When: TBD for July 2026
Where: Boundary Waters, Northern Minnesota
Cost: Estimate of $2,200 per person
Northern Tier is the premier BSA experience for canoeing. Paddling in North America's Canoe Country is a time like no other. With lakes stretching as far as the eye can see, all connected through a large web of waterways, we will paddle across them in specially designed tripping canoes. Completing short portages between waterways will get us from lake to lake as we explore the biodiversity of the Northern Boreal Forest unique to Northern Minnesota and Canada.
Wildlife, remoteness, beautiful camping, fishing, and maybe even catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights! Join us!
Each of our crews can have up to 8 people, with 2-3 of those being adults. We will also have a guide with us the entire time we are paddling and camping. Each canoe has three people in it. The person in the back steers, the person in the front provides paddling power, and the person in the middle navigates with the map and takes a break. Those positions rotate within the canoe and people can switch between canoes during the trip.
Who is eligible to participate?
Those who are 14 or 13 years old AND have completed 8th grade by the time of arrival at Northern Tier.
Weight between 100 - 295 pounds. If a participant weighs less than 100 or more than 295 that person cannot participate.
Adults
We are glad you want to go and we need adults to particpate (2-3 per crew)! Know that for this trip and others where there could be limited space, those who have given the most time and effort to T77, T177 or Venture Crew 77 are prioritized to participate. If you want to learn more ways you can volunteer, please contact the Committee Chair, Scoutmaster, or Advisor for T77, T177, or Crew.
When you sign up recognize that you are expressing your interest in participating, but are not guaranteed to participate. When registration ends, the Crew Leadership will review the signup list to finalize who will participate.
If you do not meet the criteria you will not be able to go. There will be more trips in the future!
Our trip includes a 7-night trek . . .
Day 1 / July XX - Fly to Minnesota
Experience some sights in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St Paul
Stay overnight
Day 2 / July XX- Travel to Northern Tier to begin our adventure
Stay overnight at Northern Tier
Day 3-8 /July XX-XX - Paddle and Camp
Day 8 / July XX - Return to Northern Tier base and stay overnight
Day 9 / July XX - Drive to airport and fly home
Total estimate is $2,200 per person (sell Camp Cards and bulbs!)
$931.25 per person is the Northern Tier outfitter cost
assumes an 8 person crew for a total cost of $7,450 per crew. If there are 7 participants, then the cost is distributed and each participant pays $1,064.
$600 airfare
$500 Roundtrip transport to and from airport, lodging in Minnesota before Northern Tier, and activities.
$150 Crew Gear and fluff
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Optional: Add $110 per person if a crew wants to paddle and camp in Canada, offering a more remote and wild experience. More on that later.
Personal expenses
Enroute meals and expenses - $75
Gear costs (e.g. boots, dry bag) - $150, but dependent on your current gear.
All of these numbers are estimates but should be close and hopefully a little high. Some estimates depend on our final number of participants.
Register your interest from the signup link at the top of this page
Payment Schedule (make checks payable to Crew 77)
Upon registration, submit a check for $500. This check will not be deposited until the minimum crew number of 7 is met and the interested group agrees to proceed. Upon cashing, the payment is non-refundable.
January 1 - $500 is due
March 1 - Hotel and flight payment is due ($800)
April 10 - Remaining balance is due (~$400)
Deciding on trip dates
Sooner the better. The registered group will determine dates and lock those in with Northern Tier (NT).
Cancellation and refunds
Consider purchasing trip insurance
Once each payment is made to Northern Tier, flights, accommodations, or ground transportation, there is no refund for that money. If all slots are replaced in the end, then money can be refunded to those who canceled.
Also, any cancellation by a participant, without another person to take their place, CAN EASILY jeopardize the trip for the crew.
Check out the Northern Tier website and the last video from a previous Venturing Crew (below).
To help offset some of the trip cost, selling Camp Cards and doing some work between now and the trip to earn some money are all great strategies to help lessen the cost! In addition, if you are in need of a scholarship, submit a written request to your Scoutmaster or Crew Advisor.
During the fall of 2025 and spring of 2026 we will do our shakedown paddles and practices.
EVERY PARTICIPANT MUST ATTEND AT LEAST TWO SHAKEDOWN PADDLES. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT MEET THIS REQUIREMENT WILL NOT GO TO NORTHERN TIER AND WILL NOT RECEIVE A REFUND.
Meeting agendas
Crew Formation
Paddle and Portage Training Dates
Payments
Wilderness First Aid and CPR Training (All adults must get and older youth are highly encouraged to get. We will need 3 people on every crew to get this training)
Gear prep
Travel and Logistics
When we fly in and out of Minnesota, Blue Sky will host us. Check out the details here.
Northern Tier 2026 Coordinator: Andrew Kraft, 678-778-5824, akrafty@me.com
High Adventure Coordinator for Venturing: Clinton Cole, (678) 595-3332, ctcole0308@gmail.com
Wilderness First Aid- For the links below, for the ARC and SOLO classes, the link goes to the same page. Find the correct vendor towards the bottom of the page. Notice that every class is two days. For the ARC classes you have a choice for the first day.
2025
Dates will be posted here
2026
Dates will be posted here
CPR
Dates will be posted here
Youth Protection Training and Hazardous Weather Training - Both courses are online, at my.scouting.org. Help in accessing those classes can be found here.
Every NT participant must pass the swim test
Dates to take the swim test will be posted here
Standard Outfitting includes Lightweight Kevlar Canoes in Atikokan. A discount will be assessed to crews choosing Aluminum Canoes.
All fees listed are for the trip indicated.
A Lightweight meal option can be purchased for crews wanting to travel fast and light (2026 Crews)
A 4th canoe can be added for crews wanting to fish while traveling slower (2026 Crews)
Atikokan and Ely Crews Planning to travel into Quetico Provincial Park will pay additional park fees at the time of entrance into the park. Crews should plan to budget an additional $750-$1500 for these park fees. More details
If interest is received from enough participants to form more than one crew, note that crews may form naturally due to existing patrols or the age of the youth. However, it will likely not work out perfectly for some or all crews. When you commit to signing up and paying a deposit, keep in mind that the mix of your crew may differ from what you initially wanted. Give it a chance. Be flexible. Know that you are going to have an awesome adventure no matter who is on your crew . . . maybe even a better experience.
Handbooks
Advisor Handbook (all attending adults should read through . . . as you will skim over parts that don't pertain to us it is a fast read)
Participant Handbook (all Scouts should read) Latest book, from 2024
Presentations
PowerPoint presentation from 2024 meeting
Helpful videos
A form to capture your questions or ideas has been added here.
Patagonia article about the efforts to protect teh boundary waters from a mining project. Beautiful photos included.