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For the Family with Small Children

Over the years many parents have asked us, "what is the average age of children before parents will start bringing them on Boundary Waters trips?" On average we would have to answer about 10 years old. But there is no height limit like at the amusement parks, and there is no age limit. It all depends on how comfortable you are with your canoeing, camping and survival skills and whether you feel that you would be able to take care of your children when the conditions become less than ideal. Kids under the age of about 14 rarely carry their own weight while on a canoe trip. And where this becomes an issue is when a young child has to be the bow paddler in a canoe. But not anymore. We want you to be able to experience the Boundary Waters with your young kids without the worry and anxiety of swamping your canoe. So we've developed the "swamp-proof" Catamaran Canoe to help put your worries to rest.

Catamaran Canoe is Ideal for Young Children

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is a great place to share with your family. It's a great place to share camping and outdoors skills with your children. Many life lessons can be taught and learned on a trip into the wilderness and we want you to experience this wilderness with your children while they're still young.

To help make this possible, we've developed what we're calling our "catamaran canoe" to provide you with the stability necessary when paddling with smaller children. A Boundary Waters trip with your kids will help build a special bond between you that only this area can. The BWCA teaches children how to respect nature. The rules that are set inside the park should be practiced at every campground throughout the country. An experience like this will open the eyes of your young kids and hopefully leave a lifelong impression on them to practice the "Leave No Trace" wilderness ethic in their daily lives.

Basic survival skills are learned in this wilderness. Special bonds are built between parent and child that will last forever, and the sooner you can experience a trip like this, the better. Plant the seed early in life and it will produce for you over and over again as your children grow and mature into adulthood.

A base camp on Seagull Lake is a wonderful beginning trip to introduce your children to this magnificent area. Put your anxiety to rest in our catamaran canoe and watch your child's face light up as they discover the many wonders of the Boundary Waters.

Advantages of the Catamaran Canoe

• Much more stable than a regular canoe
• Fishing in general becomes so much easier from this watercraft. Fishing in the wind from a canoe is downright brutal and impossible at times. With an anchor and this steady craft, you'll be able to sit over your favorite fishing holes with ease .
• Perfect for canoe camping trips with smaller children
• Base camping on the big part of Seagull Lake is easier when the wind blows with the catamaran canoe
• Fly fishing the shorelines becomes easier with the option to stand and fly cast
• It's the next best thing to a boat and motor (and since they aren't allowed inside the BWCA, we've got the best thing out there) if you're looking for stability and comfort while still enjoying what the BWCA has to offer

Canoe Trip Packages

Daily Rate - $85.00 per day, includes paddles and PFDs - Call and reserve this canoe today!

Complete Outfitting - click here to view what is included with this package. Pricing will depend on the number of people in your party and how many days you stay in the woods. Email or call 1-800-346-2205 for details and pricing.

Do you have all of your camping gear? Maybe you want us to pack your food for you. If so, check out our Food and Canoe page.

Do you need a few select items? Look at our Equipment Rental page for our ala carte camping price list.

Things to do and see on Seagull Lake

• Lunch atop the Seagull Palisades (see photo at right)
• Blueberry picking on Miles Island
• Explore Three Mile Island and view the 1,000 year old white cedar trees as well as the 500 year old white pine trees (both species are the oldest in all of Minnesota)
• Fishing at: Alpine Rapids, Hoover Island, Palisades, Shirttail Point, Seagull Rock, etc.
• Swimming at the sandy beach campsite on the north Seagull shore
• Explore any of the 130 islands that pepper the lake
• Photograph the countless wildlife and scenic opportunities found throughout one of Minnesota's most prized lakes
• Hike the 1.6 mile Jap portage and look for juneberries and blueberries
• Have lunch at Picnic Point by the Alpine Lake portage
• View the huge eagle's nest on Eagle's Nest Island
• Hike the .7 mile Grandpa Lake portage on the North side of the lake
• More than anything else, relax and enjoy nature

Words of Thanks

We had a great time on Seagull Lake. . . your routing suggestions, including campsite knowledge and the trailhead up the Palisades, were extremely useful! You can quote me on that.
Thanks for the wonderful trip that you outfitted my party with in August. The Boundary Waters lived up to all that I had hoped for and the package you had prepared for us was more than adequate for the time we spent in the canoe area. Thanks again for the memories that you made possible and I will be reserving my trip with you next August. Thanks for everything.

Craig Kirk, Stevenson, AL

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I just wanted you to know how much we enjoyed our trip this year. Your staff was excellent as usual, they made us feel like we were the only ones there. Everyone was very courteous and helpful and in my opinion you have the best staff and best services around.
This was my 8th trip and my son's 6th and I can't begin to tell you how much fun we had. We saw moose, bear, eagles, otter, mink, chipmunks, snakes, ducks and loons. We are looking forward to next year.

David Rodgers, Fayetteville, AR

Overall Map of Seagull

** red dots on the map denote camp sites

Seagull Canoe Outfitters
Debbie Mark & Staff
12208 Gunflint Trail
Grand Marais, Minnesota 55604

For a free brochure or to make a reservation:
Phone: 218-388-2216
Fax: 218-388-9431
E-mail:seagull@seagulloutfitters.com