Need suggestions on Midwest kayak/hammock camping trips

[BigJake]

It seems like a long way off right now, but I'm interested in hearing opinions on the best places to go for a kayak touring/hanging trip in the Midwest.

I make an annual trip to the Boundary Waters, and I'm taking my newish kayak and doing my first hammock only trip in Sept 2012. There is a lot of camping time in between now and then, so it would be great to hear from people more experienced than myself on where I can paddle and hang within a days drive from IL.

All ideas are welcome.

[Redoleary]

I have no experience with kayaking but I canoe a fair amount, that said, you can't go wrong with the Manistee River in MI, beautiful scenery and an easy paddle (I bet Canoebie will back me up on this one.)
There are also some water trails at Pictured Rocks Nat'l Lakeshore, Grand Island, and I'm pretty sure at the Apostle Islands too. I have hiked but not paddled the Pictured Rocks and Grand Island, I can highly recommend both.

[RootCause]

Check out the Sylvania National Forest, near Watersmeet MI. (Upper Penninsula.) Gorgeous, I've only canoe camped it, but there is some hiking available.

And I can't say enough about the BWCA & Voyageurs National Park routes. Pick any single one, you can't go wrong.

[Bic]

Not really familiar with a lot of kayaking places, but the saint croix river north of Stillwater, MN is really beautiful and scenic with free campsites along the river. I have personally been on the section from Wild River State Park south to Stillwater, MN and it's really beautiful.... I'm not sure if the campsites go further north or not, but I'd imagine they do. The sites require no reservation (even in the state park) and they are first come first serve.

[Jsaults]

in western Kentucky is a spot I have been eyeing for some time. There was a great story about this area in a Seakayaker Mag several years ago, and there is a 90-ish mile trip possible with a very short shuttle. Camping is either primitive (Natl Forest) or there are several campgrounds available.

Jim

[BigJake]

There are also some water trails at Pictured Rocks Nat'l Lakeshore, Grand Island, and I'm pretty sure at the Apostle Islands too. I have hiked but not paddled the Pictured Rocks and Grand Island, I can highly recommend both.

Thanks for the response. I'll check into these places. I'm pretty stoked to do an Apostle Islands trip sometime, but I'm avoiding Lake Superior for now since I'm just not outfitted for the cold water environment just yet.

[BigJake]

@RootCause - I agree on the BWCA. Love it there. I haven't really checked into the areas surrounding it, but I'll give it a look. Ely is a 12 hour drive for me, so right now I'm looking for something a couple hours closer.

@hikingdad - That sounds really interesting. I love river paddling, so I'm definitely going to give this one a hard look!

@Jsaults - Do you know the name of the park or a city close by, so I can do some more research?

[hang10]

a nice ride is down the namekagon to the st croix