Are you planning a trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness?  If you are looking for a map to help you plan your trip,  we can send to you, a CD-ROM containing a complete mosaic map of the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area in northern Minnesota (USA).  The data set depicts a digital scan of the actual detailed United States Geological Survey (USGS) paper maps.  The geographic area portrayed on an actual physical paper product produced by the USGS - the 24K series of maps. These USGS maps are often used as reference maps for field or office work and define a specific piece of geography.  The map show contours, baythymetric measures (lake depths)  for some lakes, wetland areas,  communities, township, range and sections,  portage sites, vegetation, lakes, rivers, trails, roads and other spatial features.

How were these maps made?

Over one million acres in size, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) contains hundreds of lakes and rivers (and is integrated with Quetico Provincial Park in Canada), has 1200 miles of canoe routes and is home to abundant plants and wildlife, including threatened and endangered species. With over 210,000 people visiting per year, it is one of the most heavily used wilderness areas in the country. Applications for this season are required.

Although well known in Minnesota and Ontario, the Canoe Area Wilderness is virtually unheard of outside of the mid-west. For the uninitiated, the Boundary Waters is a national park on the border of Minnesota and Canada.

Wilderness is an area of undeveloped land that appears “to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprints of mans’ work substantially unnoticeable,” according to the Wilderness Act of 1964. Unlike national parks, wildlife refuges, or monuments.  We often think of wilderness as a place for people, as areas to renew and refresh the soul. However, wilderness also protects watersheds, serves as critical habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife, improves air quality, and maintains biological diversity.  Wilderness designation from Congress provides the highest level of natural resource protection available in the world.

National Geographic called the BWCA one of the "50 Destinations of a lifetime".  Motorboats are only allowed on a few large lakes, so a majority of the area is accessible only by canoes and portaging (carrying canoes and gear on trails from one lake to the next). Snowshoes and cross-country skis are welcome during the beautiful winter.

Any portion of a park, refuge, or monument can be designated as Wilderness. Potential wilderness includes those roadless and wild areas that we have yet to crisscross with roads and alter with development. Wilderness is our antidote to the sprawl that consumes our open space.  There are nearly 90,000 acres of roadless areas in the Superior National Forest that deserve permanent protection. These are old forests, pristine lakes and popular recreation areas that have largely remained free of logging and degradation. They are some of Minnesota’s last remaining unprotected wild places.   Without protection, these 90,000 acres of wild woods and lakes could be deforested, developed or degraded. We need your help today to keep them wild. Because once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Northern Minnesota is a unique area in the heart of the continent.   Whether you are a beginner or an expert,  you can have a successful canoe trip in Minnesota's famous BWCA Wilderness. If you are brand new to canoe country it is probably best to venture into this area with someone with experience -  or a if you are a Voyageur of many season, you'll bet wet.  Enjoy this beautiful, wild, yet fragile environment with respect and you will enhance the chances of its survival.  Once you enter this million acre roadless area, you'll find it to be a perfect get away and experience an extended wilderness expedition. The waters of one of the nations largest Wilderness Areas help carry your load close to 200 miles across the BWCA.

Traversing this area is often done in a two-person canoe. although three-person aluminiums work fine also. Regardless of the type of canoe you decide to rent, you should NEVER skip a portage and run rapids in a canoe, as they can rip or twist and you can be seriously hurt or even die.  As long as you have decent map-reading skills and a bit of patience in case you get lost, you'll be fine.

We can send to you, a CD-ROM containing a complete mosaic map of the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area.  The data set depicts a digital scan of the actual detailed United States Geological Survey (USGS) paper maps.  The geographic area portrayed on an actual physical paper product produced by the USGS - the 24K series of maps. These USGS maps are often used as reference maps for field or office work and define a specific piece of geography.  The map show contours, communities, vegetation, lakes, rivers, trails, roads and other spatial features.

Place Order

The cost is $18.95. 

Note: If you wish, download the free computer program for viewing the maps.   A Hyperlink is provided on the CD-ROM to facilitate the download of the free viewer .  Options exist for  both Windows and Apple / Macintosh systems. 

For Windows 95, 98, NT 4, 2000, XP, XP Pro

• Download the MrSID viewer for Windows   (option 1)

• GeoViewer Software  (option 2, as a PKZIP file)

• MrSID User Manual for Windows

For Macintosh OS 9.x (latest version available)

• Download the MrSID viewer for Macintosh

• MrSID User Manual for Macintosh

Other Macintosh OS X Plug-ins

• For more information, visit the LizardTech download site  .
  http://www.lizardtech.com/download/dl_options.php?page=viewers

This vicinity map represents the full extent of the mosaic map we offer to you.  It consists of 210, 1:24,000 scale USGS topographic maps.  The maps are seamless  for ease-of viewing. The (free) Microsoft Windows-based program (download it for free) allows  zooming, panning, printing and exporting of images.  The images are projected and can be used in a geographic information system (GIS).