I live about 200 miles from the nearest entry point so now gas today is around $4.20 so a round trip would be a minimum of $100.00. Being the age I am I probably will not change much because canoeing years are running out.

I do love to make a lot of two-three day trips and come up grouse hunting many weekends-there will be some adjustment of that. I have my own equipment, but people going thru an outfitter and maybe a night or two in a motel traveling will get expensive.

If prices would stay up I think outfitters will be hurt and this year many permits may be canceled this fall. Maybe I am wrong?

Do you have a gas price you would cancel at?

Keep it civil please.

Back in March I made a late-August 9-night reservation in Quetico at a cost of ~$290 US, with Prairie Portage entry via Carp Lake. When the fires made it obvious that Carp Lake might not be the best entry lake, I changed my permit to Prairie Portage/Sarah Lake. When it appeared that the Park might not open to southern entry, I checked Rec.gov and discovered that I could get a Moose Lake BWCAW entry for the same dates. I grabbed it for $38, but with hopes that the Park would open to southern entries at the last minute. Instead, Quetico only opened to northern entries and refunded my reservation price, minus a small fee for the entry lake change. We had a wonderful BWCAW trip--just got home last night. I'm in western NC, and my round-trip distance was 2575 miles. While my Suby Forester usually gets about 30mpg when I keep highway speed below 75, that drops to 24 or so with the rack & canoe on top, causing me to burn about 110 gallons on the trip. Pre-bomb-bomb-Iran, my fuel cost would have been about $300, but this year was more like $400. Right now I feel like my Quetico refund more than covered my extra fuel cost. We're in our mid-70s and hope to keep paddling a few more years, so I would continue to drop $400 or so to fuel future trips, but I won't be happy about it...

TZ

Aside from the permit, gas up there is about all I pay for on a trip these days, so unless gas is $15 a gallon I'm likely still going.

It is what it is. I just made an almost nonstop 19 hour round trip to Ely and back to pick up a canoe at Canadian Waters in Ely. My truck gets 16 MPG. I would say it cost me $250 or so in gas. Not sure that was a brilliant move but I wanted the boat and I got it done. It was $3.68/gallon on the way up, best price coming back down 10 hours or whatever later was $3.86. I think I filled up 3x $80 each. Have some Wi trips coming up, gas prices won’t put that on hold.

None. Within reason obviously, like WesternHills said. My RAV4 gets about 22 mpg with a canoe on the roof. I live roughly a 900 mile round trip from the BWCA. If gas is $3/gallon that's about $120 for the trip. At $5/gallon, about $200. $80 isn't close to a deal breaker for me personally, given that I usually only make one or two trips a year.

My group drives 12 hours one way to BWCA. Increased gas prices won’t be a deal breaker but it will mean economizing with other expenses. One thing we have done in the last two years to decrease trip expenses is to not overnight in Duluth, or stay in budget hotels outside the downtown area, on the return trip.

Nearing my 79th birthday I will be doing any and all the trips I want regardless of the cost of gas.

I live in northern Il one town south of the Wi border. Gas in Wi can literally be $.60 cheaper a gallon right over the border. Like a Citgo station in Il is that much higher than a Citgo station 2 miles north. I don’t know why that is but you would have to be stupid to pay Il prices on gas. My truck has a 33 gallon tank, gets 16 mpg on a good day. Simple math says 30 gallons x .60/gallon is about 20 bucks savings to drive 5 miles. On the way to Ely I was watching the gas prices go down as I got further north. I jumped on $3.68 a gallon after I saw that was the best offered by a few places and my truck was close to getting thirsty. On the way back prices had gone up .20/gallon in 10 hours, no more $3.68/gallon so I settled for $3.89 I think to get me home. What a racket.

Won't change anything for me. I drive an EV.

scat: "I live in northern Il one town south of the Wi border. Gas in Wi can literally be $.60 cheaper a gallon right over the border. Like a Citgo station in Il is that much higher than a Citgo station 2 miles north. I don’t know why that is but you would have to be stupid to pay Il prices on gas. My truck has a 33 gallon tank, gets 16 mpg on a good day. Simple math says 30 gallons x .60/gallon is about 20 bucks savings to drive 5 miles. On the way to Ely I was watching the gas prices go down as I got further north. I jumped on $3.68 a gallon after I saw that was the best offered by a few places and my truck was close to getting thirsty. On the way back prices had gone up .20/gallon in 10 hours, no more $3.68/gallon so I settled for $3.89 I think to get me home. What a racket."

WI always has cheaper gas than IL, IA or MN. Don't know why, but on my trips I avoid refueling in MN if I can. I usually fill up in Superior, WI and then I can make it to my destination and back to Superior before needing to fill up again.

