Winter Camping

Conditions and permits

In the Boundary Waters, an overnight trip between October 1 and April 30 needs only a free, self-issued permit from a Superior National Forest office or entry point ¹. Expect days that stay below zero, nights down to -30 °F, wind chills worse than that, and 50-60 in. of snow ¹. Some roads to remote entry points aren’t plowed, adding miles of skiing.

Pitch at least 200 ft from summer campsites; north-shore spots catch more sun, and some campers camp on the lake ice for early light, though the booming of cracking ice can startle you awake ¹.

Hot tent or cold camping

• Cold camping: a lightweight nylon tent, which breathes so frost forms less, and a very warm sleeping system ¹. Light and quick, but evenings are spent in your bag.
• Hot tent: a large canvas tent with a wood stove ¹. You can stand, dry clothes and boots, and cook inside. The costs: weight, hours of sawing and splitting, condensation, and the hazards of a stove in a fabric shelter.

Stove safety: use a stove made for tents with a spark arrestor and proper stove jack, keep combustibles away, never burn a stove or any fuel-burning heater in a closed tent without ventilation, and never sleep with a smoldering stove in a sealed shelter. Carbon monoxide is odorless; a battery CO alarm is cheap insurance.

Snow shelters

A quinzhee is a mound of snow piled up, left to settle and sinter for a couple of hours, then hollowed out. Push foot-long sticks into the mound first; when you hit them from inside, the walls are thick enough. Keep the entrance low, poke a vent hole, and mark the shelter outside so no one walks or drives over it. Snow shelters hold just around freezing inside when it’s far colder out, and they’re quiet and windproof, but building one soaks clothes, so dig in a shell and change into dry layers after.

Sleeping warm

• Bag: rated for the coldest night you expect; experienced Boundary Waters campers use bags rated to -40 °F ¹. A liner and an overbag extend a three-season bag.
• Pads: insulation from the snow matters as much as the bag. Use two: a closed-cell foam pad under an insulated inflatable. Their insulation adds up, and the foam still works if the inflatable punctures.
• Before bed: eat something fatty, put on dry socks and a hat, and pee before you get in. A bottle of hot water in the bag warms it for hours.
• Moisture: breath and body vapor freeze inside the bag over a long trip; air it each day and turn it inside out in the sun.
• Boots: liners and water bottles go in the bag so they don’t freeze.

Water and food

• Water: melt snow (slowly, with a little water in the pot first so it doesn’t scorch) or chop or drill a hole in the lake ice and filter or treat the water ¹. Keep a filter warm inside your clothes so it doesn’t freeze and crack ¹. Melting snow takes a lot of fuel; budget for it.
• Food: winter is a natural refrigerator, so bring calorie-dense meat and butter and cook over the fire ¹. Cold burns energy fast; eat often.

Hauling

On skis or snowshoes, haul gear in a pulk or traditional toboggan ¹. Pack heavy items low and in the middle, carry an axe, bow saw, and collapsible shovel ¹, and keep the day’s layers and snacks on top.

Try it

Do a first winter night close to the car or the house: pitch a tent in the backyard or a state park campground on a 10-20 °F night, sleep on two pads, and practice melting snow for water and drying boot liners.

What to take from this

Winter Boundary Waters trips need a free permit from October 1 to April 30 and gear for -30 °F nights. Choose light cold camping in a nylon tent or a canvas hot tent with a wood stove, and treat the stove and carbon monoxide seriously. Sleep on two pads in a very warm bag, melt snow or filter lake water while keeping the filter from freezing, eat calorie-dense food, and haul it all in a pulk or toboggan.