When you head to the BWCA do you like driving at night or day? Me I like driving at night, way less traffic, I've seen all the sights a ton of times so I don't feel like I'm missing anything, yes you have to keep your eyes looking for deer, I just like to be there early in the morning and and be able to go.

First thing in the morning. Get to see the sights and few cars on the road.

I like the fact of less traffic at night but my eyes just aren't as good at night as they once were so I end up driving slower so I don't run in to critters...lol! But I prefer night!

Mike

Day driver. No nights for me anymore. My eyes are not good. I like heading north a little before the sun rises.

I prefer driving during the day for vision and alertness reasons. I can't get there in a day (or night) and enter the morning after I arrive anyway.

Always prefer driving through Illinois at night, but not Wisconsin. A friend of mine once declared Wisconsin "Dead deer capitol of the world" (LOL)! As I've gotten older, my preference for driving at night has changed a bit as I too have difficulty with lights and my eyes. Plus, there are just a lot more ner-do-wells on the road than there used to be, and they prefer the dark!

Leave St. L. Missouri before first light. stay at an outfitter and early to put in EP.

For BW/Q I have always traveled after work, so at night. 570mi
But, the last several trips have been WCPP, 1400 mi, and Wab. 1450 mi to Smye Lk
For those I leave early a.m, stay over night just over the border, and drive last 6-8 hrs in daytime.

We drive 20 hours and nowadays it's strictly day time. I tried driving straight through one time after the boys had gotten old enough to drive, long story short we all hated that. We drive one long day, then figure on getting to the outfitter about 2 PM the next day. That's a lot of days but there's not a lot I can do about it.

I need both. 1400 miles one way for me.

We leave Minneapolis around 2AM usually, arriving to Ely just in time to get our permit and hit the water right after sunrise.

It is nice when we get to do a short first day. Doing long first days after driving through the night becomes less and less "fun" with each passing year :)

Its a 1000 mile journey for me.

Usually leave at 7AM and drive until early evening and camp or stay in a hotel. Second day I eat breakfast in Duluth and get to the outfitter early afternoon after browsing the shops in Ely or Grand Marais.

This year its just me and one other guy. We wanted to maximize our time on the water. We are planning to leave western Pennsylvania at 3PM and drive straight through to Williams and Hall on Moose Lake. Next day we eat breakfast and take the tow to Prairie Portage for a 15 day paddle around Hunter Island.

Can't wait! Leaving Sunday, Sept 3rd.

Coming home we are grabbing a shower at the outfitters, a steak at Ely Steakhouse, and then driving straight through to home. With two of us switching off driving it shouldn't be too bad.

1000 mile trip from Indiana. we usually leave mid to later afternoon and go straight through. we rotate shifts through the night, and then stay at an outfitter the night before we put in. pluses are easier driving at night, the young'uns can sleep for a big part of the trip, and you get to watch the sun come up somewhere. minuses are somebody has to pull that late red eye shift, some folks can't really sleep in a car, and if you have car trouble or a flat tire at 3:30 am in the middle of nowhere, it aint gonna be a quick fix.

700 mile journey for us from Ohio. We start around midnight and arrive in early afternoon at the outfitters. This gives us a chance to unwind before sleeping. Then on the water first chance we get the next morning.

Betty's Pies and Norske Nook aren't open at night. So that settles it.

Seriously thou, I used to prefer travelling through the night. Psychologically, it seems to make the journey shorter. We did the over night drive many times to the BWCA and on western vacations.

Now, my old eyes just prefer driving during the day time and I am retired so I don't feel I have to hurry to get anywhere. So, I do stop at Norske Nook and Betty's Pies.

Just got back home yesterday from a trip to Wisconsin then up to the BW. Headed west to Portland Oregon and on home. Total miles, just shy of 6000. Total time, just shy of a month. I don't drive at night if I can help it. To much to see during the day. I take my time and usually only drive about 500 miles a day. I'm on the road at first light. I like the journey. I enjoy stopping and talking to the local people all the way across. Stopped to say hi to Elsie Eller in MInowi Nebraska, population one, again. Always nice to see her. While in Wisconsin went to my 50th high school reunion. It was part of the journey.

