 is to come pick up your rental canoe(s) and head to an area of the Superior National Forest outside of the BWCA. Canoe routes outside of the Wilderness, such as Timber Frear, Cascade Lake, Crescent Lake, and the like are all open and do not require a permit to access. You can call us or the Tofte Ranger Station to discuss these alternate route options.

It is my understanding that this closure was prompted by some growth on the Whelp Fire. It was around 15 acres at last report, but had grown by 10 more acres as of this morning so it is somewhere around 25-30 acres in size right now. With the hot, dry, windy days ahead the fire conditions are critical for the next 48-72 hours. The Forest Service is continuing to attack the fire from the air with water drops from planes and a helicopter. The fire is not currently burning any established routes or campsites. Again, safety of people is paramount, so the prudent thing to do is get the area clear of visitors so the firefighters can focus all their efforts on containing this fire without worrying about the potential for evacuations.

We so appreciate everyone’s flexibility and kindness. This is not an ideal situation for any of us. We regret the cancellations for those of you who have been planning and dreaming of your 2021 Boundary Waters trip. We hope we can help you salvage a vacation, or else catch you next year. Please accept our heartfelt thanks as well to everyone who has reached out to offer help, moral support, and who is sending us all the heavy rain vibes from afar. We can feel the love.

We will update as we know more, so keep your eyes on this space over the next few days.

– Clare and the Sawbill Crew

8/20/21 – Hi folks. We just got word that there will be more closures affecting Sawbill and the surrounding area due to increased activity with the Whelp Fire last night and this morning. We are waiting to hear the specifics of the closure and will be posting here as soon as we know. Please refrain from calling us at this point, we will post to this newsletter as soon as we know more.

Thank you!

Clare