Kind of related, kind of not, but my best buddy is a realtor in northern Wisconsin. There are people from Illinois and southern Wisconsin who have $750,000+ vacation homes on different lakes across northern Wisconsin. He tells me that some of these people don't go up to their beautiful lake homes because gas was "X" price per gallon. Could you think of anything more ridiculous?

I'm with NEIowapaddler... gas prices won't matter to me. $80 more, as in his example? Peanuts, especially when dividing travel expenses among the people on the trip.

This is not to diminish the challenges of folks on tight budgets. Those people might end up doing a different type of trip with gas prices so high. Eventually (we hope), gas prices will come back down to "normal" and the cost of driving longer distances isn't so painful.

I travel from Pennsylvania, 1200 miles one way. I'll keep driving up as long as there is gas. The experience is priceless! If I didn't spend that money on gas, I'm sure i would find another way to waste it.

All totaled, a backcountry canoe trip is definitely the cheapest type of vacation I take. So even though I have about a 3000 mile round trip drive in a diesel pickup ($6+/gallon this week!), it would take a more substantial change to the economy to keep me out of the boreal forest.

But anytime I fill up my gas tank or buy groceries these days, I feel horrible for young families trying to make ends meet and folks living on a fixed income. These are tough days for a whole lot of folks.

It is not surprising that gas prices would have little effect on our recreation. The majority of us burn fuel as recreation. Personally, I ride motorcycles and drive my convertible sports car. We frequently spend weekends taking a drive down one of Minnesota's many scenic by-ways. I have many friends that pay a premium to fuel their watercraft dockside, but would never let the cost of fuel deter their week on the water. Americans have repeatedly demonstrated a tolerance to increasing fuel costs.

Conversely, I have changed many of my routine grocery purchases. Milk prices have increased 100% over the past 2 years. We buy milk much less often today. These days we often have no milk in the fridge, this was unheard of over the past 30 years. Sandwich bread is no longer purchased "just because we're low". Ground beef is up 75% over the past couple years; we eat much less beef than in the past. We almost never buy boxed cereal anymore, it has become an awfully expensive food item. I am the head hunter/gatherer of my house and I am sensitive to the outlay required to fill my cupboards.

So, no rising fuel costs will have no effect on where were travel or how we recreate, but if rising fuel costs are attributable to the cost of my groceries, it has had an effect on my household.

I usually drive a Tesla that Supercharges for free, otherwise a 35 mpg van with 5 adults…the gas cost is very low, irrelevant per person.

I can see people going to canoe rentals, especially if it means a smaller car. Say you go from 15mpg with an SUV with a canoe on the roof to 40mpg in a sedan with no canoe…starts to make renting a canoe look more attractive.

I'm certainly no fan of the current gas prices, but to put things in perspective, I was reading an article in one of my outdoor magazines about a family living in the interior of Alaska. They have to fly everything in via float plane. According to the article their last shipment of gas came out to $37.50/gallon after all the costs were factored in!

I drive an EV, but ride my bicycle to work 3-4 days per week.
Road trips in our ICE SUV are the only times I go to gas stations!

Heading up 4-5 times a year and giving my wonderful wife much needed breaks from dealing with me...... even $15 per gallon is cheaper than a divorce lawyer :)

I drive acouple miles from illini land to iowa. I go to cosco and save usually around 60 cent a gallon.Always saves me 15 bucks a tank. Silverado.4 tanks a year pays for my card and 1 for my daughter. I also hit cosco in iowa and minneapolis. On the way up
What hurts is putting premium gas in my 25hp 4 stroke....

Ethanol-free fuel for my 2-stroke is ridiculously expensive.

yogi59weedr: "I drive acouple miles from illini land to iowa. I go to cosco and save usually around 60 cent a gallon.Always saves me 15 bucks a tank. Silverado.4 tanks a year pays for my card and 1 for my daughter. I also hit cosco in iowa and minneapolis. On the way up
What hurts is putting premium gas in my 25hp 4 stroke.... "

I’m 64 with only groceries and utilities for bills. Going to the bwca is one of the highlights of my year, and we have all our own equipment. So I will continue to trip as long as I’m able. I’m not sure what my price limit for gas would be, but I think my sanity is worth it.

