Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Ontario's Quetico Park make up the largest waterway wilderness in the world. This two million acre area, with its countless connected waterways is a canoeist's paradise. Ely, in fact, is known as "The Canoe Capital of the World." Here you are able to experience the beauty of these glacial carved lakes and pine-covered forests just as the French Voyageurs did hundreds of years ago.

At LaTourell's, our three generations of experience in catering to canoeists allows us to handle the details of planning an adventure into this area we call home. We offer everything from complete outfitting packages, to partial outfitting, to towboat service.

During our pre-trip planning we will discuss your expectations and obtain the necessary travel permits for the area that you decide on. Upon your arrival at our lakeside base, we will go through the fine points of your trip. We will familiarize you with the methods of camping, canoeing, fishing, and cooking. You will be able to hone your canoeing skills at our lakeside base. This information, along with our detailed map routing, will make your canoe trip comfortable and enjoyable. We can also help you with all necessary permits and camping regulations.

Our equipment is the finest available. It is ultralight for fast traveling and easy portaging. This allows you to get to the remote areas quickly and easily. At the same time and most importantly, the equipment is designed for your total comfort. Our top of the line canoes, tents and sleeping gear along with our hearty food menu are important in ensuring this comfort. We at LaTourell's are dedicated to supplying this quality of equipment.

We take pride in our tow boat service. This transportation by boat for you and your equipment can save you a day's paddle by getting your group further into the interior of the wilderness. Our tow service has set the standard in the area.

We offer the following outfitting packages to fit your specific needs.

Complete Ultralight Canoe Outfitting

At LaTourell's, we offer the finest equipment available. This is top of the line gear that we've come to trust during our family's three generations of traveling and outfitting groups into this area we call home. This package includes:

• 17' Lightweight Alumacraft canoes
• Carlisle paddles
• Stearns life vests
• Eureka Tents
• Slumberjack sleeping bags (freshly laundered)
• Fleece pillow stuff sacks
• Thermarest mattresses (self inflating, full length)
• Deluxe cordura padded pack sacks
• Pulley system for hanging food packs
• Nylon kitchen fly and camp rope
• Complete BWCA/Quetico approved food for trip
• Complete cook kit and utensils
• Water filter system
• Fire grate and trowel (for Canadian trips)
• Compact saw and sharp Estwing axe
• Trip planning with 1 set of detailed maps
• La Tourell's Helpful Hints Guide
• Hot showers and free parking
• Personal and customized service

Kevlar Upgrade

For an additional $8/person/day you can add a kevlar canoe to our Complete Ultralight Outfitting Package. This option gives you the advantage of using our 40 lb. class Wenonah and Souris River canoes, some of the lightest, fastest canoes on the market. This upgrade is a favorite choice of those who wish to tour a large part of the canoe country with the least amount of effort, as well as for the serious anglers who wish to get into some of the more remote fishing hot spots. It includes some of the lightest, most elite equipment on the market today. Also included are the following upgraded items:

La Tourell's "Deluxe" Kevlar Package

La Tourell's "Deluxe" Kevlar Package is designed for the serious BWCAW/Quetico Park camper and is on the leading edge of today's technology in equipment and food. We believe this package to be the optimum combination of food and equipment which will make travel faster and easier on the water and portages while providing maximum comfort at camp. This package includes:

• Wenonah or Souris River Kevlar canoes (40 lb. class)
  - The definitive names in Wilderness Canoe Tripping
• Bent Shaft Paddles
  - Engineered for efficient paddling
• Paddling Style life vests
  - Designed with the paddler in mind
• Expedition style Tents
  - Light, roomy, and storm proof
• Slumberjack sleeping bags (freshly laundered)
  - Hollifill sleeping bags that are light and comfortable
• Thermarest sleeping pads (self-inflating, full length)
  - Provides a great night's rest without being bulky
• Kondos specialty series padded pack sacks
  - Padded hip belt and shoulder straps with features to make portaging easier
• Efficient, compact gas stove
  - Light, efficient stove with spare fuel and packable containers
• Water purification systems
  - Several options for you to choose from
• Complete BWCA/Quetico Park approved food
  - Gourmet-style meals that are both light and tasty
• Crazy Creek canoe/camp chairs
  - Comfort both on and off the water

This package also contains many other features that make your wilderness experience more enjoyable:

Fishing Basecamp Option

Designed for the serious angler, these trips feature less travelling and more time fishing. We will route your trip into areas with some of the best fishing to be found, yet don't require as much paddling and portaging to get to. Once there you will be able to concentrate on fishing from this one established deluxe camp with extras that wouldn't be possible on travel trips. This option is available by adding $8/person/day to our Complete Ultralight Outfitting rates and includes the following additional luxury items added to our Complete Ultralight Outfitting:

• Larger 18½' canoes
• Deluxe canoe/camp back rests
• Larger Eureka tents
• Screened kitchen tent
• Tables
• Stools
• 2 burner stove and fuel
• Water purification system
• Landing nets
• Anchor bags w/rope
• Fish cleaning board
• Bait containers

Additional Services

La Tourell's also offers several other services for your convenience. Some of these include towboat shuttle service, van transportation, overnight accomodations, guide service, and fly-in canoe trips.