How to Get a Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22) Permit
Entry Point 22 puts you into a million-acre wilderness through one specific landing on one specific day — and that pairing is the whole permit.
Check Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22) permit availability$16 per adult and $8 per child or youth 0-17, per person per trip, plus a $6 non-refundable reservation fee. A $32 minimum deposit (two adult fees) is taken at booking and any difference is refunded when the permit is issued.
Permit Cost
Your choice — the permit fixes the entry date and entry point, not the length of the trip
Duration
About Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22)
Entry Point 22 — Mudro Lake Restricted — is one of the numbered entry points that the Forest Service uses to spread visitors across the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Your permit is valid to enter only on the date and at the entry point printed on it, and the quota for that combination is the whole reason a reservation is worth having. The Forest Service describes the access this way: Method of travel is paddle. Three accesses into Mudro Lake involve portages ranging from 20 to 185 rods. Many trip options with additional portages (Restricted *no camping on Horse Lake for the duration of your trip). The entry point sits in the Kawishiwi District of the Superior National Forest; Kawishiwi Ranger Station in Ely answers questions at 218-365-7561. From May 1 through September 30 an overnight trip needs a reserved quota permit, booked on Recreation.gov and picked up in person at an issue station on your entry date or the day before. From October 1 through April 30 the quota system is off and a free self-issued permit from a kiosk covers you. Everything else about the BWCAW stays constant: nine people and four watercraft, camp only at designated sites with a fire grate and a latrine, and no cans or glass.
The Boundary Waters was set aside in 1926, folded into the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1964, and given its own act of Congress in 1978. It runs over 1,098,000 acres and nearly 150 miles along the Canadian border, with more than 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails and over 2,000 designated campsites. The quota system exists so that all of that can hold a lot of people without any of them having to look at each other.
The Experience
Sound is the thing nobody warns you about. Voices carry a half mile over flat water, which is why "be quiet" is rule two on the Forest Service list and not a suggestion. Get past the first couple of portages and the traffic thins out fast: the quota is doing its work behind you, and the lake you camp on may hold two other parties or none.
Method of travel is paddle. Three accesses into Mudro Lake involve portages ranging from 20 to 185 rods. Many trip options with additional portages (Restricted *no camping on Horse Lake for the duration of your trip).
From there the route is yours. The permit does not prescribe a lake chain or a campsite — it fixes which landing you start from and which day you start, and after that you camp wherever there is an open Forest Service site with a fire grate and a latrine. Budget honestly for the carries: the 185-rod portage on this access is about 0.6 of a mile, and rods are the unit the Forest Service and every outfitter in Ely and Grand Marais will quote at you.
What to Expect
A quota measured in permits per day for this entry point specifically — the wilderness is not capped as a whole, each landing is
Designated campsites only, each with a Forest Service fire grate and a latrine; there are over 2,000 of them across the wilderness
Portages measured in rods. A rod is 16.5 feet, so 160 rods is half a mile with a canoe on your shoulders
Permit pickup in person: only the permit holder or the alternate named at booking, with photo ID, on the entry date or one day before
Three Leave No Trace videos to watch before the permit is handed over
Paddle travel only from this entry point
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Permit Requirements
The permit is valid to enter only on the entry date and at the entry point named on it — everyone in the group has to start that day, at that landing
Group size is limited to nine people and four watercraft at any time or anywhere in the wilderness: on the water, on portages, and in camp
Camp at a USFS designated campsite. You know it is one because it has a Forest Service fire grate and a latrine
Fires are allowed only inside a USFS fire grate. Gather only dead and downed wood you can break by hand, smaller than your wrist — cutting any live plant is illegal
Cans and glass bottles are illegal to possess, except containers of fuel, insect repellent or medicine
Wash yourself and your dishes at least 200 feet from shore, and dispose of fish remains at least 200 feet from shorelines, campsites, trails and portages
Store food, trash and scented items in a bear-resistant container or hang them — never in your tent
