I'm going at the end of June and was curios how many of you guys go swimming and how clear the water is?

We swim. Better clarity than any lakes close to home. Can be cold though.

The water is very clear... and verrrry cold.

Yes and depends on the lake.
CB

In the heat of the summer I can stay in the water for about an hour. In June I can only stand about five minutes. Go find a shallow bay that gets sun all day and you will be fine. Big lakes stay cold and small lakes will warm as the summer goes on.
As far as the water clarity it depends on if there is Algae or Tannin in the water. It also makes helps if there is springs that feed the lake and outlet to drain the lake.

We like to take our life jackets and float in the lake. Of course it depends on the trip if we have kids along there is more swimming. A lot of the lakes are very clear. On some trips that we basecamp on I have taken a pair of swim goggles.

tony

We always swim at least a little. My boy can usually take it for a long time but I am in and out in a hurry. Pretty cold. The water is usually quite clear although some lakes look more like coffee. Not dirt but some kind of minerals in the water.

Yup! once or twice a trip.

It depends on the camp site, the lake, the weather and my attitude at the time. Last September I swam at north camp on Jordan, nice sandy beach and a hot day. Once in Insula on the beach just south of Williamson's Island. We paddled over from the island to swim and rinse out some laundry. Once in May on Thomas. The only shorter swim I ever did was in Lake Superior. Can't think of any others.

I have never been in the water on our may trips.

The past 3 years on our June trips with my son we swam everytime and enjoyed it very much. Nothing like a refreshing swim a few times a day. It's one of my son's favorite activities on our trips.

In 2007 we had low water levels and ideal water temps for swimming on the main lake the 3rd week of June.

2008 high water levels and very cold water temps the third week of June. Could only stay in for a few minutes and would come out red from the coldness.

2009 water level up not as high as 2008 3rd week June. Main lake was very cold on arrival. We moved to a large bay off the main lake where the water was probably at least 5-8 degrees warmer.

If things don't change all that much, I'm guessing we're looking at very similar conditions to 2007 this year.

Dave

We always swim if its hot out. Or just to clean up. Even when its been pretty chilly we still will take quick dips just to clean up.

I swim some of the time. Some lakes will have a stain in the water but are otherwise clear. Some are gin clear. The water will be cold in June. I wouldn't stay in more that a few minutes to get the sank off.

Oh yeah! My son cooling off in Gabbro on a hot day in August.

I have always traveled in the Boundary Waters before or after the Blueberry fest (end of July) in Ely. At some point I always end up in a lake.

The big lakes can still be chilly, but the shallow ones warm up much faster. The lakes will still be clear, but some of them get bog stained, so they aren't as clear as others. You will probably have lots of pine pollen on the water. I swim on every trip, June thru Sept., but some are a shock!

We don't just go swimming, we go diaper dipping. Put your PFD on upside down, and jump in. You are now "Bob". Stay in as long as you can stand it. But beware of the shrinkage.

Every day if possible!

yes, I have to swim to try to help the stench I gather after a hard sweaty day's paddle.


I'm not sure if it actually helps or hurts, but it feels good. very refreshing.


Never been to bwca without going swimming. That includes my mid-april trip. :)

Diaper dipping is the way to do it Knoozer! We also do that and just float around...perfect way to REUSE some camping equipment. We also take a pair or two of goggles just to check out the part of the lake you don't get to see normally...

Some lakes are crystal clear (I remember Knife being very clear) and some not so much. Still clean even if they aren't clear, though.

A thermarest makes for a good raft. I wrap my lifevest over it too for more floatation. On this day I just about fell asleep floating and when I looked around I was about 1/4 mile from camp. :)

These are my nephews on Insula in Aug. 2006.

Good footgear will help... often rocks everywhere. Swam around an island once and banged my knee up pretty good - the rocks can come out of nowhere as you know!

I often debate taking a dip at the portages, but usually can do with wet legs and a dousing of arms and head. I save swimming for camp - still it's rare in May/Sept/Oct - the latest ever for me was a full dunk "swim" on October 1 or 2 in 2005.

Wow!

First I heard of that.

Took a dip in Lake Three in late August. It was cold.

quote Knoozer: "We don't just go swimming, we go diaper dipping. Put your PFD on upside down, and jump in. You are now "Bob". Stay in as long as you can stand it. But beware of the shrinkage. "

Mid-May 2009



That's snow in my hand from two days before the swim.

We always swim in the middle of June. Chilly but nothing the average person can't deal with.

We do it just do clean up....and to say we did it.