$4.79/gallon now ouch. It did factor into a trip I had planned to Willow Flowage this week. It’s sposed to rain 3 days straight up there so considering that and possibly bailing early after getting there I cancelled the trip. Gas would have been $200 + and I got $80 back from the Wi DNR. That’s a lotta dough. I got a new boat I’ll break it in on my local lakes.

scat: "$4.79/gallon now ouch. It did factor into a trip I had planned to Willow Flowage this week. It’s sposed to rain 3 days straight up there so considering that and possibly bailing early after getting there I cancelled the trip. Gas would have been $200 + and I got $80 back from the Wi DNR. That’s a lotta dough. I got a new boat I’ll break it in on my local lakes."

I seen a survey and most- people said when it hit $4.50 that was their cut off to change vacation plans and other trips

Staycation. Diesel is like $6.50/gallon. That raises prices on everything, and no end in sight.

I am not sure there is an amount that would limit my trip?

I mean think about it...if it is $3/gallon and it goes up to $5/gallon. I use like 18 gallons for a trip. That's $36 more...

I can pack a lunch instead of going out to eat and recoup that.

If it went up even more it's still not a significant amount more to impact my trip. 2008 and 2013 were worse for gas prices (even worse if you adjust for inflation) and it didn't stop my trips. 2008 was as high as $5.13 and 2013 $5.26 (inflation adjusted).

Now, I am closer and drive an energy efficient vehicle. I get how it could change for others in a different situaiton. It's tough not to fall for "The Salience Trap". An exmaple is driving across town to save 10 cents a gallon...

T

We all have our pinch points. Oddly the price of gasoline is not one of them for me. Wifey is good about filling up at Costco, so that helps...typically a .30 cent/gallon break. Don't get me wrong, I may lament about the cost but it won't stop my road trips.

However, the same cannot be true about plane tickets. While $200 of added gas cost to a road trip wont stop me, I will waste hours online trying to save the same $200 on a plane ticket, usually to no avail, and preach to whoever is in earshot about the ridiculousness of the price. Go figure.

Like others have said, canoe trips are among the cheapest vacations you can take. Gas prices won't really affect my trips. However, I like hearing empathy from folks on this board about young families or those with lower incomes that will be more impacted.

I will say, the high gas prices have been considering taking my Corolla instead of my RAV4 on my upcoming trip. Without a canoe on top they get about 34 and 24 mpg respectively. The Corolla loses more mpg than the RAV when carrying a canoe because of the larger engine in the SUV, but it still comes out ahead. The RAV is more comfortable to drive long distances, which is why I usually drive that. But we'll see...

Pinetree: "

scat: "$4.79/gallon now ouch. It did factor into a trip I had planned to Willow Flowage this week. It’s sposed to rain 3 days straight up there so considering that and possibly bailing early after getting there I cancelled the trip. Gas would have been $200 + and I got $80 back from the Wi DNR. That’s a lotta dough. I got a new boat I’ll break it in on my local lakes."

I seen a survey and most- people said when it hit $4.50 that was their cut off to change vacation plans and other trips
"

I have no doubt that is what people say in polls. Many times up to 75% of respondents will say it will alter their travel or vacation plans. I do think at the time they truly mean it… BUT…when the actual volume of travel has been studied after the fact (true measure) it is usually a very small amount in actuality. We have 2008, 2013, 2022 as clear examples. Each time respondents said prices would force them to not travel at rates of up to 80% less, but the actual effect was as low as 1% to 10%. Still significant don’t get me wrong…just not “most” or the high numbers predicted each time.

People still like to get out is the bottom line…

T

It dos'nt really change my plans, But I did trade in my Tundra for a Subaru Outback for gas price reasons. My biggest concern is the Very High price of diesel . This affects everyone, even people who don't own cars

Everything we buy and consume is delivered by trucks burning diesel. The increase in shipping costs will raise prices on everything.

Blatz: "It dos'nt really change my plans, But I did trade in my Tundra for a Subaru Outback for gas price reasons. My biggest concern is the Very High price of diesel . This affects everyone, even people who don't own cars"

Yes, gas fuels our cars, diesel fuels the economy.

I remember paying over $4 a gallon back in 2008 and I'm sure I traveled less because of it. 18 years later I make more than 3x what I was making then. Prices would have to be pushing $10 before I canceled a trip. Have two more scheduled this fall yet and no intention of cancelling.

For some good entertainment look back at a thread called "Gas Prices..." from 2022 when prices were over $5 a gallon. It's amazing how perspectives change

The price of gas is not going to stop me from going on a trip.

It might mean that I don't buy a new gadget, upgrade a piece of gear, or get the nice steaks for the first night of a trip though. Rising costs don't affect the big decisions like going on a trip or not. Instead they affect all the other little decisions about if you are willing to spend or going to try to save money.

