I like EP #1. I think it is underutilized - 14 permits per day, but hardly any of them are ever taken. Both Vermilion and Trout can get rolling, so first-timers will need to be very careful if it is windy.

Could they stand a 269 rod portage? I always suggest Pine Lake if you want to get away from the motors. A longer, but less portaging, option to get there is to use Pine Creek.

As for other places, the Bigfork River is pretty good. They would need either two vehicles or a shuttle. The other Minnesota Water Trails in the area are also good - Crow Wing River and Red Lake River.

I also just discovered the Trout Lake Semiprimitive Nonmotorized Area in the Chippewa National Forest north of Grand Rapids. I've never been there - you think I would have since I deer hunt literally 2 miles from it, but I just found out about it this summer. The brochure says that it is "semiprimitive, nonmotorized," but the nonmotorized part is deceiving. It says all lakes within the boundaries are nonmotorized except Trout and Spider. Pretty much the only campsites are on Trout and Spider, though, so I wouldn't say it is nonmotorized. It is an option, though, and pretty close to Bemidji.