Packsack Canoe Trips and Log Cabins

09/02/2026

🎉 THE NEWS WE’VE BEEN WAITING FOR! 🛶

We are very happy to share that the Forest Service has announced another major reopening of the Boundary Waters!

Beginning Tuesday, September 8, the following BWCA entry points will reopen for both overnight and day use:

🛶 #12 – Little Vermilion Lake
🛶 – Lac LaCroix Only
🛶 #13 – Herriman Trail
🛶 #22 – Mudro Lake Restricted
🛶 #23 – Mudro Lake
🛶 #24 – FALL LAKE!

Yes, you read that correctly…

FALL LAKE WILL ONCE AGAIN BE OPEN FOR OVERNIGHT BWCA TRAVEL! ❤️🛶

After nearly two months of closures, extensions, canceled permits, changing plans, and a whole lot of waiting, this is the announcement we have been hoping to share before our season came to an end.

The following entry points will remain closed through September 30:

• #20 – Angleworm Lake
• #21 – Angleworm Trail

For anyone hoping to squeeze in a late-season Boundary Waters trip, give us a call! There is still some beautiful September paddling ahead of us, and we would love nothing more than to finish this very unusual season doing what we’re supposed to be doing—helping people get into the Boundary Waters.

To everyone who has followed our updates, checked in on us, changed plans, supported our business, and encouraged us throughout this summer: THANK YOU.

It’s been a long road getting here.

Fall Lake is reopening. Let’s finish this season on the water! 🛶

08/26/2026

🎉 This is the news we have been waiting for! 🎉

Beginning Saturday, August 29, the Fall Lake and Beyond entry point will reopen for day-use motor permits! Day-use paddlers will also be allowed to travel beyond Fall Lake beginning Saturday.

This means visitors can once again travel through Newton Lake and into Pipestone Bay for day trips. Overnight camping on Fall, Newton and Pipestone Lakes is still prohibited, but this is a huge and very welcome step forward!

Additional reopenings beginning Tuesday, September 1 include:

* Little Vermilion and Lac LaCroix entry points for day-use motor and paddle travel
* Jeanette Lake Campground

Overnight permits for Fall Lake and several other affected entry points will remain canceled through Monday, September 7.

After weeks of waiting, we are incredibly happy to finally see access beyond Fall Lake returning. We look forward to getting people back on the water and into some of the areas they have been missing!

Please give us a call if you’re interested in planning a day trip, renting a canoe or boat and motor.

📞 Packsack Canoe Trips & Log Cabins
218-365-3788

08/23/2026

A new lightning fire started on Pipestone. This is next to the area where they have been working on mopping up the Camp Fire.

A wildfire has been reported in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in the Caribou Point area of Pipestone Bay. The Muskeg Creek Fire is estimated less than 1/10th acre. Firefighting resources are assessing suppression options. Updates will be provided as information is available. Public are asked to stay out of the area for their safety and firefighters’ safety.
Drones are NOT allowed near the fire area and are illegal in federally designated wilderness areas.

08/19/2026

BWCA Closure & Reopening Update – August 19

The Forest Service released another update today regarding the phased reopening of the Boundary Waters.

Beginning Tuesday, August 25, the following entry points will reopen for day and overnight use:

🛶 #9 – Little Indian Sioux River South
🛶 #77 – South Hegman Lake

The following entry point closures and permit cancellations have been extended through Monday, August 31:

• #12 – Little Vermilion Lake
• – Lac LaCroix Only
• #13 – Herriman Trail
• #20 – Angleworm Lake
• #21 – Angleworm Trail
• #22 – Mudro Lake Restricted
• #23 – Mudro Lake
• #24 – Fall Lake – open to day use, closed to overnight use
• #71 – From Canada
• D – Fall Lake and Beyond

For those planning trips through Fall Lake, day-use motor access is currently open for Fall Lake only, as is day-use paddling. Travel beyond Fall Lake through the Newton Lake and Four Mile Portages remains closed, including Day Use Motor – Fall Lake & Beyond.

If your upcoming permit is affected by these closures and you would still like to make your Boundary Waters trip happen, please contact us. There are many entry points currently open, and we’re happy to help look at alternative permits and routes. We can also help watch for canceled permits that become available.

We’ll continue passing along updates as we receive them.

08/18/2026

One of the hard working crews working on the fires on Pipestone and using our services. Things are looking better every day, but still no word on reopening Pipestone.

08/14/2026

🔥 SOME GOOD NEWS FOR FALL LAKE! 🔥

We finally have some positive news to share from our side of the lake!

The Forest Service announced today that Fall Lake Entry Point #24 will reopen for DAY USE beginning tomorrow, August 15th, for both:

🛶 Day Use Paddle
🚤 Day Use Motor

This reopening is for FALL LAKE ONLY. Travel beyond Fall Lake is still restricted, and Newton Portage and Four Mile Portage remain closed.

