Hello,

I love the BWCAW and am excited to experience it in the winter.

Of course I have numerous questions.

I will be staying at the Tall Pines Yurt by Poplar lake off the Gunflint Trail. I plan to make various day trips around there and enter-exit the BWCAW.

I will have both snowshoes and skis, and am not too concerned about travelling on land. However, I am curious as to what I should watch out for when I ski/snowshoe on lakes.

Should I stay off them completely? (I am going around New Years)
Will they be easy to travel on? Should I worry about the slush mentioned in other threads here? What other safety precautions should I take?

Any info would be appreciated, I consider myself a novice when it comes to lake ice.

Unless it gets really unseaonably warm (doubt it) the only thing you should be worried about on the lakes will be the wind. Cover exposed areas if it is really cold. Otherwise the snow on the lakes will vary according to the area of the lake your on. Hard pack, wind blown out in the open and softer with drifts in the bays, etc. Be careful if you go by areas where rivers enter or exit. On some lakes with lots of wind and little snow it might be easier to walk.