Almost always take at least one dip on each trip. Wear some decent footwear and watch out for the rocks.

have to swim. wakes you up in the morning. cools you off in the afternoon. it is usually cold, but not so cold that you cant enjoy it for a little bit. it also helps knock the 'man musk' down a little.

Swimming can be great fun and very refreshing after several days in the wildnerness. Consider yourself fortunate if you find a campsite with a sandy beach.

Have to swim on our trips, it is a tradition, even if it is a quick in and out. Our earliest trips though are the end of may, so it is cold enough for an in and out. If we went in late july we would spend alot of time in the water. Water clarity depends entirely upon the lake.

ALways.
I also like standing under the falls at the Rose stairway portage and aslo johnson falls.

You gotta jump in at least once. In 1990 in early June when I went with my wife the weather was hot (high 70's) and we had to swim bu the water was so cold that we could only last about 10 minutes. In 2008 same temps we swam every day and regulary jumped in after some very hard portages.Normally from late June on the water is ok enough to swim in my opinion. Windy, rainy, day aside. Last year in late June we swan the first two days and then the highs were in the 50's and no more.

Take a dip almost every day to rinse off. Like to cliff dive if we can find nice cliff with deep water.

Have swum every year we go.
Boppa

One of our campsite criteria is the ability to jump off shore into water over your head. Every day on most trips, even May and October. Nothing more refreshing than a late afternoon swim after a hard days work. Just prior to cocktail hour of course. We do put clothes back on for happy hour.

We swim almost on a daily basis. Never cliff dove. Probably wouldn't. If chased by a bear, chances are much better that I would.

We're a couple of water rats and it's rare we that we skip a day. Specialty of the house is swimming to islands. The swimming is probably more important to us than the fire. Which is good because they don't have swimming bans!

We go in August for the warm swimming weather. We try to plan and find campsites that are swim friendly. Will have to try the diaper dipping.

A June swim in the BWCAW is about the same as a swim in March in our lakes down here. The first time we came to the BWCA we tried to rinse off our 4-day stench by taking a dip in mid-June. Maybe it's ok for you north folks, but us down here south of the Mason-Dixon line are too whussy!

if i'm solo i just wade in a bit to cool or rinse off a bit-no soap-
solo i worry about leg cramps in cold water or hitting something.
out with the buddys we find a good open safe spot and do a few laps.

We always are ready to go swimming... the last 2 years we have had RAIN and lots of it, so we were wet, but not from swimming.

One thing that we have been taking, especially if you have kids(even us big kids take them:) are pool noodles! They are light weight, deeliebob them in to the canoe, and away you go. They provide much entertainment for floating resting on, ect. I make a book rest in the canoe one day with them!

One year my "Wasband" (the one and only time I took him) caught a HUGE Northern. It's bladder burst so we were going to bring it home so he could have it mounted ... well an eagle thought it would be an easy dinner. When we realized that it was trying to get it off the stringer, (by the longs talon marks in the side of the fish) We made a "Noodle Cage". We took the 2 noodles and ran a long piece of parachute cord through the middle and floated them around the fish. It worked. The eagle sat across from our camp site on an island all night and never bothered the fish. We packed out the next day and that darn eagle followed us across the lake to the first portage hoping to get free fish!

sst6313, instead of noodles I bring in these "Doodles". They are lighter and a lot smaller when the air is out. These come on all the kid's and "big kid's" trips. They also don't shed the small foam bits when they're hitting each other over the head with them.
I love to float on them with my head resting on the middle of one and my arms draped back over it, and then have another one under my knees. On hot days this is heaven.

We typically make a May trip, August trip, October trip and January trip. WE SWIM EVERY TIME. Its usually the highlight of the trip:)

Has anyone ever gotten swimmers itch while swimming in the BW? I've gotten it a few times swimming in lakes in Wisconsin and it is not fun for those that don't no what it is is like having a bunch of mosquito bites when I've gotten it I had hundreds or at least it seemed like it and it was miserable, it could ruin your trip real quick. If anybody has gotten this can you share which lakes
Thanks
Jeff

Just thought I would get this back to the top for one more chance at some replies about swimmers itch in the BW
Jeff

yes we swim, and the water is very clear.

I was going to say we swim every trip but I think I remember one where we just couldn't bring ourselves to take the plunge in the constant wind and rain we had for four days.

Our trip in July we swam every day- big cold lakes, little small lakes- the relief of no sweating and being stinky was too nice!! This is a picture of Ed being "rescued" by his German Shepard- Hoss. the dog has a tail from the life vest strap and he is dragging his master to shore!

cute pic ripple, smart dog.

No swimmers itch here, but typically trip spring and fall, so when we swim, it's QUICK.