Five named west-side paddle entries in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness reopen today, Thursday, August 13, 2026, under Superior National Forest Phase 7.
If you hold a permit for entry points 7, 8, 9, 10, or 76, recheck Recreation.gov and the live Forest Service list before you leave Ely. Do not treat the rest of the million-acre wilderness, or the Echo Trail corridor outside it, as open.
- What: Phase 7 reopens five west-side BWCAW paddle entries.
- When: Access starts Thursday, August 13, 2026.
- Who: Permit holders for 7, 8, 9, 10, or 76.
- Still closed: Active fire zones and the Echo Trail corridor.
- First step: Recheck Recreation.gov and Exhibit A before driving.
What Phase 7 actually reopens
The Superior National Forest Phase 7 release is the primary document. It is dated August 7 and takes effect August 13. It names five paddle entries, not a blanket west-side unlock.
On the Kawishiwi District, entry point 7 From Big Lake changes to open. On the LaCroix District, the newly open set is 8 Moose River South, 9 Little Indian Sioux River South, 10 Norway Trail, and 76 Big Moose Trail.
Those five numbers are the traveler decision. A permit for a neighboring west-side landing is not covered by this list.
The forest says the change brings more than 1,500 of the 2,000 plus wilderness campsites back into public use. That is a running total after earlier phases, not 1,500 new sites opening today.
The same release still names four active fires: Camp, Bear Trap, Sioux, and Thumb. Fire danger on both the east and west zones is listed as moderate on the forest alert page, not extinguished.
The BWCAW phased reopening alert keeps Forest Order 09-09-06-26-07 in force through 12:01 p.m. Central Time on October 1, 2026, or until it is rescinded. Open entries sit inside that order. They are exceptions on Exhibit A, not proof the order is gone.
This is not the August 5 Phase 5 card
Deep Arrival already covered the August 5 Phase 5 overnight reopen. That card owned a different date and a different permit set. Phase 7 is a later official status change for five named west-side landings.
The forest also reopened Fall Lake and Fenske Lake campgrounds on August 7. That was a developed-campground decision outside today’s five paddle numbers. Do not mix those two cards when you pack.
Phase 6 took effect August 11 and moved entries closer to the fire areas, including the Kekekabic and PowWow trails. If your permit was in that earlier set, today’s news does not change your route. Check the phase that named your number.
The Quetico-Superior Foundation recap matches the official five-entry list and the 1,500-campsite total.
That independent recap also says federal reservation cancellations for motor entry point C, Fall Lake Only, and for Lake Jeanette Campground were extended to August 17. The forest release itself dates the Lake Jeanette campground closure through August 12. Treat that gap as unresolved and read the current Exhibit A plus your reservation before you assume Jeanette is a backup bed.
What stays closed, and why the order still matters
The forest says the closure remains in place outside the wilderness on the Echo Trail from North Arm Road to Forest Road 200. That stretch is a common Ely-area approach, not a canoe landing.
A reopened permit does not reopen that road.
The official Superior National Forest Facebook update on August 8 said additional recreation areas along the Echo Trail would also reopen on August 13. That social note sits next to, and does not erase, the written Echo Trail corridor closure in the Phase 7 release. Drive only what the current map shows as green.
The forest’s own Phase 7 FAQ explains the remaining red. Crews are still assessing burned portages and campsites, clearing hazardous standing and fallen trees, and replacing damaged latrines and trail features. Some of that work, including hauling in replacement latrines, is best done in winter by dog-sled teams over snow. That is why a Thursday reopen can look generous on a map and still leave a campsite unusable once you arrive.
InciWeb remains the fire-status page: the July 2026 Superior National Forest wildfires incident. A green entry number is not a promise that the next lake is quiet.
The wilderness first closed to all access on July 14 after a July 7 lightning outbreak started more than 25 fires. Phase 7 is the seventh public increment, not the last.
Permits, Recreation.gov, and the Ely approach
A BWCAW overnight trip still needs a dated permit for a specific entry point. Phase 7 does not create walk-up freedom on the west side. It changes the access status of five numbered landings.
If Recreation.gov still shows your permit as cancelled, do not drive to the landing on the strength of a news headline. Reissued or leftover inventory, if any exists, will appear on the reservation record, not on a Forest Service press page.