Dogs must be on a leash six feet or shorter at all times
The BWCA Wilderness is a drone free zone
One permit per day per permit holder. The Forest Service cancels same-day, overlapping and consecutive reservations under one name without notice
Gear & Preparation
Required Gear
- •A bear-resistant container or a rope and bag for hanging food — the Forest Service requires food, trash and scented items to be stored away from your tent
- •Water filter or treatment for every lake you drink from
- •A map and compass for the lake chain you are paddling; portages are marked but the country is not signed like a trail system
- •Portage pads or a yoke for the canoe, and packs you can carry in one trip if you can manage it
- •Rain gear and a warm layer — a north wind on open water is a different climate from the parking lot
Recommended Gear
- •A camp saw for the dead-and-downed wood the fire grate rules allow
- •A collapsible water container so you filter once, not fifteen times
- •Head net and repellent for the June and July bug window
- •A spare paddle strapped in the boat
- •Dry bags for sleeping gear — cans and bottles are banned, but wet down is the trip-ender
Hazards & Safety
Wind on the big lakes. Open crossings turn ugly fast; a following sea in an open canoe is the most common reason parties get pinned for a day
Cold water in May and again in late September — capsizing early or late in the season is a hypothermia event, not an inconvenience
Portage footing: wet rock and root, with a boat on your shoulders and no free hands
Black bears at campsites, which is why the Forest Service writes the food-storage rule the way it does
No cell coverage across most of the wilderness. Leave an itinerary with someone at home — the trip planning guide has a form for it
Best Time to Visit
The quota season runs May 1 to September 30 and the permits that go first are the mid-June to late-August dates. Late May is cold water and few bugs; June and early July are the mosquito and black fly window; late August into September is the sweet spot for weather and quiet, with the caveat that nights get genuinely cold. October through April needs no reservation at all — just a self-issued permit from a kiosk — which is the cheapest way into this wilderness if you are equipped for it.
Pro Tips
Reserve the entry date, not the trip. The permit fixes your entry point and your start day and nothing else — route planning can happen afterwards
Cancelled permits are returned to inventory at random within 24 hours, so a sold-out date is worth watching rather than writing off
Book up to seven reservations in one cart, one cart per transaction, if you are juggling dates for a group
Pick your issue station for its hours, not its map position — you can change it on Recreation.gov right up until the permit is issued, and Ely outfitters often keep longer hours than the Forest Service office
Commercial issue stations may add a service fee of up to $2 per overnight permit
100+ wilderness permits, extensive backcountry experience
This guide is based on personal experience obtaining wilderness permits and is regularly updated to reflect current policies and strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22) permit?
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Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22) permits require advance reservations. Book online as soon as reservations open for your desired dates.
When is the best time to visit Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22)?
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The quota season runs May 1 to September 30 and the permits that go first are the mid-June to late-August dates. Late May is cold water and few bugs; June and early July are the mosquito and black fly window; late August into September is the sweet spot for weather and quiet, with the caveat that nights get genuinely cold. October through April needs no reservation at all — just a self-issued permit from a kiosk — which is the cheapest way into this wilderness if you are equipped for it.
How difficult is Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22)?
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Paddlers who can read a lake map, carry a boat over uneven ground, and handle a night out with no cell coverage. You do not need whitewater skill anywhere in the BWCAW.
What gear do I need for Mudro Lake Restricted (EP22)?
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Essential gear includes: A bear-resistant container or a rope and bag for hanging food — the Forest Service requires food, trash and scented items to be stored away from your tent, Water filter or treatment for every lake you drink from, A map and compass for the lake chain you are paddling; portages are marked but the country is not signed like a trail system, Portage pads or a yoke for the canoe, and packs you can carry in one trip if you can manage it, Rain gear and a warm layer — a north wind on open water is a different climate from the parking lot.
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