dlk, ilive in northern wisconsin.way up in douglas county,and you shouldcheck out some of the placesnear here. lots of great lakes, resorts,campgrounds etc.and i believe most of it is fairly reasonalbly prices unless it is a holiday weekend.try burnett county, ashland county, bayfield county. also maybe try some places a little west of here toward the michigan border. there are l lot of smaller lakes in this area that don't get over crowded, and most of them have everyhting from smallcampsites to cabin rentals. fishing is generally pretty good, not much for lake trout, but lots of bass. northern pike and walleye fishing.and there ia always the hayward lakes area. check that out on line. it is pretty awesome!  jussy

dlk,

Have you given any thought to a cabin for a few days somewhere in the north country?  It would probably be a little more expensive, but would cut down on fuel a great deal.  We have a travel trailer that cuts our fuel mileage in half.  Anyway, one year we took a family vacation (the whole family, mom, dad, sister and her family, brother and his family, 18 in all) and rented a cabin on Turtle Lake in N. Minnesota.  It was, in my opinion, the next best thing to the Q/BW.

I don't know that I would recommend Turtle Lake if it were just a man and his wife, but we had to consider the kids in the group who wanted some of the water toys (trampoline, tubing, etc).  I have seen a lot of secluded cabins online.  Anyway, just a thought.

Reyn

If you are coming to Wisconsin and looking for some nice day paddling or canoe style car-camping I would recommend the Willow flowage and/or the Turtle-Flambeau flowage.  The Willow is smaller, with less development on the shores.  The TFF is 14-17,000 acres (depending on who you ask) with the eastern side mostly undeveloped.  Both are managed by the local DNR and have free first come-first serve camping.  I understand you are looking for trailer access.  While I don't personally have any experience with that in the locale, I would contact the Mercer, WI chamber of commerce (715)476-2389 and check for local facilities around the TFF.  Not sure about the area around the Willow.
The TFF has been my "home-away-from-home" for years.  One year I spent about 50 nights on it between May and November.  I have heard wolves there frequently and just saw my first bear last month.  Loons, osprey, eagles and myriad other birds are common to the area.  I have seen mink, fishers, otter, beaver, etc.
All of my biggest pike were caught on the TFF, despite what the non-belivers would have you think.  The small mouth can be amazing.  Though they call it a prime walleye water, I do not have much luck with them on the eastern side.  In the central waters, live bait has produced fair walleye action for me in the past.  Many people fish the TFF for perch and it is known for it's musky action as well.
The Willow can be interesting in the summer and fall as they draw the water down.  I have been there in September when it looks more like a river with many odd bays than a lake.
Fishing on the Willow can be very good for northern and walleye--bass are hit and miss.
All this being said, I am reluctant to tell people about favorite spots so I implore you to treat these places gently if you visit.  In just my years of visiting I have seen them degraded and abused.  I believe that most of those that visit this site with any regularity are the sort of folk that I would welcome onto my favorite island on the Turtle flowage with nary a qualm. 
Good luck, regardless,
gp

(You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)

We were just looking at the atlas and doing searches on some of the lake areas.

I probably shouldn't have opened my mouth since I know nothing. I certainly didn't mean to discourage the concept at all. My first thought was there must be a better place/lake.

My Dad and I fished it a few times. I mostly remember a steep boat launch, a single big bass and it being the most developed, skied upon, ... "busy" of the lakes we fished. That was 35 years ago though and my memory of it is vague at best.

The impression I'm left is it wouldn't be my first choice for canoeing. Wish I could help, sorry to say I've no better suggestions for you.

What website?

Thanks flpaddler for the encouragement.  We keep telling ourselves that the fishing on Cirrus is even better in the spring anyway!!!  dlk

dlk,
Why be embarrassed, sometimes things happen that are out of our control. I'm happy to hear that at least you all will be able to get away even thought it won't be to Quetico. I hope that conditions improve with the health issues and you are able to do 2 trips next year.

Regards,

flp

I think it is Green Lake County, located in SouthCentral Wisconsin.  That's just one area we found on the atlas but we are open to any ideas.  Minnesota is still definitely an option.  We aren't familiar with WS & MN camping areas - those were always states we passed through on our way to the Q.

I realize QJ's members & visitors are comprised mostly of hard core wilderness campers and probably aren't the most savvy on trailer camping sites.  I tried sneaking the post on without bringing about too much embarrassment to myself or to those who choose to respond.  Thanks, dlk  

Green Lake, WI is home to one of the oldest and finest golf courses in the state. This lake is also one of very few in the state that contain lake trout. Nearby Princeton has a huge weekly flea market on Saturdays that usually snarls traffic through town for several hours.

Doh! WS??