I'm not a fan of all of the animals running across the road at night in the darkness when they are hard to spot until you are on top of them. Rain makes it even worse. I fly into MSP and rent a car so being in an unfamiliar vehicle adds to the equation also. Even when I lived in Duluth I would leave right at sunrise to be on the water around 9:00 a.m. In the fall I would leave before sunrise, but not much before. I have never hit a deer but have been pretty darn close many times.

Yes.
From here in the western Chicago suburbs, it's 600 miles to Ely. My typical driving approach, and logic behind it, is as follows:
I try to get to bed as early as I can - 8pm would be good, but usually not realistic. If I get to sleep 9-10 pm, I get up 1-2am or so. Make the coffee, fill the Thermos, and hit the road.
Now, if I did this for work I'd be exhausted & cranky. But I'm headed to northern Minnesota! So waking up is pretty easy with this enthusiasm. Very little traffic at that time, though inevitably for this area there will be some construction lane closures to slow things down a little. I crank some music, drink some java, maybe open the windows, and the first couple of hours fly by. And the coffee helps.
I'd start getting sleepy about now...but the sun starts coming up. That keeps me going, waking me up a little longer.
By about 8, I'm getting tired so I make a gas and breakfast stop. Rejuvenated again. Then I'm well into central/northern Wisconsin and enjoying the sights and glad it's daylight, because by now I've counted 6-7 deer carcasses along the road. Then it's stuff I look forward to - the long hills after Trego or so, the first sight of Lake Superior in the distance, another gas stop and seeing Duluth, the scenic drive to Two Harbors & reminiscing in my mind the couple of Grandma's marathons I did there (and how I felt at various locations),.. that turn left out of Two Harbors,.... roll into Ely by mid-afternoon. Leaves me time to get some food, license, permit, get situated, and get some rest/nap now if I need it.
So, I start in the dark to get a good head start but most of the drive is in daylight.
Did a trip a few years back with a group that started the drive to Atikokan at about 5pm, drove through the night (when you can see nothing interesting, just darkness), got breakfast and started the canoe trip that morning. Too rough for me, I need to start a canoe trip well-rested,

1000+ here. Leave early dawn. Usually Eau Claire motel then next day to Ely easily. The older we get; the less we enjoy night driving.

My tripping partner is 11 years old and doesn't pull his own weight driving.

We have 997 miles from South of Cleveland to Seagull Outfitters doorstep. Last couple of years we've done about 10 hours the first day to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, spent the night, then about 6 hours the next day up through Duluth to the Gunflint, and get there late afternoon. Then we can have dinner at Trail's End, check and re-pack our gear, and be ready to go first thing in the morning.

On a side note, last week drove 1,044 miles each way to drop our oldest daughter off at college, her first year at Loyola University in New Orleans. When you've driven over most of this country, you realize how big it really is. And I still haven't driven the big Western states like Montana, Wyoming, etc.. My posterior hurts from all the hours spent in the drivers seat this year.

quote WinstonRumfoord: "We leave Minneapolis around 2AM usually, arriving to Ely just in time to get our permit and hit the water right after sunrise.


It is nice when we get to do a short first day. Doing long first days after driving through the night becomes less and less "fun" with each passing year :)
"

+1 - exactly

Day. From my house (northern suburbs) to Ely is about 4-4.5 hours and so I like to leave sometime in the early afternoon the day before entry and I usually pick my permit up in Duluth on the way since most of the ranger stations are closed by the time I get that far north. I'm usually in Ely right at dinner time so I can eat dinner, get dessert from the DQ, hit VNO for some bait and head to the EP before dark. I sleep in the truck (helps to have a giant SUV) at the EP the night before so I can be on the trail at first light. I used to get up and leave at 2 am, but I just can't do it anymore. Too tiring and I always ended up exhausted by lunch so that's why I changed it up a few years back.

We leave about midnight, that gets us into Ely at breakfast time at Brittons.

Generally take off after work & drive all night. We'll get to our put in about 3 or 4 in the A,M, and sleep in the car until the outfitter opens.

Man you guys are all hard core. I have a 4-4.5 hour drive. Sleep in...Leave around 10 am, hang out in Ely all day sometimes coincide trip with Blueberry festival, have a leisurely dinner in Ely (Chocolate Moose, Ely Steakhouse, or Sir G's) with a few brews. Sleep in...for me at Adventure In or the like and hit Prairie around 9 am, then I go hard all day.