It's the same for most economic scenarios. If you need a new fridge, you're going to buy a new fridge no matter what the economy is doing, but you might go with the C tier option instead of the A or B tier option if prices in general are high or wages are low.

Specifically for me, it means I'm not getting that Expedition Fry-Bake pan set I've been looking at any time soon.

LindenTree: "

Blatz: "It dos'nt really change my plans, But I did trade in my Tundra for a Subaru Outback for gas price reasons. My biggest concern is the Very High price of diesel . This affects everyone, even people who don't own cars"

Yes, gas fuels our cars, diesel fuels the economy. "

+1

Perfectly said!

scat: "Everything we buy and consume is delivered by trucks burning diesel. The increase in shipping costs will raise prices on everything. "

My nephews son is in -the semi-diesel truck business and it- is going to hurt the small operators.

Gadfly: "I remember paying over $4 a gallon back in 2008 and I'm sure I traveled less because of it. 18 years later I make more than 3x what I was making then. Prices would have to be pushing $10 before I canceled a trip. Have two more scheduled this fall yet and no intention of cancelling.


For some good entertainment look back at a thread called "Gas Prices..." from 2022 when prices were over $5 a gallon. It's amazing how perspectives change "

I was curious...thanks goodness I am consistent :)

Gas prices 2022

timatkn: "

Gadfly: "I remember paying over $4 a gallon back in 2008 and I'm sure I traveled less because of it. 18 years later I make more than 3x what I was making then. Prices would have to be pushing $10 before I canceled a trip. Have two more scheduled this fall yet and no intention of cancelling.



For some good entertainment look back at a thread called "Gas Prices..." from 2022 when prices were over $5 a gallon. It's amazing how perspectives change "

I was curious...thanks goodness I am consistent :)


Gas prices 2022 "

Yeah, I finally got that hybrid Maverick I mentioned I ordered in the thread. Been all over the country now, three times into Canada. Canoe looks great on top. Averaging 40mph during the summer and about 32mph in the winter.

Nice!

i still remember when going to SDSU college in South Dakota back in 1972.
Well than had so called gas wars between gas stations and lowered prices.
For one week the gas was 12.9 cents a gallon. The gas stations couldn't keep that up so that ended shortly. Still gas in Minnesota was in the mid 30's range at most.

Yes I also remember than my goal monetary wise was to make $10,000 dollars a year and two wheel drive pickups were a little over $3000.00.

Those were the days my friend. Those were the days.

Yeah when I grew up gas was $.30/gallon. I once said I’ll never pay more than $10,000 for a pickup. My last, bought 2 years ago was $30,000 used in great shape GMC Sierra 8’ bed big tires with a $4,000 Leer topper & Yakima rack. I’m hoping this honey is the last I ever buy, like this beast.

Ok mini rant. This is the 3rd Leer topper I have bought, I ordered the top of the line model, $4,200 or so. I gave them a deposit for $2,000 December 18 4-5 weeks lead time. 2 months later I’m asking, where is my topper, I am told my order is held up because they are switching plants I can’t remember what it was. They took $300 off the price for the extra wait time, was like forever. I finally went to pick it up, the guy at the place is a jag, and I was told it came in chipped in a couple spots so he touched it up, took another $400 off the price. I go to install the Yakima rack and the screws on the end caps are all stripped and I can’t get them off. Ok now I’m pissed, I talk to the regional mgr or whomever and he took another $300 off my balance. I figured out how to fix that, but wtf. So now we are $1000 off what I agreed to pay, I would have been happy to pay it if you gave me what I wanted. Lastly the weatherstripping on both sides was not trimmed, I could barely close the glass the way it was delivered, I had to trim it myself with a pair of scissors. Total hack job. What happened to quality, this was the best product out there last time I bought one. This goes with a lot of things these days. I know I sell stuff…

scat: "Yeah when I grew up gas was $.30/gallon. I once said I’ll never pay more than $10,000 for a pickup. My last, bought 2 years ago was $30,000 used in great shape GMC Sierra 8’ bed big tires with a $4,000 Leer topper & Yakima rack. I’m hoping this honey is the last I ever buy, like this beast.

