Porcupine Mountains

[kurt mulhauser]

Has anyone backpacked here? My friends are very wary of anyplace that might be "over domesticated" and want to make sure we will feel properly remote haha. I realize this isn't Montana, but we are looking for something new within driving distance of Ohio. I just don't want to get there and find the backcountry sites are over-developed (if that makes sense). Too many people and/or sites with privies etc. are a turn-off to these guys – we want to feel like we are in the woods. Also, has anyone seen the northern lights here? Thanks a lot..

[Shawn Peyton]

I got there at least twice a year. While it is a bit overrun in the summer, it is indeed still pretty wild and remote feeling. It isn't rugged or challenging. You rarely need a compass, but the campsites aren't very developed as far as the backcountry sites. A firering is the only attribute to a site. However, the magic feeling of this piece of park is worth everything. Going up the Big Carp river trail beneath the old Hemlocks is like walking in a fantasy land. (for this area) it is simply amazing. While I have millions of acres of raw wilderness in my back yard (Superior National Forest)I still find myself going back to Porkies again and again. Even though I know the trails by heart. A word of caution though, it can be really, really difficult to find a campsite on the lake superior part of the trail system over the weekends during the season. I've had to camp on the trail more than once along the section.

Oh yea forgot, my profile picture is actually taken on the bluff part of the Big Carp River Trail in the porkies.

[Shawn Peyton]

Here's a link to my facebook photo album of last trip in September. This will give you some idea but I am by no means a photographer. heheh

Porkies Photos

[kurt mulhauser]

Shawn – Thanks so much. That's all I needed to hear!!!

[kurt mulhauser]

Actually I am still curious if anyone has seen the northern lights…

[Sam Haraldson]

I love the Porkies. I've been there in the summer (pretty busy) and in the dead of winter (won't see anyone but you will hear snowmobiles).

Summer

Winter

[Jeff]

The Porkies are nice but if you are looking for a more remote experience pick up the north country trail at the Norwich road crossing and head east as far as you like to go. It is all LNT camping anywhere in the Ottawa National Forest. I don't stay on the trail to much however.

Link

http://www.northcountrytrail.org/shop.php?category_id=5&product_id=29

Google map

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[Walter Carrington]

You should be able to see them once in a while in Ohio. You'll usually need a dark sky, look north. The current forecast at spaceweather.com is for a possibility on Feb.2,3,4 at high latitudes; if we get lucky we'll see it down here.

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