Usually exit similar, spend the night in Ely after exiting The Q late in the day...sometimes that last day is my best fishing.

T

Drive by day. Critters by night.

Burning vacation days driving instead of on the water drives me crazy so we drive at night. We usually leave home around 10 pm, drive through the night and find a cup of coffee just before VNO opens at 5 and then we're off.

Living in the Twin Cities, I am spoiled. I can get to Ely in bit over 4 hours and GM in 5-6 depending on traffic. Day for me. I think even if I were further away, it would still be day due to my eyeballs.

Night driver on the way up. Day driver on the way down.

I either leave fivish am and on ely side can be on the water by 7:30 or 8:am, or leave daytime and spend time in Ely and spend the night. Gunflint, I need a little more time so leave day before to spend time in Grand Maria and camp, bunk house or stay with friends.

I drive solo, so I always drive early morning. I like to be able to see around me for most of the 12 hour first day drive.

If it's just me, I'm on the road by around 3:00am. If I've got others, I push hard for an early departure, but I generally have to settle for about 6:00am at best.

quote amhacker22: "If it's just me, I'm on the road by around 3:00am. If I've got others, I push hard for an early departure, but I generally have to settle for about 6:00am at best."

I am definitely the morning person. I tend to try to pair up with other morning people...but honestly on future trips I plan on going solo so I don't have to put up with other people's BS when I want to hit the road, haha.

Years ago we left Red Wing MN at 1230am and enjoyed the light traffic on the way to GM. Now we are older and leave at 430am which is ok except more traffic to deal with. Marc

Holy buckets, I take living in northern Mn and the BW for granted after reading how far some of you drive, I need to start appreciating it more obviously.

I used to enjoy nite driving but now I'm 54, my nite vision is going.
I drive pretty much entirely in the daytime now, 500 miles would be a good day for me.
I can also see critters much better by day obviously.

It depends on the trip and time allotted. I have done a 36 straight hours awake trip into Beaverhouse, but that was completely nuts. Too old for that now.

3 am start for me. Puts me where I need to be by early evening.

We normally start the 4 hour drive north around 1 or 2am. Smooth sailing with no traffic. This puts us at the outfitter right about the time they are opening their doors. We try to be the first group at the EP in the morning and are usually setting up our first camp around lunch time :)

Night driving. I get to excited to sleep anyway so head out after work and drive through was my usual until a few years ago and I was so exhausted the next day it was really no fun. Now I drive part way, usually the Duluth area and sleep in the back of the truck, get up pre-dawn beating the morning traffic in Duluth. I have always been on the water before noon and find a camp site early afternoon, spend some time repacking now that I am really out there, and dive into the trip the next morning rested and ready to go.

I've done both. My wife and I now drive north in the daytime on the way to a hotel where we stay the night before and the night coming out. Return in the daytime, too, though I-35 is a speedway full of left lane drivers on any given Sunday.

In the past, when doing solos, I have driven up in the evenings. I'd sleep in my vehicle and get up extra early to get on the water. Several years ago, two members of this board expressed a strong desire to find my vehicle and visit me with cymbals.

I love driving the north woods at night, and I miss doing it. I remember stopping on 169 and on the Gunflint just to experience the quiet of the woods with few cars passing by. Not a BWCA experience, but it was a taste of what was to come.

Mike

Day drivers. We have always meandered our way up north. In the early days, we came through the Twin Cities to drop our kids off with our friends who kept them for us while we enjoyed our canoe trips "just us two." Later on we came across the U. P. Of Michigan or sometimes the northern shore of Lake Superior, and always took several days to get to either Ely or Grand Marais.

Traveled during the day. Had our traditional stops, like Tobie's (Hinckley), and some others. After we started bringing our granddaughter we had to come through Chicago and the traditions changed, but always day travels, and always taking at least three days to get there.

Same on the way home, a slow, vacation-type of travel. We are just not people who like marathon-type road trips.

After cataract surgeries on both eyes, my night vision has improved tremendously. I have the route to memory from Ohio now so may give the night driving a try as it seems like a plus to avoid daytime road work & their traffic backups. My only concern would be finding gas stations open 24 hrs when I leave the interstate(s).

