Welcome to the other BWCA, your gateway to one of the most breathtaking and distinctive regions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Tucked beneath towering palisades and surrounded by crystal-clear waters, our corner of the BWCA offers a wilderness experience unlike anywhere else in Minnesota.
This is the “other Boundary Waters” – not because it’s seperate, but because it’s special
While many know the western BWCA near Ely, the eastern BWCA—our backyard—feels like a world all its own.
This is why the eastern BWCA is often called “the other Boundary Waters”—not because it’s separate, but because it’s special.
Clearwater Outfitters is the doorway to that experience, defined by dramatic landscapes, pristine waters, and a sense of quiet adventure that begins the moment you push off from our historic dock.
The eastern BWCA is shaped by ancient volcanic ridges and glacier-carved valleys. Lakes like Clearwater, Mountain, West Pike, Caribou, and Pine stretch long and narrow between high granite cliffs, creating a dramatic, almost alpine atmosphere. This is the eastern Boundary Waters at its finest: vertical, pristine, and breathtaking.
Vertical, pristine, and breathtaking
From the Lodge, you can see this vertical grandeur immediately—sunrise on the palisades is something guests never forget.
Thanks to unique geology and deep, cold basins, the lakes surrounding the Lodge offers remarkably clear water due to minimal tannins and sediment as is present in the western side of the wilderness. This provides remarkable visibility down 20 to 30 feet and sustains additional unique fish species such as lake and brook trout.
Some of the clearest water in the entire BWCA
Whether paddling, fishing, or simply relaxing, the clarity of the water brings a peaceful, luminous quality to every spent day here.
Because our area is far from the larger border lakes of the west, the eastern BWCA naturally feels more peaceful and secluded.
Even in peak summer, the wilderness here maintains a quiet charm
Paddlers enjoy less traffic and noise because of the long, narrow lakes that natually spread groups out providing a deeper sense of solitude and connection to nature.
Even in peak summer, the wilderness here maintains its quiet charm.
Where the North Shore Meets the BWCA
Our location in the Lake Superior highlands creates a unique blend of ecosystems and atmosphere. Cool breezes drift up from lake superior carrying moisture to the old-growth cedar, fir and spruce forest. Wildlife is prevalent, with the area sustaining healthy populations of moose, wolf, black bear, pine martin, lynx and other boreal wildlife. The misty mornings often provide a dramatic and photogenic scene that seems oddly and wonderfully surreal.
It’s a setting that feels wild, calming, and distinctly northern
Since 1915, Clearwater Historic Lodge has provided lodging, outfitting, and a place to gather before and after wilderness adventures. From our historic timber-frame lodge to our cabins, bunkhouses and canoes, everything here is rooted in the long tradition of exploration that defines the eastern BWCA.
A Century of Wilderness Tradition
When you adventure with us, you experience not only a remarkable landscape but also a piece of Boundary Waters history.
Interested in learning more? Explore our site and see what we have to offer. If you want to dig in deeper to plan your next BWCA adventure in the “other boundary waters”, give us a call or email and our outfitting manager Kerry will be happy to assist and get you started.
In addition to running Clearwater’s outfitting operations, Kerry can often be found exploring new areas and filming, editing and producing his distinctively unique YouTube channel BaseCampNorth. Like and Subscribe to stay up to speed on all of his BWCA and North Shore content.
Here is a link to another great article about the Gunflint Trail, the eastern BWCA and the people who live and work here.
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.
You must be logged in to post a comment.