The sun sets over Annie Battle Lake in Glendalough State Park in western Minnesota Saturday, July 12, 2014. Thanks to special regulations, the lake boasts a rare population of large panfish and is one of 14 Minnesota state parks with boat-in campsites. No motors -- or any electronic devices -- are allowed on the lake. (Pioneer Press: Dave Orrick)

In an undated file photo, a moose wades in a small pond in Superior National Forest near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, Minn. An annual aerial survey estimates Minnesota's moose population fell about 14 percent in the past year, continuing a decline that scientists say may be related to disease, parasites and a warming climate. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

Nick Orrick of Massachusetts, father of Outdoors Editor Dave Orrick, fights a smallmouth bass on inside the Sylvania Wilderness in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Virgin forests and clear, pristine lakes typify the gem of the Ottawa National Forest, some six hours from the Twin Cities. (Pioneer Press: Dave Orrick)

Steve Safranski of Eden Prairie, Minn., carries a canoe to a lake inside in early July 2013 in Woodland Caribou Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. (Pioneer Press Dave Orrick)

In this undated photo, a canoeist fishes on Emerald Lake in Canada's Quetico Provincial Park, the sister wilderness to Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. (File photo)



Canoe camping: 1. The act of camping on the shore of a lake or river to which the only mode of transport, for gear and people, is a canoe, which is either paddled or portaged (carried). 2. Nirvana.

There are dozens of canoe-camping destinations in the Upper Midwest and nearby Canada — other than the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The BWCA, for all its attributes, sees about 250,000 visitors a year, and it’s not the only option.

Some of these destinations are more rugged than the BWCA, and some are as easy as canoe-camping gets. Many are less crowded. None have electricity or running water. Thankfully. Related Articles Minnesota’s most popular state parks for camping

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QUETICO PROVINCIAL PARK, Ontario

What, you’ve never been to Quetico? You’re not alone. The Canadian twin to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters sees a fraction of the visitors, about 1/20 to be precise, which means it actually offers more solitude.

Pro tip: Lake trout fishing opens Jan. 1, so early ice-out years offer opportunities when Minnesota’s season is closed.

ISLE ROYALE NATIONAL PARK, Lake Superior (Michigan)

Better known for backpacking, Isle Royale, accessible only by ferry or seaplane, actually has a network of inland lakes with paddle-in campsites connected by portage trails. Protected campgrounds on Lake Superior also are available, a bonus for kayakers.

Pro tip: No fishing license is required to fish the inland lakes; Michigan license is needed to work Superior.

SYLVANIA WILDERNESS, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

A kinder, gentler, smaller BW, Sylvania’s network of lakes amid virgin forest feature clear water, long-lived smallmouth bass, sandy landings and smooth portages inside the Ottawa National Forest. Plus, you can reduce stress by reserving campsites.

Pro tip: Because Sylvania is so easy to explore, base camping is often the simplest move.

WOODLAND CARIBOU PROVINCIAL PARK, Ontario

If you’re serious about getting far, far away — and finding great, great fishing — put Woodland Caribou on your bucket list. You do see the occasional floatplane, but the lake-filled wilderness is the size of the Boundary Waters, and sees 800 visitors a year. So, virtually nobody goes here. And you shouldn’t either unless you know what you’re doing.

Pro tip: You can “cheat” by reserving a floatplane ride in or out of the interior of Woodland Caribou.

SUPERIOR NATIONAL FOREST (outside BWCA), Minnesota

Same landscape, same beauty, same campsites. Fewer people, and no entry permit required. Perhaps it seems less “official” or something, but for whatever reason, few people explore the many wilderness canoe routes in the Superior National Forest just outside the official boundary of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Pro tip: No fee or advance permit required for these areas.

GLENDALOUGH STATE PARK, Minnesota

No portages required. Put in at sandy, gin-clear Annie Battle Lake and paddle across to one of several reservable campsites. A great way to try out canoe camping for the first time. Glendalough is perhaps the best — but not the only — Minnesota state park that offers boat-in campsites.

Pro tip: Special fishing rules — no electronics whatsoever — have helped make the panfish size second to none.

VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK, Minnesota

The big lakes of Minnesota’s most prominent national park are known for being explored via large motorboat or even houseboat. But the smaller interior lakes of Voyageurs can only be reached by reserving backcountry campsites, which often require use of National Park Service-owned canoes to reduce the risk of invasive-species contamination. The result: Quietude.

Pro tip: Shoepack Lake is the home of a namesake strain of smaller, high-density muskies that can provide solid action on regular fishing tackle.

CHIPPEWA FLOWAGE, Wisconsin

Many don’t know that the island-dotted Chippewa Flowage has 18 primitive island campsites, some of which can be reserved, some not. Plenty of anglers motor around the Chip by day, but the 15,000-acre impoundment quiets considerably at night, and serenity ensues.

Pro tip: Walleye numbers have declined in recent years, but largemouth bass have been rising.

NAMEKAGON AND FLAMBEAU RIVERS, Wisconsin

The Namekagon near Hayward is a cozy river with riffles. The Flambeau around Flambeau River State Forest can rage in parts, with rapids up to Class V, but also has slower stretches. Both rivers have shoreline campsites and private shuttle operations.

Pro tip: The Namekagon offers anglers both trout and muskies.