I prefer waking up at the "butt-crack-of-dawn", instead of evening driving.

Night driving when I go solo. When I take the family we usually go up the day before and see some sites on the way.

Tony

Fortunately I am only 6-7 hours away. After putting the kids to bed and kissing my wife at home, I take a short nap and take off early morning at 12-1 AM and get to the route and get in the water at first light. I do this for hunting and camping trips out West as well. The excitement of it all usually gets me through the first day. I like to get 'in' early and setup early then I can enjoy the day. I don't like to waste a day driving plus I'm so jacked up to go I couldn't sleep anyway.

I'm a half & half kind of guy. I leave at 3am which gets me through the Twin Cities with minimal traffic. Then I can enjoy the sun rising & scenery the further north I get.

Would depend on if we used an outfitter or not. If so, we would leave early morning so we could get there early, get outfitted and get stuff into bunkhouse early. Then get to town for a good meal before leaving early next morning. If no outfitter, then leave at night and get a couple hours sleep at entry parking lot before getting out first thing. Now that i am a plane ride from the BW, we usually do some form of outfitting because it is easier.

Last post was me, did not realize i was logged out. Paddle on.

We leave Indy between midnight and 2am, getting us to Ely mid to late afternoon.
We used to head home the evening we exit the bwca. Stopped doing that after a few yrs. I couldn't handle driving by Humbird cheese in Tomah Wis and not getting cheese. That's a tradition that dates back to the mid 60's when I first started going north with my grandparents. Always a highlight of every trip.

quote : "We leave Indy between midnight and 2am, getting us to Ely mid to late afternoon.
We used to head home the evening we exit the bwca. Stopped doing that after a few yrs. I couldn't handle driving by Humbird cheese in Tomah Wis and not getting cheese. That's a tradition that dates back to the mid 60's when I first started going north with my grandparents. Always a highlight of every trip."

Whoops! Didn't realize I wasn't logged in.....

quote nakor: "

quote : "We leave Indy between midnight and 2am, getting us to Ely mid to late afternoon.
We used to head home the evening we exit the bwca. Stopped doing that after a few yrs. I couldn't handle driving by Humbird cheese in Tomah Wis and not getting cheese. That's a tradition that dates back to the mid 60's when I first started going north with my grandparents. Always a highlight of every trip."

Whoops! Didn't realize I wasn't logged in....."

Funny, I almost mentioned the downside of when I start too early, is when I pass Humbird and it's still closed!
My first visit there was early/mid 70's on the way to Kabetogama for my first fishing trip, and we'd stop there when my uncle would take me fishing in the Hayward area. Long break, then I resumed the tradition when I started going to Ely in the late 80's. New shop is nice, but I sure do miss the enthusiastic old guy (RIP) and the walk-in cooler where you could sample pretty much everything!

quote HowardSprague: "

quote nakor: "

quote : "We leave Indy between midnight and 2am, getting us to Ely mid to late afternoon.
We used to head home the evening we exit the bwca. Stopped doing that after a few yrs. I couldn't handle driving by Humbird cheese in Tomah Wis and not getting cheese. That's a tradition that dates back to the mid 60's when I first started going north with my grandparents. Always a highlight of every trip."

Whoops! Didn't realize I wasn't logged in....."

Funny, I almost mentioned the downside of when I start too early, is when I pass Humbird and it's still closed!
My first visit there was early/mid 70's on the way to Kabetogama for my first fishing trip, and we'd stop there when my uncle would take me fishing in the Hayward area. Long break, then I resumed the tradition when I started going to Ely in the late 80's. New shop is nice, but I sure do miss the enthusiastic old guy (RIP) and the walk-in cooler where you could sample pretty much everything!"

Ahhh, the old days! I too remember the old guy and shop. Best brick cheese on the planet! I always buy several lbs because apparently Wis is the only place you can find it. Never seen it anywhere else.

I guess we were never in the "old shop", but we dropped a lot of cash in the current one last Tuesday. Cheese for our tailgate on Saturday, cheese for our daughter, cheese to bring home! And all three of us tried a large number of delicious samples, too! :-)