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off the grid(ish) midwest trip


Jim R

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Good afternoon all.  Happy to be back after quite some time.  Looking forward to working myself back into the community.  

I need some suggestions.  I'm looking for a paddle trip I can take that will last me a few days.  The less light bulbs, buildings and cars I see the better.  I plan to camp obviously along the way.  Is there anything like this within, say, a four hour drive from Northern Illinois?  Thanks.

Jim R.

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Welcome back! As bad as you seemed to have been bitten by the smallie/moving water bug, I'm surprised you left for so long!  Kids, school, and work can really interfere with a guys fishing. 

I'll throw out the Sylvania Wilderness area in the UP as a great option to get away from it all. It's five or six hours away, but it would be worth it. I'm sure some other ideas will get thrown out there. 

 

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Lower Wisconsin river - little traffic noise , few bridges next to no power boats. Wide braided sand bar section of river, camp on island/ sand bar. good bass fishing when you find wood & deep water. You will see a lot of other paddlers but the river is as wide as the Missisippi which is the west end of the stretch. Easily 2 day float or longer if you fish a lot.

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1..Wisconsin river has many many options.  shuttle services should not be hard to find. 

2. St Croix and Namekagon rivers are a bit past the 4 hr drive, but worth the extra time. They have plenty of camping options. Do plenty of research. There are some sections with white water. 

3. If you were up for an 9 hr drive, the BWCA is probably the best for not hearing any artificial noise. Ive been here every year for the last 12. 

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X2 on the lower Wisconsin! Did a trip with my boys/scouts  I think it was 2 summers ago.... anyway caught fish and would have caught more had it been primarily a fishing weekend. Beautiful area! Probably less paddlers during the week.... if you do go on a weekend have a few options for which island/sandbar you are going to camp on as they fill up quickly. Maybe get there a little early in the evening. Also be sure to bring the long sand stakes for your tent. They saved us from a tent collapse during a pretty wicked storm.

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