3 - 4 day backpacking trip ideas

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Rx88

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Looking to take a trip late may or June and looking for some ideas on where to go.

I’m in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and looking to drive about 7-8 hours max in any direction for this trip since it is a shorter one.

I initially was thinking drive the 5 hours and spend the trip in Shawnee National forest. They don’t charge any fees for backcountry camping which is a bonus. But then started thinking that there is a pretty good amount of places I can go other than that.

I also considered voyager NP or boundary waters in MN but they are slightly farther than I would want to drive at 9 hours. I am still tossing this idea around though any one been to these?

Or any one from the northern Illinois southern Wisconsin area have suggestions on places that I haven’t mentioned. My main interest is better hiking areas and do some backcountry camping.


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I'm not sure of mileage, but it might be closer than the Boundary Waters to go to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I used to live in the area, and can say it is gorgeous. May might be kind of cold, and June might be buggy (black flies). In the same vacinity is Grand Island, which is in Munising Bay (within a 10 minute drive to Pictured Rocks' and Hiawatha National Forest's Visitor Center--it's combined). How long of a drive to go to the Smokys? How about the Ozark Trail in Missouri, or the Ouachita Trail? Is there a section of the Ice Age Trail that interests you?
 
Used to live in the nw burbs. Red River Gorge area of KY and Smoky Moutain NP are both reachable in that amount of time and worth driving to.
 
Mammoth Cave National Park is within that distance, and it is worth a trip. I have never been to Cuyahoga Valley National Park but is within your travel distance. In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan there is Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, and if you go to the U.P. make sure that you eat a pasty. Wisconsin has an array of state parks that you could check out.
 
I just looked on google maps and it appears you can get to most/all of the Daniel Boone NF in ~7 hours of driving, this includes RRG. I would not do a 3-4 day trip in RRG, instead I would check out Big South Fork in southern KY/northern TN. Happy to provide suggestions if you like.
 
Pringles said:
I'm not sure of mileage, but it might be closer than the Boundary Waters to go to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I used to live in the area, and can say it is gorgeous. May might be kind of cold, and June might be buggy (black flies). In the same vacinity is Grand Island, which is in Munising Bay (within a 10 minute drive to Pictured Rocks' and Hiawatha National Forest's Visitor Center--it's combined). How long of a drive to go to the Smokys? How about the Ozark Trail in Missouri, or the Ouachita Trail? Is there a section of the Ice Age Trail that interests you?
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I am about 8-9 hrs from the smokys but we have gone there frequently over the last few years nothing wrong with it one on my favorites but want to try something different.

Pictured rocks looks nice how are the trails? It’s only about 6.5 hours from me

Ouachita trail is nice I’ve been to the park before but it is kinda out of distance it’s about 12 hrs from me

I have been looking at ice age and have gone a few sections like kettle moraine and devils staircase


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Wanderlust073 said:
Used to live in the nw burbs. Red River Gorge area of KY and Smoky Moutain NP are both reachable in that amount of time and worth driving to.
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Totally forgot about red river gorge and it is in my distance. Any areas there you would recommend


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how about the Ozarks Highlands Trail? I forget exactly how far it is from you; it's right at the edge of your acceptable range.
 
Otherwise pick out a nice section of the North Country or Ice Age trails in northern MI or Wisconsin. Or even a section of the Superior Hiking Trail
 
No I’m considering extending my distance and maybe doing 2 days at badlands ad another 2 at black hills anyone been there?


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The closest backpacking trip I have done near Chicago is the Manistee River Loop trail in Michigan. I want to say it was a little over 20miles and about a 5 hour drive. Can get pretty crowded though but there are some decent sites on the river. I personally think it would be worth it though to drive further to some place a bit more remote.

I have always wanted to check out the Badlands though but if you're willing to drive out to the Black Hills, Colorado isn't much further of a drive really. But would probably need to make it a two day drive. We are in a rough spot when it comes to nice backpacking locations.
 
You asked about Pictured Rocks... the trails are generally well maintained. Every once in a while they get wind storms and trees are down, but they usually take care of that quickly. The Lakeshore Trail is 43 miles long, and goes from Munising to Grand Marais. There are only a few climbs of maybe 200 feet at a crack, so it's not a climbing workout. There is a shuttle (contact the visitor center or web page for information) that will pick you up at one end and drop you off at the other. Since I moved, the road has been improved and I believe they will drop you off in between, as well. The backcountry campsites can be reserved. I recommend starting at the Grand Marais end and going west, but that's only because if you take the shuttle, you'll get dropped off at the East end earlier. From the East, you hike along a beautiful little lake, in the northern woods for a few miles, and eventually come out atop a 200 foot high dune overlooking Lake Superior. You drop off of the dune and hike past a lighthouse. The next dozen or so miles is along a beach. Sometimes you're beside it, and sometimes you're in the woods. The woods include red maples, birch, beech, hemlocks, and white pines. You pass through a couple of drive in campgrounds... you look at them, and they look at you. You can get water at them, and use an outhouse (oh boy!). Once you get past the beach section, you climb onto some rocks. They're the Pictured Rocks, of the park's name, and they are about 200 feet high. You'll have wonderful views of Lake Superior-which you had from the beach, too. Oh, and you rarely walk on soft beach sand, instead, you're on the bench above the water. Once you get on the rocks, you're close to the water, but actually getting to the water requires a problematic first step. There are a few campgrounds at spots where you are again at lake level-Chapel Beach and Mosquito Beach. There are also campsites above the water-Potato Patch annd Cliffs. There are nice campsites spread out the length of the trail. They all have their special traits. The two really busy sites are Mosquito and Chapel. Both are worth stopping at, and you can make a loop hike that goes from a parking area out to one of those sites, and then hike between the sites, and then go back to the parking lot. It's a special loop. It's really all very special, though.

Grand Island is just off Munising, in Lake Superior. To get to it, you either take the ferry (a pontoon boat, about $15 per person) or you maybe paddle your canoe/kayak over. It's part of Hiawatha National Forest. I usually left from the ferry dock and headed west-ish. There are campsites scattered around the island. Most are beautiful. Some are just off beaches, a few are perched atop cliffs. There's a 21 or 22 mile trail around the island. Some of it can be done on bicycles--probably all of it could be done on a mountain bike. The island also features maples, birch, beech, and white pines. There are 300 foot high cliffs and some dunes. There is at least one bay with incredible campsites. It's a special place.

Got questions? Ask. I live near Yellowstone and the Bighorns and Beartooths now, but I lived by Pictured Rocks for almost 20 years. As someone else said, if you go to the UP, have a pasty. In Munising, stop at Muldoons for a pasty.

Pringles
 
AKay09 said:
The closest backpacking trip I have done near Chicago is the Manistee River Loop trail in Michigan. I want to say it was a little over 20miles and about a 5 hour drive. Can get pretty crowded though but there are some decent sites on the river. I personally think it would be worth it though to drive further to some place a bit more remote.

I have always wanted to check out the Badlands though but if you're willing to drive out to the Black Hills, Colorado isn't much further of a drive really. But would probably need to make it a two day drive. We are in a rough spot when it comes to nice backpacking locations.
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Yea I agree that’s why I changed my mind. Colorado is still a little farther than I want to go though it’s about 17 hrs from me badlands is 12 then 2 from badlands to black hills. In the end I would like to have more time out there then driving to and from


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