Powwow Trail

My brother and I hiked the Powwow Trail in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) September 18-20, 2022. This video is my report on the condition of the trail.

The trail is a 31-mile loop that resides within the area of the 2011 Pagami Creek fire. After the fire, Boundary Waters Advisory Committee (BWAC) volunteers, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, used hand tools to clear the trail, and those volunteers continue to perform trail clearing. Even 10 years after the fire, dead trees fall across the trail creating frequent obstacles for hikers. The terrain is challenging with sections of rock hopping, climbing, and even the need to remove one's pack in order to navigate chest-high rocks. The potential for a foot or leg injury is higher than the average BWCAW trail. I lost sight of the trail many times and it often took several minutes to backtrack and determine the proper direction. Prior to the fire, there was an eastern loop that passed near Powwow Lake, thus the trail name.

In the video, I mention some campsites do not have latrines. That is because the Forest Service has closed those campsites due to standing dead trees. It is not safe to camp at those sites.

Resources

The Powwow Trail Guide. This site includes a description of the trail, current conditions report, and a GPS Track.
The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness has a page specific to the Powwow Trail.
Map 18 from McKenzie Maps
Map 19 from McKenzie Maps