A Wilderness Love Story

by Suez Jacobson As posted on Great Old Broads for Wilderness It was a “win” in the Broads’ online auction that took me to the Boundary Waters in May 2017 with Peta Barret and Women’s Wilderness Discovery. I’d waited almost 50 years. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), remote and wild, stretches out over a million acres … Read more

ARTICLE: WWD brings Women into the Boundary Waters

On the trail

Twin Cities Outdoor March 11, 2020 Women’s Wilderness Discovery, based in Ely, has been bringing women into the Boundary Waters—year ’round—since 2014. Many of these women are from the Twin Cities, and many of you who read TCO love the Boundary Waters area. So I asked founder and owner, Peta Barrett, to tell us about … Read more

Summer 2023 Canoe Trips

We encourage you to plan far in advance to book your BWCAW canoe trip-by mid January or earlier-to assure the best options for permit availability. All BWCAW permits for summer 2023 canoe camping trips become available on a first-come, first-served basis on Jan. 25, 2023, at 9am CST. It’s truly never too early to book … Read more

Winter Workshops & Day Trips 2023-2024

Thank you to all those hardy women who discovered Winter Camping with us in 2022-23, and for the past 9 seasons. We are grateful for your adventurous spirit, willing to step outside your comfort zone to experience something…AMAZING! We couldn’t be more excited to share the unique solitude and beauty that winter brings to the … Read more

Sharing the wilderness with women—of any age

by Alissa Johnson Quetico Superior Wilderness News Last spring, wilderness guide Peta Barrett and a client walked across a portage in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Her client, a confident, fit woman in her mid-60s, carried the canoe. She had expressed some concerns about doing so but was game to try with Peta nearby. … Read more

Article in Star Tribune

OUTDOORS Currents: Peta Barrett, North Woods Wilderness Guide Peta Barrett, Women’s Wilderness Discovery By BOB TIMMONS , STAR TRIBUNE April 20, 2018 – 8:19 AM Today: Peta Barrett owns and operates Women’s Wilderness Discovery in Ely, outfitting and guiding canoe and hiking adventures in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The trips are year-round. Reading I … Read more

Winter on Trail…

Deep winter in the boreal forest settles in with a stunning coat of pristine white, bundling the landscape in hushed magic. Here, caught up in crisp sunlight… there, below the pale glow of a full moon, winter’s coat glints the illusion of oh-so-many diamonds scattered about. Winter brings a unique clarity – a silence – to the wilds of … Read more

What’s So Cool About a BWCA Canoe Trip?

Friends view a sunset

  Because it’s a myth-buster! It’s not brute strength… for women it’s teamwork and finesse, a CAN DO attitude with an open mind and a willing heart….And really great trail packing! Step aside guys, women can organize a load and hustle down a portage trail faster than you can figure out who’s carrying the fishing … Read more