The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, is a 1090000acre wilderness area within the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota under the administration of the U.S. Forest Service. A mixture of north woods forests and glacial lakes and streams, the BWCAW's preservation as a primitive wilderness began in the 1900s and culminated in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978. It is a popular destination for both canoeing and fishing on its many lakes and is one of the most visited wildernesses in the United States.GeographyThe BWCAW extends along of the U.S.–Canada border in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota. The combined region of the BWCAW, Superior National Forest, Voyageurs National Park and Ontario's Quetico and La Verendrye Provincial Parks make up a large area of contiguous wilderness lakes and forests called the "Quetico-Superior country", or simply the Boundary Waters. Lake Superior lies to the south and east of the Boundary Waters.190000acre, nearly 20% of the BWCAW's total area is water. Within the borders of the area are over 1,100 lakes and hundreds of miles of rivers and streams. Much of the other 80% of the area is forest. The BWCAW is the largest remaining area of uncut forest in the eastern portion of the United States.
