Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW)

Over 10,000 years ago, continental-sized glaciers scraped their way across much of Ontario and northern Minnesota leaving deep ruts, ravines, and holes in their tracks. Eventually, as the glaciers melted, these ravines filled with water, creating a seemingly endless interconnected web of lakes and rivers.

In 1978, the United States designated over 1-million acres of this Northern Minnesota landscape as a protected wilderness area called the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Because no roads, power lines, or motorized craft may enter its borders, the BWCAW has remained relatively unchanged since the glaciers receded. The BWCAW extends nearly 150 miles along the Canadian border and encompasses more than 1,000 lakes and rivers. Over 1,200 miles of navigable routes lead to over 2,200 campsites and provide an unparalleled opportunity to travel by canoe and dogsled.

In the winter, the BWCAW transforms into an even more severe and remote wilderness. While more difficult, winter enthusiasts’ travel over frozen lakes and rivers by dogsled, cross-country ski and snowshoe. Winter in the Boundary Waters is mesmerizing, peaceful, and exhilarating. It is a place of spectacular extremes, trackless snow, bracing cold air, glowing warm embers, and powerful silence.

Homeplace, Voyageur Outward Bound School Basecamp, Minnesota

Homeplace is located at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. Situated where the Kawishiwi River meets Birch Lake in the Superior National Forest, the Voyageur Outward Bound School basecamp provides an ideal location for launching/ending BWCAW paddling and dogsledding trips, and practicing white water paddling skills. The surrounding boreal forest also makes Homeplace a great location for spotting moose, wolves, beavers, deer, woodpeckers, eagles and black bear.

Canoeing – It’s possible to canoe to the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic oceans from the Voyageur Outward Bound School basecamp in land-locked northern Minnesota. These journeys, which take anywhere from 3 months or longer, always begin in northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW); a million-acre protected expanse of interconnected lakes and rivers. It is also one of the most historically significant and remote wilderness areas in North America.

Because all Voyageur Outward Bound School canoeing courses are un-resupplied, groups paddle with absolutely everything they will need for their entire expedition, allowing students to journey deep into the wilderness. This type of extended wilderness experience, along with our highly-trained Instructors, help students develop and refine new expedition skills, cultivate a deep connection with the environment, form meaningful friendships, and develop a better understanding themselves through challenge and discovery.

During a Voyageur Outward Bound School canoeing expedition, students learn a variety of paddling skills to contend with diverse weather and waterway conditions as they canoe from campsite to campsite. Wind speeds tend to increase around noon and sometimes remain strong throughout the day. For this reason, groups will often rise early to take advantage of flat waters in the morning and then enjoy a longer lunch break as they wait for the windiest part of the day to pass. Paddling partners work together to steer and power their boats through rivers, swamps and lakes, usually traveling between 8 and 20 miles a day. Students also learn how to portage, navigate with a map and compass, cook over a fire or stove, and employ Leave No Trace® wilderness ethics.

Course End – All courses end with a shower, graduation ceremony and celebration dinner. Shower facilities are available at the basecamp.

The following is an example of what your course itinerary may look like. Your actual itinerary will vary according to weather, student skills and abilities, and instructor preferences.

Day 1: The course begins at the Duluth Airport before transporting to your first campsite near the Voyageur Outward Bound School basecamp in northern MN. Meet your Outward Bound Instructors, organize your equipment, eat dinner and sleep in tents.

Day 2: Enter the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to begin the expedition. Learn to paddle and portage a canoe, set up camp, and cook over a fire. Travel until it’s time to set up camp each night.

Day 3: Continue paddling and portaging from campsite to campsite as you refine your wilderness skills and get to know your group.

Day 4: Experience Solo. Take time to rest and reflect at your own little campsite on the shore of a lake. You will not travel during this time and your Instructors will check on you occasionally.

Day 5: Continue traveling through the Boundary Waters on your way back to the Outward Bound Basecamp.  

Day 6: Arrive back at the base camp.  Clean your expedition equipment, shower, and enjoy sleeping in a bunkhouse. Attend a graduation ceremony before enjoying a final banquet celebration.

Day 7: Eat an early breakfast and depart for home.

Wilderness Leadership Expeditions

Theory of Change: 

Learning > Leadership > Responsibility

On Expedition, each participant learns and executes a specific role each day to support safe and successful group wilderness travel and survival, activating peer and personal leadership through trust and vulnerability. Participants develop character and community together-- more resilient and compassionate people, for a more resilient and compassionate world.

The Leadership Expedition develops key social-emotional skills across four Domains of Thriving, leading to vital character outcomes for success. Outward Bound promotes belonging, strength and purpose for developing leaders through hands-on intra and inter-personal skill development. 

Domains of Thriving:

Belonging,  Courage,  Physical Engagement,  Reflection

Character Outcomes:

• Teamwork
• Self-Awareness
• Social Responsibility
• Assertiveness
• Perseverance
• Physical Confidence
• Self-Regulation
• Group Relationships

Minnesota’s weather can be unpredictable with a wide range of temperatures.  In the summer the temperature tends to stay between 60 and 85 degrees. Summer brings occasional thunderstorms and rain showers. Expect cooler evenings, misty mornings, occasional rainstorms, and hot days perfect for swimming.

Over the last two years, VOBS has worked tirelessly to responsibly run our programming in the age of COVID-19. As the scientific knowledge of COVID-19 has increased, we have continually evolved our COVID-19 Risk Mitigation Practices. 

We are committed to responsibly running programming in the age of COVID-19, and we are asking all students and families to help us make this possible by following the requirements listed below. These requirements are designed with several goals in mind:

• To keep students and staff healthy
• To prevent the unintentional spread of communicable disease
• To keep our local community healthy
• To allow students to experience an Outward Bound course with the same outcomes as they would have had before the pandemic.

COVID protocols on your course will likely include masking indoors and when physical distancing cannot be maintained, physical distancing, and testing on Day 1 of the course. 

Please utilize the resource below to physically and mentally prepare for your course. The more preparation you do, the better your experience will be! 

VOBS Course Preparation Guide