Birds of the Galapagos Photo Gallery

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Call it a boater's paradise. Lying on the Canadian boundary in northeastern Minnesota, the famed Boundary Waters Area is home to a labyrinth of lakes and rock formations. Located on the eastern end of Superior National Forest, the area's glacier-carved landscape remains remote and unspoiled, with thousands of quiet acres for exploration.

Boundary Waters, its parent Superior National Forest, and neighbor Voyageurs National Park typify the Great Lakes region with dense forests of crisp fir, spruce, aspen, birch, and maple trees. Carved by the massive glaciers that once tore through the region, the area is characterized by rocky outcrops, waterfalls, irregularly shaped clear lakes, and deep, slow-moving rivers. Limited access and active preservation make for quiet trips loaded with wildlife viewing. Boundary Waters is home to one of the largest bald eagle nesting areas in the lower 48 states, as well as osprey, moose, loons, black bears, deer, beaver, and the rare gray wolf. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area alone contains several thousand portage-linked lakes and streams, interspersed with islands, forests, and crags. Within its borders, you can canoe, portage, and camp in the spirit of the French-Canadian Voyageurs who navigated the region hundreds of years ago. The Boundary Waters' 1,200 miles of paddling routes offer outstanding opportunities for solitude and renewal. But it doesn't stop there. The seclusion and richness of the Boundary Waters area make it a natural destination for hikers, campers, and cold-weather enthusiasts who come to take advantage of some of the country's best snowshoeing, dogsledding, and cross-country skiing. When you're done playing, you'll find civilization not far away—from the remote artist enclaves of Ely to the more metropolitan comforts of International Falls.