The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness or BWCA is located in Minnesota in the northern third of the Superior National Forest. Over one million acres in size, the BWCA extends nearly 150 miles along the international border adjacent to Canada's Quetico Provincial Park and is bordered on the west by Voyageurs National Park. The BWCAW contains 1175 lakes varying in size from 10 acres to 10,000 acres, over 1200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails and over 2,000 designated campsites. The BWCAW contains the largest contiguous areas of uncut forest remaining in the eastern United States.

The BWCAW is the most heavily used wilderness in the country with approximately 250,000 visitors annually. Though it represents less than one percent of the acreage of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS), but receives 10% of the use in the entire NWPS. BWCA permits are required to canoe or camp in the Boundary Waters.