Voyageur Canoe Outfitters navigates business impacts from BWCAW closures, wildfires

Summer days at the end of the Gunflint Trail usually begin with tow-boats idling at the dock, canoes entering the water, and the excited chatter of guests and outfitter guides before a Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) trip begins.

This week, however, the atmosphere around Voyageur Canoe Outfitters and other outfitter businesses along the Gunflint Trail is eerily quiet.

The dock sits still, canoes are stacked beside the shoreline, and staff work to unpack gear that, less than a week ago, was destined for the Boundary Waters.

Smoke continues to linger along the Gunflint Trail and over Seagull Lake, where Voyageur Canoe Outfitters owners Cassidy and Matt Ritter are navigating the ongoing closures to the BWCAW.

Boats tied up the docks at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters along Seagull River | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

Last week, they were preparing for the busiest stretch of the season.

“Before all of this, our books were absolutely full,” Cassidy said. “We didn’t honestly know how we were going to keep up with it staff-wise.”

Matt said, “We were having such an awesome year. Probably the best year we’ve had yet.”

As of July 18, four days after the BWCAW closure took effect due to wildfires across the wilderness area and the Superior National Forest, the business’s reservation book is empty.

The change happened overnight on Sunday, July 12, when the Ritters, outfitters, and cooperators received an email from the U.S. Forest Service announcing the imminent closure of the wilderness area on July 14.

“That as an outfitter is a quick turn,” Matt said.

After receiving the email, he began knocking on guests’ doors to let them know their trip into the BWCAW was canceled. Then, it shifted to formulating a plan to map where existing guests in the BWCAW were relative to the nearby Canadian wildfires.

“That followed with two days of what I would call disastrous weather for fire,” Matt said. Areas across northern Minnesota and the Gunflint Trail saw temperatures in the high 90s and even 100-degree temperatures with 15-20 mph wind gusts.

While navigating the immediate chaos of ensuring his guests could evacuate the BWCAW safely, Cassidy was on a multi-day trip in Quetico Provincial Park with three staff members and was unaware of the evolving situation.

News reached Cassidy’s group via a satellite message that the Cache Bay Ranger Station was being evacuated, and the group made a quick decision to pack up and leave.

“We looked ahead of us and saw a very dark smoke cloud forming, and a little bit of fire,” Cassidy said. The winds had increased to 20-30 mph, and the group struggled to paddle.

“We were fearful for sure,” Cassidy said. “I was very scared for myself. I felt a lot of pressure to make sure that I held it together.”

Stacked canoes at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters as the BWCAW closures remain in place | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

The group made it back to Cache Bay and evacuated safely via a towboat. Once returning to Voyageur, Cassidy said, she had to compartmentalize what she experienced in Quetico and immediately jump into helping Matt with reservation cancellations, refunds, and answering hundreds of phone calls.

The business is built around sending people into the wilderness.

And on July 14, that suddenly came to a halt.

“That’s our bread and butter,” Matt said. “That’s what we do, that’s what we do well.”

For visitors, four or five days of closures at the end of July may not seem a big concern, but for outfitters,the closures that began this week fall during a time when outfitters are ramping up for peak season.

“I would say this weekend is the start to peak season,” Matt said. “It doesn’t look great, and typically, I would say these next six weeks of business compare to almost the rest of the summer in business and guest visiting, people on the water, revenue, just overall business.”

With the nearby Little Knife Fire, which originated in Canada and earlier this week crossed the border into the U.S., and several other large wildfires throughout the wilderness area, the Ritters said, their guests have started canceling trips not just for the rest of July, but for upcoming trips in August, September, and the remainder of the season.

The Ritters said they are doing their best to issue refunds to guests, adhere to their cancellation policy for booked trips that are later in the summer, and most importantly, keep guests’ overall safety in mind.

“So we’re working on cancellations and refunds within the closure dates,” Matt said. Anything past that, the Ritters said, they are recommending guests call Voyaguers to check on current closure dates.

The loss of booked BWCAW trips due to the closure amid their peak season is “more than impactful,” Matt said. “It could be devastating.”

He said he’s hopeful that the BWCAW opens up soon as safe conditions allow, but there remain “many unknowns right now.”

With the ongoing cloud cover and smoke, the U.S. Forest Service aircraft have been largely grounded due to poor visibility and unsafe conditions.

The latest update on the Little Knife Fire’s size, as of Thursday, is 6,000 acres. The fire was last determined to have burned as far south in the U.S. as Ogishkemuncie Lake, approximately four miles from the western edge of Seagull Lake.

The Ritters are facing the same uncertainty and loss of revenue as nearby outfitter businesses, such as Seagull Outfitters & Cabins and Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters, as well as others farther down the Gunflint Trail.

As compared to businesses in the mid-trail area that operate lodging and serve food and drinks, the Ritters said, the outfitter’s revenue is largely centered around one thing only: getting people into the BWCAW.

“It’s everything,” Matt said.

Matt and Cassidy Ritter, owners of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters | Photo by Kalli Hawkins

This wildfire season also comes during a major transition for the Ritters. This is their first year as sole owners of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters after more than a decade managing and partnering in the business. The Ritters have officially taken over ownership from Mike and Sue Prom, long-time owners of the business.

“This is our first financial year of being sole owners and so,yeah, huge wall to come up against,” Matt said.

The Ritters said they understand the reality of where they live and operate a business and that, “We do live in an area where this is a possibility. And we totally acknowledge that and accept that.”

The reality and financial hardships resulting from the BWCAW closures are being felt daily by outfitters, on both the western and eastern sides of the wilderness area. Several Ely outfitters are navigating the same challenges that the Ritters are on a daily basis.

Matt said he hopes the impacts on businesses along the eastern side of the Boundary Waters are also more widely recognized as communities across the region continue to face wildfire impacts and closures.

“It’s easy to overlook what’s going on with everyone, and we feel for everyone over there and hope that everyone feels for us,” Matt said. “We’re right there with them, and we’re in the same boat, and we don’t want to be overlooked, and we all need help all across the Boundary Waters to see how this pans out.”

To offset some of the financial losses amid the BWCAW closures, the Ritters have launched an online merchandise store and begun shipping shirts, sweatshirts, stickers, and other items.

“We’re very thankful to have even just the tiniest bit of income right now,” Cassidy said. “Our staff are working hard at packing up orders and getting our clothing out to people. And it’s a great way for people to support us right now.”

WTIP’s Kalli Hawkins sat down with Voyageur Canoe Outfitters owners Matt and Cassidy Ritter to talk about how the BWCAW closures and nearby Little Knife Fire are impacting the business. Cassidy shares more insights into her experience evacuating from Quetico Provincial Park amid the evacuation orders and nearby wildfires. Audio below.

Kalli Hawkins July 18, 2026