Have any members here ever thought about how they would take canoe trips, leaving one's personal vehicle at home ?  How would one get to Canoe Country by bus, air, train, or shuttle ? 

I can't imagine that there would ever be enough demand to justify public transportation to/from canoe Country. If there ever is, canoe Country as we know it will cease to be, and I will cease to go... :'(

CG9603,

My comments pertain to getting to Atikokan (or, to other northern entry points into Quetico) & NOT so much to the BWCA.

Years ago when I did stints living in NC and NJ I gave the matter of public transportation a fair amount of consideration.  I usually ended up flying into either MSP or Duluth and taking a rental car from there for those trips.  HOWEVER, there are outfitters who will pick you up at Duluth, Hibbing, International Falls or Thunder Bay and run you over to the Atikokan area (or wherever their north side base is) for a fee.

If you can get to Ft. Frances or Thunder Bay I have to believe there must be a bus system that follows that trans-Canadian highway.  Likewise, the train tracks run right through Atikokan.  Lord knows those motels there so often seem crammed with railway workers.  I don't know how much of that business is "passenger train" oriented, however.

I suppose if you can pilot your own plane (or could hire some such person) you could become one of those rare adventurers touching down at Atikokan's Intergalactic Airport.  During the many trips when I have actually spent a night in that town - usually on the front-end of a canoe trip - I have usually driven over to the softball field to pass some time watching a game (what else is there to do?) and then over to the airfield to check it out.  Not once have I EVER seen signs of Life at that facility.  In fact, the tarmac looked like it could use some "weeding."  I suppose one could parachute in if the runway appeared unsafe....

Getting even more creative, someone truly ambitious might follow in the footsteps of the renown "Voyageurs" and simply launch their (rented?) canoe from Lake Superior & hoof it across the famous "Grand Portage" route near the Pigeon River.  Likewise, you could do the same from the Rainy River further west, I suppose.

Perhaps the most ambitious approach I have ever actually witnessed happened one of the many times I headed from Thunder Bay to Quetico on Highway 11, west of where it splits from Highway 17.  Just as I was almost completely mesmerized by the most monotonous stretch of green flora and gray rocks known to man, there comes striding straight at me along the side of the highway - in the gravel - a barefoot apparition, wearing the most brightly luminescent & billowing orange silk robe I have ever seen.  It was quite a breezy day so he kind of appeared as a something of a fruit-colored whirlwind.  I kid you not, it was a real-life honest-to-go Buddhist monk, straight out of a Kung Fu movie, doing some kind of penance & trekking his way across Canada.  He was empty-handed, too, & didn't have a pack on his shoulders.  The dude had already passed Quetico, of course.  I include him in this account, partly to illustrate one end of a broad range of (probably useless) options and, partly, because this gentleman was, well... so danged "colorful."

Later,

Jimbo   8-) 

"If you can get to Ft. Frances or Thunder Bay I have to believe there must be a bus system that follows that trans-Canadian highway."   

don't think so - I have never seen a bus anywhere in that region

my plan would be to ship my PakCanoe to somewhere I could pick it up, then try to arrange some shuttle service with a local outfitter.   I think I could ship via Greyhound and ride the bus to X as well, assuming it was on a greyhound route.  Of course, I'd have to take all my gear and food as well - so it is much easier to just rent everything from an outfitter if there is one at X.  much cheaper to just do the drive, assuming that you have the time for it.

  This should help?

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Thanks for sharing, ST. 

I was afraid that Mad_Mat might be right.  Frankly, I couldn't recall ever having seen such a bus on that route, either.

I'm betting they don't stop at the Intergalactic airport in Atikokan....

Jimbo   8-)

Quote:

I was afraid that Mad_Mat might be right.  Frankly, I couldn't recall ever having seen such a bus on that route, either.

I come thru Sault Ste Marie and have seen plenty of buses heading west and east, but I didn't know if they were commercial or charter tours?

There are numerous signs telling hungry passengers that the have parking for RV's and Buses at some fast food type places.

A Google search confirmed my suspicions. They DID   have bus service to places OFF Hwy 11 like Armstrong/Kenora, but the cut the service because they couldn't afford it.

Apparently, that hurt people who don't have cars and have to go to Thunder Bay for HEALTH related issues.

There is a movement to get bus service restored with the government helping to defray the cost.

That Caribou coach probably knows all about that too.


Quote:

I'm betting they don't stop at the Intergalactic airport in Atikokan....

They probably do a ROLLING stop, sort like in the bad parts of town here.  ;) ;D ;D

Caribou Coach only runs on Tuesdays, and only between Thunder Bay and Ft Francis, and back. - no wonder I've never seen one.

I could swear that the place across the road from Roger's (   (You need to Login or Register) place was a Grey Goose bus stop many moons ago.

I use to want a Star Trek Transporter. I don't anymore. Well, I would if I had the only one… Close enough?

I'm out in Virginia and driving to Ely would suck up about 22 hours (of precious vacation) each way driving straight through...not to mentions suck the life outta ya so you need a rest as soon as you get there.  I routinely fly into MSP as Jimbo mentioned and get a rental car unless my sister is going, then she picks me up in Duluth on her way up from Wisconsin.  I pack all my own gear and food, except perishables and none of it is dehydrated backpacking fare.  I usually have 2-4 in my crew and usually  can get all that into checked luggage, usually 4-6 bags going and 3-4 returning depending on crew size.  I use canister stoves instead of white gas and have no problems on the airlines with them.  I'm usually into MSP by 9:00 AM and can get into Ely by early afternoon, pick up perishables and hit the water the next day.  I rent canoes from an outfitter and hit Quetico through Prairie Portage most often.

pd

Important to point out that while it is legal to carry canister stoves (and a better choice for airline travel than white gas stoves which can be denied on the basis of residual fumes) on planes carrying the fuel canisters is illegal and the airlines and TSA get quite upset if they are discovered in luggage.

Has any member here ever used Arrowhead Transit ?    (You need to Login or Register  Again, How would one go to & from Canoe Country without a personal vehicle ?  To put another way, if you left your personal vehicle at home, what would be a way to do this ?