Post-Wildfire Closure: What Remains Closed in Superior National Forest Through April 1, 2027

What the order prohibits

On National Forest System lands described in Exhibit A and shown on Exhibit B, the order prohibits:

• Going into or being upon the Described Area (36 C.F.R. § 261.52(e))
• Being on Described Trails (36 C.F.R. § 261.55(a))
• Camping on Described Areas (36 C.F.R. § 261.58(e))

In civic English: if the map paints your put-in, trail, or campsite inside the described area, stay out until the order ends or a written Forest Service exemption says otherwise.

Where it applies

The Described Area covers National Forest System lands within multiple ranger districts of Superior National Forest in Lake, St. Louis, and Cook Counties, Minnesota. The Forest Service alert states that portions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and areas along the Echo Trail north of Ely remain closed for entering, being on trails, or camping as described in the order.

Exhibit A (Described Areas) and Exhibit B (maps, including a full landscape map and a west-zone focused map) are listed under Associated Documents on the Superior National Forest alert page. Use those exhibits — not a third-party summary — to decide whether a specific lake, trail, or campsite is inside the closure.

Who is exempt

Under 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the order exempts:

1. Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 specifically exempting them from this Order, or a written determination by an authorized Forest Service officer that a permit is not required under 36 C.F.R. § 251.50(e)(1); and
2. Any Federal, State, or Local Officer, or member of an organized rescue or firefighting resource in the performance of an official duty.

Casual recreation is not on that list.

Why the Forest Service issued it

The stated purpose is public health and safety due to long-term impacts from wildfire activity. The alert ties the closures to wildfires from the July 7, 2026 lightning storm.

Dates, signature, and penalty frame

• Alert / order start: October 1, 2026
• Alert / order end: April 1, 2027 (or until rescinded)
• Order number: 09-09-00-26-11
• Signed: Duluth, Minnesota, September 30, 2026, by Acting Forest Supervisor Drew Stroberg
• A violation is framed as a Class B misdemeanor: a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both (16 U.S.C. § 551; 18 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571, and 3581)

This Order supersedes any previous orders prohibiting the same or similar acts in the same Described Area.

Who to call

• Supervisor’s Office, Duluth: 218-626-4300
• Gunflint District Office, Grand Marais: 218-387-1750
• Kawishiwi District Office, Ely: 218-365-7600
• LaCroix District Office, Cook: 218-666-0020
• Public Affairs Staff Officer Joy VanDrie: joy.vandrie@usda.gov

Digital order and Exhibit A: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/alerts

Reader checklist before you go

1. Open the official Superior National Forest alert for Order 09-09-00-26-11.
2. Read Exhibit A and the Exhibit B maps for your route — BWCAW entry points and Echo Trail segments north of Ely are the alert’s named focus areas.
3. If your plan touches the described area, change the plan or seek a written Forest Service exemption. Do not treat a blog, app pin, or this paper as clearance.
4. Recheck the alert before April 1, 2027; the Forest Service may rescind earlier.

Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).

Notes and sources

1. Source: USDA Forest Service, Superior National Forest alert — Post Wildfire Closures, Effective October 1, 2026 (Forest Order 09-09-00-26-11). https://www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/alerts/post-wildfire-closures-effective-october-1-2026
2. Facts are from the official Forest Service alert/order text only. Exhibit A/B maps control exact boundaries. No invented acreages.
3. Author: Ryan Standley / Record of Sale, LLC / Notice Nearby.
4. Discussed on @NoticeNearYou: (pending — fill xPostUrl after live post).
5. Not legal advice. Not a newspaper. Not Legal Publication. Record of Sale, LLC (Oregon).