Ok mini rant. This is the 3rd Leer topper I have bought, I ordered the top of the line model, $4,200 or so. I gave them a deposit for $2,000 December 18 4-5 weeks lead time. 2 months later I’m asking, where is my topper, I am told my order is held up because they are switching plants I can’t remember what it was. They took $300 off the price for the extra wait time, was like forever. I finally went to pick it up, the guy at the place is a jag, and I was told it came in chipped in a couple spots so he touched it up, took another $400 off the price. I go to install the Yakima rack and the screws on the end caps are all stripped and I can’t get them off. Ok now I’m pissed, I talk to the regional mgr or whomever and he took another $300 off my balance. I figured out how to fix that, but wtf. So now we are $1000 off what I agreed to pay, I would have been happy to pay it if you gave me what I wanted. Lastly the weatherstripping on both sides was not trimmed, I could barely close the glass the way it was delivered, I had to trim it myself with a pair of scissors. Total hack job. What happened to quality, this was the best product out there last time I bought one. This goes with a lot of things these days. I know I sell stuff…"

I went thru our local GM lot last week-the cheap 4 x4 pickups were $58,000 and some $85,000 and up. Just think in may-be 10 years or so the average pickup might cost $100,000.
Yes for 50 years I always bought a new pickup. But not last time, in 2021 I bought a 2013 pickup and hope it lasts me also as my last pickup(for a decade or so). I do have a 2010 ford focus I am driving more be of gas prices and save miles on my pickup.

My guy is a 2018 with 55,000 miles. I love this truck hoping it won’t conk out on me before I drive into the promised land. This is like the most basic model, which is fine with me. All this truck has is cruise control which I use all the time. Too much technology is annoying and a waste of money. I had it for 2 weeks and was looking for a Little Feat cd. I thought it was in the truck, so I was trying to figure out how to eject it took me 10 minutes or so before I realized the truck doesn’t have a cd player dumba**

Looks good with my new Basswood Solo on top in Ely. I’m happy with this package.

I typically do 1 solo trip a year. I drive 950 miles Each Way with my canoe on top. I just got back from my trip on Sunday. This is the first trip where I actually noticed and thought about my fuel costs. More specifically, how this might affect my rapidly approaching retirement plan which includes multiple trips to the BWCA.
Maybe the economics will support a lake cabin purchase to spend the summer in??

Paddle4Hike: "I typically do 1 solo trip a year. I drive 950 miles Each Way with my canoe on top. I just got back from my trip on Sunday. This is the first trip where I actually noticed and thought about my fuel costs. More specifically, how this might affect my rapidly approaching retirement plan which includes multiple trips to the BWCA.
Maybe the economics will support a lake cabin purchase to spend the summer in??"

A Lake cabin would be a big investment and high maintenance even with todays prices of Regular Gas $4.54 per Us Gallon ($1.70 per litre Canadian) here on the Fort William Reservation (Thunder Bay, Ontario). Regular Gas today is @ $4 per gallon @ Grand Portage Casino, or Ryden's Border Store.
Like others have said Canoe Camping is the least expensive vacation you can take when you have a Cabin/Camp/Cottage it will involve constant work, time, effort and money just to keep up with the basics and somebody is going to end up doing all of the work.
Having a Lake Cabin will also pin you to a specific area so you had better like the location a lot. Another consideration is what if you change your mind in a year or two what does the resale value of the property look like.
If you are just Canoe Camping you can easily pull the pin change plans and head to a different destination especially if you are retired and not watching the clock as much.

If you think gas is expensive now just wait for the zombie apocalypse

justpaddlin: "If you think gas is expensive now just wait for the zombie apocalypse"

What makes you think it isn't happening now?

I remember the first time it went over $3/gal somebody cut the tube connecting the fill in to the gas tank and siphoned out the gas. I figured it out after I went to fill up and the gas was pouring on the ground like wtf… It took like a week to get it fixed because the was a shortage of parts due to the rash of like incidents. My truck was on my driveway.

There was a year they were siphoning gas at the parking lots going into -the BWCA,I got mine siphoned at Moose lake. This was a couple of decades ago.
I think new vehicles are hard to siphon, except cut the line as mentioned.

This was in 2005 I'm sure. Just got back from Silver Lake,W., got a haircut, and I jumped on $4/25/gal, cheapest around right now. It’s $4.69 by me in Il.

I started going to the guy in Silver Lake cuz all the other barber shops were closed for covid, didn’t even need to wear a mask, so I’ve stuck with him since even tho it’s a bit of a drive.
Crazy world…

Cheers, scat

scat: "This was in 2005 I'm sure. Just got back from Silver Lake,W., got a haircut, and I jumped on $4/25/gal, cheapest around right now. It’s $4.69 by me in Il.

I started going to the guy in Silver Lake cuz all the other barber shops were closed for covid, didn’t even need to where a mask, so I’ve stuck with him. Crazy world…


Cheers, scat"

That could be right, I know there was a certain group going around that area doing it.
A different year at Moose lake landing someone swiped all 4 tires off a pickup parked next to mine. Left the truck sitting on its steel wheel drums. What a sick feeling to come out from a trip and see that on your truck.