Quetico Provincial Park is located in Ontario, Canada and shares a border with Minnesota that stretches from Lac La Croix on the west to Saganaga Lake on the east. A maze of sparkling blue lakes, immense granite boulders and towering pines, this is a true wilderness. Miles of canoe routes will take you to some of the best fishing around. Walleye, lake trout, northern pike and bass are as wild as they come!
Established in 1913, Quetico park has no roads, no motorized equipment and only unimproved campsites (no fire grates or latrines like in the BWCA). The serenity of this wilderness is a true treat for those willing to portage in all of their necessities!
Traveling to Quetico
Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters is located near the south eastern edge of Quetico Park. We offer tow service on Saganaga Lake which gets you as close to the ranger station as possible. We also can arrange fly-in trips for those wanting to start or end at a different ranger stations.
U.S. citizens need both a Backcountry permit and Remote Area Border Crossing permit for a Quetico trip.
Crossing the Border
All US Citizens must have Remote Area Border Crossing permit (RABC) or CanPass to paddle into Quetico from the US. The permit application process can take up to 6 weeks, so be sure to apply for this as soon as possible. Due to the sensitive nature of the requested information, all guests must apply for their own RABC–Tuscarora can not secure these for you. Application cost is CAN$30.
Information concerning RABC/CanPass can be found online here.
Quetico Permits
All visitors are required to obtain a backcountry permit from Ontario Parks in order to protect and manage Quetico Park. Each entry point has a limited number of permits (or groups) that can enter the wilderness at that point on that day. Popular entry points can fill up fast during peak season so be sure to reserve your permit as soon as you can.
Quetico permits can be reserved 5 months prior to the trip dates online here or we can help you reserve your permit. Permits can only be picked up at one of 6 Canadian ranger stations. The nearest ranger station to Tuscarora is Cache Bay which is associated with the following entry point permits
- Knife Lake
- Man Chain Lakes
- Falls Chain Lakes
- Boundary Point – Saganagons
- Cache Bay Canadian Access Fly-In
Quetico Permits Fees in Canadian funds (rates are subject to change and are subject to Canadian taxes):
- $9.74 reservation fee (online reservations)
- $100 deposit (applies to user fees)
- $19/day/adult user fee
- $7.50/day/youth user fee
Current backcountry camping fees can be found here. Current reservation fees can be found here. Current rules and cancellation policies can be found here.
Quetico Fishing
Ontario fishing licenses are required to fish in Quetico. Barbless hooks are required and no live bait is allowed. Please see our fishing page for more info.
– Ontario Fishing Licenses – Purchase your fishing licenses before your trip online or by phone by calling 1-800-288-1155. Licensing Help Line can be reached at 1-800-387-7011
