Recreation in Superior National Forest and the BWCA

Source: http://www.deckernet/minn/snf

The Superior National Forest and BWCA are ranked nineteenth in the National Forest System in terms of recreation visitor days of use with 4,018,300 in 1992. The number of recreation visits was 1,069,000 in 1992. Despite its popularity, due to the size of the forest the SNF is in 59th place in terms of intensity of use. The BWCA, on the other hand, is the most heavily used unit of the National Wilderness Preservation System. There were 1,404,000 recreation visitor days of use in 1992, or 35% of total recreation in the forest. Recreational use in the Superior National Forest is different from that in other national forests because of the low percentage of use accounted for by “mechanized travel and viewing scenery” and the high use accounted for by “hiking, horseback riding, and water travel (canoeing).”

Currently in the SNF, there are1,474 acres of developed camping sites and 183 total sites, which include campgrounds, picnic areas, observation sites, and boat landings. The 27 designated campgrounds range from those with limited facilities to the fully developed. The camping season is from mid-May to September, though at least one campground in each are of the forest remains open in the winter (none of the roads are plowed). The number of sites at these campgrounds range from 3 to 65, though the majority have fewer than 50 sites. Thirty day-use areas are also available for picnicking, most of which have five or fewer sites. As well, fees are charged at 23 of the developed recreation sites. 26 sites have boat launches and ramps, 10 have swimming areas, and 8 lakes have boat docks.
For the most part, recreation opportunities in Superior National Forest are varied and plentiful. There are 2,140 miles of roads in the forest, the majority of which run north-south. Motorized access is provided to around 40 percent of the forest, though 45 percent of the forest (including the BWCA) are roadless.
In terms of other types of recreation, there are 29 hiking trails that total 338.3 miles, 12 of which have portions inside the BWCA. These trails range from .3 to 90 miles in length. There are also ten hunting trails and 15 miles of dog-sledding trails, as well as 28 designated cross-country trails totaling 644 miles. Other recreational opportunities are available for ATVs, snowmobiles, motorized trail bikes, and mountain bikes. For example, there are fourteen designated snowmobile trails total 504 miles.

Source: Zinser, Charles I. Outdoor Recreation: United States national parks, forests, and public lands. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1995.