ELY, Minn. — The big bull moose was on the portage trail, mere feet from where Miles Larson and three buddies were walking while portaging their canoes on a trip that took them through portions of ...

The surge to book a Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) permit was intense again this year, even briefly bogging down the government’s reservation system after bookings went live Jan. 29.

What budget adventure has the primitive solitude of backpacking without having to carry everything on your back? It’s a spot where you can camp somewhere new every night, bask in the glory of ...