If your permit is for 7, 8, 9, 10, or 76 and the reservation is still live, the official answer is yes: you may enter on or after August 13, provided the entry remains on the current Exhibit A list. The forest’s own FAQ says later dates on that list are treated as open unless fire conditions force another delay.
West-side parties usually stage in Ely. That is the practical overnight town for Kawishiwi and LaCroix put-ins, outfitter shuttles, and a last grocery stop. Deep Arrival’s RV parks and campgrounds near Ely is the planning page for that base, not a substitute for a wilderness permit.
Build the drive around the Echo Trail exception. If your landing sits beyond the still-closed North Arm Road to Forest Road 200 segment, use the signed open approach the current west-zone map shows, or ask the outfitter which forest road is actually receiving cars today.
Cell coverage drops fast once you leave town. The forest tells visitors to travel with more than one way to communicate and to leave a written route with someone who is not on the trip.
How to travel into a wilderness that is still burning
The forest’s visitor warning is blunt: plan to be self-sufficient. Know the weather and fire conditions before you launch. Understand that you are entering a remote wilderness with risks from weather, access, and active fire. That is not boilerplate. It is the reason Phase 7 can reopen a landing while neighboring lakes stay red.
Pack as if the next portage is uncleared. Bring a saw only if you already know the current Forest Service tool rules for the wilderness, and do not assume a burned latrine has been replaced. If a campsite on your intended lake is damaged or closed on the ground, you need enough food and time to reverse or to take the next legal site, not a hope that someone will motor in.
A realistic Thursday case looks like this. A pair holding an August 13 permit for entry 8 Moose River South arrives in Ely, confirms the reservation is still live, and checks the west-zone Phase 7 map one more time. They can launch if Exhibit A still lists 8 as open. They should not detour onto the closed Echo Trail segment to save minutes, and they should not treat a smoky horizon as a photo stop.
Day users are not exempt. If you hoped to paddle a newly opened landing without an overnight permit, confirm whether that exact number is day-use, overnight, or both. The Phase 7 list is written as open to use. It does not reprint the older day-only footnotes from July.
If your west-side number is still closed, do not invent a nearby substitute. The July system closed the wilderness by entry point for a reason: firelines and damaged portages do not respect a traveler’s backup lake. Book a later date, or keep the Ely night and wait for the next phase, rather than sneaking in from an open neighbor.
The honest unknown is the next fire day. A moderate fire-danger listing can change with wind. The forest says Phase 5 itself could have been delayed if conditions worsened. Read that as a standing warning for Phase 7 too.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Hold permit 7, 8, 9, 10, or 76 | Recheck Recreation.gov and Exhibit A, then you may enter today. |
| Hold any other west-side number | Do not launch. Wait for that number to appear on a later list. |
| Need the Echo Trail corridor | Assume North Arm Road to Forest Road 200 stays closed. |
| Planned Lake Jeanette as a backup | Read the current reservation status. Do not trust an old date. |
| Are already in Ely with a live permit | Launch only after one last map and fire-status check. |
- Permit check: Confirm 7, 8, 9, 10, or 76 is still live on Recreation.gov.
- Map check: Open Exhibit A and the west-zone Phase 7 map before you drive.
- Road check: Do not use Echo Trail from North Arm Road to Forest Road 200.
- Pack check: Carry spare food, comms, and a route left with someone in town.
- Fire check: Read InciWeb for Camp, Bear Trap, Sioux, and Thumb before launch.
If your permit is one of the five named numbers and the reservation is still live, you may enter today after those checks. Everyone else should wait for the next list rather than treating Thursday as a general Boundary Waters reopening.
Which BWCAW entry points reopen on August 13, 2026?
Entry point 7 From Big Lake, plus 8 Moose River South, 9 Little Indian Sioux River South, 10 Norway Trail, and 76 Big Moose Trail.
Is the entire Boundary Waters open again?
No. The forest says more than 1,500 of 2,000 plus campsites are open, and four named fires remain active.
Can I drive the Echo Trail to reach a reopened landing?
Not on the still-closed segment from North Arm Road to Forest Road 200. Use only the open approach on the current map.
Do I still need a Recreation.gov permit?
Yes. Phase 7 changes access status for five numbered entries. It does not replace the dated permit.
Is Lake Jeanette Campground a safe backup tonight?
Do not assume it. Official and independent dates disagree. Check Exhibit A and your reservation before you count on it.
