The St. Louis River Estuary is the confluence of the St. Louis River with Lake Superior.  At 12,000 acres, the St. Louis River Estuary is the largest freshwater estuary in North America and is considered by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to be the headwaters of the Great Lakes.

Over the past 150 years, industry and other human activity disrupted and altered natural habitats at this estuary, as shorelines and near shore areas were dredged and developed, and chemical contamination impacted the waters, according to the DNR. 

People recognized that legacy sediment contaminants needed to be remediated and damaged habitat needed to be restored. This work started decades ago and continues today. 

The Paddle & Portage Podcast team recently traveled to the estuary for a paddle trip. Joining the podcast duo were staff from the Lake Superior Reserve and the St. Louis River Alliance. 

This episode is supported by our listener-members, and by Cooke Custom Sewing, Loons Nest Coffee, and Friends of the Boundary Waters. 

Don Beans first heard about the Boundary Waters when he was a kid growing up in Ohio. And he did so via a magazine, and through the words of longtime Ely resident Bob Cary, a local author, journalist, artist, and wilderness guide.

About 10 years after reading one of Bob Cary’s articles, Don left Ohio and headed north. The year was 1983. His destination: Ely.

In this episode, we hear the story of Don Beans and his journey to the Boundary Waters. Special thanks to Cindy Smyka and the Jasper Company, a multigenerational family business dedicated to hospitality, for their contributions to this episode. 

This episode is supported by you, our listener-members. Support also comes from Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles and Ely Outfitting Company.

In this two-part episode, we hear of a helicopter rescue from May 2026 when two paddlers capsized in the BWCA near Ely. The podcast duo break down the situation, including the public's response to the incident. 

We also hear from Gunflint Trail resident JT McMillion in the episode. JT is a retired pilot who recently wrote and released a book about his experiences in the sky, "Arctic Circle Dreams." JT got his start in the outdoor industry at Gunflint Lodge in the 1970s. He shares his story on the podcast, while also taking us up above the Gunflint in his plane. 

This episode is supported by Loons Nest Coffee and Ely Outfitting Company. 

It snowed across most of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness during the 2026 Fishing Opener. Indeed, Saturday, May 9 was marked by cold, snow and lingering ice across most of the eastern side of the wilderness. 

Nonetheless, the team from Paddle & Portage traveled into the BWCA once again for the fishing opener. Lake trout were caught. As were walleye. Despite numerous snow squalls, relentless gusts of wind, and cold temperatures, the trip was by all accounts a wonderful experience. 

After departing the BWCA on the Monday after the fishing opener, we were informed that Scott Stahnke, 73, had passed away. Scott was the owner of Ugly Baby Bait and Boats on the Gunflint Trail. The day before the opener, we'd featured Scott in a P&P article. 

Travel with us for all of this in this episode of the podcast, which is supported by Sawtooth Outfitters, Borderland Lodge, and Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles. 

Music in this episode courtesy of the Upstream Drifters and Ian Tamblyn. 

Bob Carlson is a co-owner of Loons Nest Coffee on the Gunflint Trail. He's also a lifelong paddler in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Bob went on his first BWCA when he was 3-years-old.

These days, Bob is busy running Carlson Roasting Company and Loons Nest Coffee. He still enjoys paddling in the BWCA with his family. Chasing lake trout and walleye are part of the experience on a Carlson-family adventure, but it's more about sharing a passion for the canoe country with the next generation of paddlers, as Bob shares in this video episode of the podcast.

This episode was recorded at Canoecopia 2026 in Madison, Wisc. 

Support for the episode comes from Canoecopia, Chik-Wauk Museum & Nature Center, and Friends of the Boundary Waters.

Many of the brook trout and splake that end up in lakes in and around the Boundary Waters come from fish hatcheries in southeastern Minnesota.

Joe from the P&P Podcast recently toured the Peterson State Fish Hatchery, which is managed by the Minnesota DNR. The hatchery is located near the Root River and the popular tourist town of Lanesboro. 

Assistant Fisheries Supervisor Ryan Wierzba led us on the tour. Among other things, we discuss how splake are made and how they end up in the lakes in and around the BWCA.

What is a splake? It's a lake trout and brook trout hybrid. And they're damn tasty, many anglers agree. 

This episode is supported by Sawbill Canoe Outfitters and Borderland Lodge. 

The federal government announced last week it is moving the headquarters for the U.S. Forest Service from Washington, D.C. to Salt Lake City.

As part of the move, the Forest Service says it will also close or repurpose all nine of its regional offices, create 15 state offices, and shutter research and development facilities in more than 30 states, including a site in Ely on the edge of the Boundary Waters.

The specifics on what “research and development facility” in Ely will be closing remains in question a week after the announcement came out. Paddle and Portage media spoke with officials from the Northern Bedrock Historic Preservation Corps April 4, as it’s possible they are included in the situation, specifically a historic research lab they now manage in Ely via a lease with the Forest Service. 

Learn more in this episode of the podcast. 

Also featured in the episode is Duluth writer Alex Messenger. Alex talks about his new book, "The Ice on the Lake." He also shares stories about search and rescue operations he's been on in the Boundary Waters, as well as the time he was mauled by a grizzly bear in Canada. 

This episode is sponsored by Voyageur Canoe Outfitters on the Gunflint Trail, and Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles. 

April. The month that's been known to send fear up the spine of the Paddle & Portage Podcast team. 

Recent revelations about what April can offer for BWCA and Quetico adventures has the podcast duo rejuvenated this year. A surge of outdoor activity in late March played a role in this newfound understanding of late winter in the Boundary Waters, as is shared in this episode, which is sponsored by Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters, Loons Nest Coffee, Friends of the Boundary Waters, and Ely Outfitting Company. 

Kevin Kinney, owner of Empire Wool and Canvas Company, celebrates the natural world. He does so without apologies. A direct, straightforward creator, Kevin is a generous creator of fabric, though he doesn't need your approval to know his work is being done the right way. He knows it. And most everyone who has some of his product knows it too.

Kevin has built small batches of garments near Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters for more than 20 years. He runs his business the same way he always has: Old school. Customers order direct. No waitlists. Manufacturer to customer. No B.S.

In this episode of the podcast, we learn about the journey of Kevin Kinney. 

This episode is sponsored by Bending Branches Canoe & Kayak Paddles and Borderland Lodge.  

Minnesota author and frequent Paddle & Portage contributor Ryan Rodgers has a new book about paddling canoes. “Where the Green Light Shines” will be available in summer 2026.

The book takes readers from Minnesota’s Boundary Waters into the Canadian barrens, a region rarely seen by most BWCA paddlers. The book tells the pull this area had on one of Minnesota’s most accomplished paddlers, Bob O’Hara.

Rodgers recently met up with Joe Friedrichs on the shore of Lake Superior in Grand Marais to discuss the book and other topics relevant to the Boundary Waters.

This episode is sponsored by Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters and Ely Outfitting Company.