Where are some of the other places that people have gone canoe camping? I live in the Chicago area, and Ely is a bit of a hike for a quick weekend trip. What other areas are around that are worth seeing. I have heard of the Sylvania Wilderness in the UP and the St. Croix river as other possibly destinations.

Where in the Chicago area do you live? I am SW of Rockford, IL and always looking for canoe type people in the area. What do you paddle? How often do you get out to paddle?

Great Idea for a forum!!!!!!! I guess I have been looking for a board like this, it never occured to me it could be a Private Forum here. You are smarter than me!

Anyway, I have been to Sylvania. I went only because I was invited on the trip. It is nice enough. It really is a BWCA-lite ... very lite. Good for families with kids, those looking for their first canoe camping experience, and maybe those older paddlers that find the BWCA too much of a challenge. The main reason I don't go there is the distance. For me the BW is just as close as Sylvania.

With the St.Croix/Namakagan you have the shuttle problem, but the main reason I don't go there is that the BW is only 3 hours further.

I'll throw out some names of other places. Maybe each of them can be a separate post for discussion:

Kickapoo Valley Reserve (Ontario, WI to LaFarge, WI)
Menominee Watershed/Wilderness Shores (border between Michigan and WI)
Black River (WI)
Root River (MN)
Upper Iowa River (IA)
Turtle Flambeau Flowage (WI)
Manitowish River (WI)
Baraboo River (WI)

Great topic!

The St. Croix is a beautiful river. It's federally protected under The National Scenic Riverways Act of 19-forty-something. That siad...you'll still find trash along the banks. That's so sad.

Anyhoo...in my opinion the best canoeing is above the Hiway 70 (Grantsburg) crossing. The Croix can be one tough paddle if there's a south wind - which is pretty common on summer days. I think that many people put in at 70 and go down to Taylors Falls. But the real pristine part is from the Namekagon down to 70.

I'll attach a couple recent pics...

This is a great idea for a forum!
Living in the middle of Iowa it's difficult to find wilderness,
but for relaxing weekend trips there is plenty of places to go.
My favorite river in central Iowa is the Boone River.
It's a smaller river with iffy water levels late summer, but is very scenic and has some primitive camp sites as well as sandbar camping.
The Des Moines is good for lazy day trips or sandbar camping.
Good for the family outing.
I haven't been for a couple of years, but the Upper Iowa, Yellow, and the Turkey rivers are great. There is even some good trout fishing in the area.
A great book for the state is "Paddling Iowa" by Nate Hoogeveen.
Wow, didn't mean to sound like a travel Iowa brochure, but there really is some nice paddling in the state.
If any of you are neighbors, I'd like to hear about paddling in your states.
Canoedog

Hey canoedog...

I just wish I had more time to explore other areas. It sounds like Iowas has some great places too!
Even southern Minnesota is really beautiful...BUT for some reason...I always go north! Why is that? Maybe I just ought to make a committment this year to take a trip south!!

i have done the mackinaw,vermillion,fox and some of the illinois here in central illinois. nothing great but good for a day trip or maybe an overnighter.

canoedog,

I think we are located in the same neck of the woods being about .5 miles away from the Boone. Let me know if you are doing some river tripping this year - short supply around here.

Cornboy,
We usually hit the Boone River as soon as it's warm and the May rise is down.
I'll let you know when.
Where about are you located ?
Canoedog

Webster City

canoedog, I've done about 5 miles of the Yellow, starting at the landing by Effigy mounds and paddling upstream, beautiful place with huge wood covered bluffs and grassy shore's. This is about as wild as it gets in Iowa. Although I've never camped on it, I stayed nearby at the Little Paint Creek campground, located in the Yellow river state forest. I was looking for the remnants of a lumber mill that was commanded by none other than Lt. Jefferson Davis(yep the leader of the confederate states)in 1831.