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Northern Lakes Canoe Base
Located 20 miles north of Ely, MN, just a short paddle from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, this wilderness tripping camp offers completely outfitted canoe trips. Girls ages 12-18 -- and adults -- come on 3, 5, 7, and 10 day canoe trips. Participants come from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and throughout the United States. Guides are certified in Lifeguarding and Wilderness First Aid.
Each summer we host a Girl Scouts of the USA destination from the Canoe Base called North Country Rock-N-Wilderness. You can find information on North Country Rock-N-Wilderness here.
Interested in renting? Visit our Property Rental Page.
Campership Application
Bring a friend
Girl Scouts can bring friends, even if they are not currently Girl Scouts. The friend's camp session costs the registration fee plus $12 and registers them as a Girl Scout. To bring a friend, complete separate registrations and mail in the same envelope. Girls must put each other's name on the registration form and register for the same session.
2013 Canoe Trip Dates:
Here is a glimpse of our 2013 offerings. These trips are open to individuals, a girl and her friends, a mom/daughter pair, a full troop or group or whatever other combination you can dream of. Upon registration, we do our best to match girls of similar interests and abilities in tripping crews.
We also offer "flex trips" for groups of 6 or more, where we work with you to pick a trip start date and length. Please contact us directly about flex crew options by emailing Melissa Garza.
What does the trip cost per participant?
Prices are as follows for current Girl Scout members. Not a member, simply add $12 for the membership fee.
The prices for 2013 are as follows:
4 Day Trip ~ $230
5 Day Trip ~ $290
6 Day Trip ~ $350
7 Day Trip ~ $405
8 Day Trip ~ $425
9 Day Trip ~ $480
10 Day Trip ~ $530
11 Day Trip ~ $585
For specific trip information and registration instructions, please see pages 12-15 in the camp guide listed below.
You can also view the Summer 2013 Wilderness Canoe Tripping sessions (including our popular specialty sessions (like Root Beer Tales, Waterfall Wonders, and Nature Photography) in our Camp Guide, pages 12-14.
Trip Activities
Arrival Day
We meet mid-day in Ely to travel to the canoe base. After splitting into canoeing groups, training begins. Girls learn about paddling, portaging and canoe safety. We spend the first night in tents at the canoe base.
Adventure Begins
The following morning after breakfast, we are off on the wilderness adventure of a lifetime! We enjoy the eagles and loons as we paddle and portage to new lakes. Each day we will arrive at a new camp site where we will pitch tents and spend the afternoon and evening swimming, relaxing, journaling, exploring, and laughing with new and old friends.
Layover Day
We wake up to a pancake feast. Some of us take a short day trip to see pictographs, waterfalls or the Root Beer Lady’s old homestead.
Final Day
We paddle back into the base singing and talking about our new skills and accomplishments. We unpack our bags, take a hot shower, visit the Camp Store and start planning for next year!
Forest Service Regulations
We are a Cooperator with the USDA Forest Service under the Superior National Forest. We issue permits into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. To preserve the wilderness, visitors to the BWCAW must follow certain regulations. Click here to learn the details.
Brochures
Help us share information about trips from the Northern Lakes Canoe Base with this full color brochure. Interested in a brochure or few?
Contact Melissa Garza via email @ mgarza@gslakesandpines.org
Past Participants
Ready for the next step? Join us for a Guide-In-Training session.
Learn to lead wilderness canoe trips. You must attend a minimum of 3 trips to assure adequate training. We recommend consecutive training trips, however, we will work with your schedule. Room and board provided during training. To arrange dates contact Melissa Garza via email @ mgarza@gslakesandpines.org.
Missing "The Base"?
Get added to our mailing list! Contact Melissa Garza via email @ mgarza@gslakesandpines.org to join.
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