Overnight travel through the Fall Lake Entry Point will also remain CLOSED through Monday, August 24th.

Today, we took the last of the crews working in the Back Bay and Pipestone Bay areas out of the wilderness. There is certainly still work to be done, but things are coming along on the Fall Lake side, and being able to get people back out on Fall Lake is a very welcome step in the right direction!

Overnight permit cancellations extended through August 24

The Forest Service also announced that cancellations for the following entry points will be extended through Monday, August 24, 2026:

• #9 Little Indian Sioux River SOUTH
• #12 Little Vermilion Lake
• Lac LaCroix Only
• #13 Herriman Trail
• #20 Angleworm Lake
• #21 Angleworm Trail
• #22 Mudro Lake – Restricted
• #23 Mudro Lake
• #24 Fall Lake – closed to overnight use
• #77 South Hegman Lake
• D Fall Lake and Beyond

Affected permit holders should receive notification of these cancellations from the Forest Service later today.

For us here at Packsack, getting Fall Lake back open for day use is a BIG deal. After weeks of closures and uncertainty, we’re excited to finally be able to welcome people back onto the lake for fishing, paddling and day trips.

We’re not completely out of the woods yet, but today brought some genuinely good news. Fall Lake is coming back!

As always, if you have an upcoming trip and aren’t sure how these changes affect your plans, give us a call. We’ll help however we can.

08/11/2026

Yesterday, while assisting firefighters in the area, I had an opportunity to walk across Pipestone Portage and wanted to share that walk with all of you.

For many of us who know this area, this is going to be difficult to see.

This five-minute video is the entire walk across the portage and gives you a firsthand look at some of the damage left behind by the wildfires. There are areas that were hit incredibly hard, while other pockets of the forest remain remarkably untouched.

As difficult as it is to see this landscape changed, this is also part of the story of the Boundary Waters. The forest will recover. New growth will come. And someday this portage will look very different again.

We are incredibly grateful to the firefighters and everyone who has spent countless hours protecting the Boundary Waters, our communities, homes and businesses throughout these fires. Having the opportunity to assist them also gave me a perspective on the work happening behind the scenes that I won’t soon forget.

For those of you who have traveled across Pipestone Portage before, here is what it looks like today.

08/11/2026

A true idea of what the fire damage is on Pipestone Bay of Basswood Lake. These are the islands around Caribou Point. We helped bring food to the fire crews today. Fire crews are inserted in Back Bay, and on Pipestone Bay battling the Camp Fire. Great work being done, but hard work. They flew in 1000 feet of hose and pumps today. Things are far from being back to normal in our area.

08/03/2026

🔥 Boundary Waters Update – August 3

The U.S. Forest Service has announced another update regarding Boundary Waters permit closures.

❌ Permits Refunded: August 5–10

Overnight Paddle Entry Points

* EP #7 – From Big Lake
* EP #8 – Moose River South
* EP #9 – Little Indian Sioux River South
* EP #12 – Little Vermilion Lake
* EP – Lac La Croix Only
* EP #16 – Moose/Portage River North
* EP #20 – Angleworm Lake
* EP #22 – Mudro Restricted
* EP #23 – Mudro Lake
* EP #24 – Fall Lake
* EP #71 – From Canada
* EP #77 – South Hegman Lake

Day Use Motor Permits

* EP – Fall Lake Only
* EP – Fall Lake & Beyond

Hiking Entry Points

* EP #21 – Angleworm Trail
* EP #44 – Big Moose Trail
* EP #78 – Hegman Lake Trail
* EP #61 – Norway Trail
* EP #56 & #57 – Kekekabic East & West Trails
* EP #86 – Pow Wow Trail

❌ Closed Through September 30

* EP #11 – Blandin Trail
* EP #14 – Little Indian Sioux River North
* EP #15 – Sioux-Hustler Trail
* EP #19 – Stuart River

If your permit has been affected, please don’t assume your Boundary Waters trip is over. Several entry points have already reopened, and depending on your group’s dates, group size, and flexibility, we may be able to help you find an alternative permit or route into the Boundary Waters. Give us a call before canceling your trip—we’re happy to explore every available option.

The photos in this post provide a glimpse of the incredible work taking place in the Pipestone area. We are extremely grateful to the firefighters who continue protecting our forests, neighboring properties, and the Boundary Waters under incredibly challenging conditions.

📷 Photo credit: Firefighter David Woods. Thank you for sharing these remarkable images and for everything you and your fellow firefighters continue to do.

We’ll continue posting updates as soon as we receive them. Thank you all for your patience, understanding, and continued support of our family business during this challenging season.