Trifter

Summer 2008 – It had been two months since graduation and one month until the collegebound freshmen of the class of 2012 would depart for the first leg of their four year journey. For the longest time my two close friends and I had dreamed of taking an epic cross country vacation before we parted ways to attend three different colleges. It would be our first separation since before we met in Kindergarten, and though the cross country vacation had become less feasible due to the time constraints as well as the looming cost of college tution. However, we had not been entirely detered from taking some type of celebratory journey. After much investigation of several locations, including the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, we stumbled upon the Apostle Islands which were less than four hours away. 

The Apostle Islands are a part of the state of Wisconsin and located in Lake Superior. Depending on where you’re coming from, there are many different routes that can lead you to Bayfield, the gateway to the islands. However, at some point I suggest getting on US-63 North, preferably at Spooner. This road will lead you along the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, which provides a gorgeous view for the last part of your journey. When US-63 ends turn onto US-2 East taking it for a little over than five miles. At this point take a left WI-13 which will lead straight up to Bayfield. My friends and I took this same route which, from our central Wisconsin location, was just under 190 miles costing $70 in gas.

Current Total-$70

Before embarking on your adventure it necessary to make reservations with the National Park Service. All the information you need can be found here: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. According to the site campsites cost $10 a night. It is also required to make reservations to get to the island (unless you bring your own boat). The Apostle Island Cruise Service offers campers trips to the island four times a week. More information can be found here: Apostle Island Cruise Service. Remember to bear in mind the days that the ferry visits your island when making reservations so you can arrive and leave at your convience. Tickets for these ferries cost about $55 round-trip. For my trip with my friends we chose to spend four nights at Stockon Island costing us $40 for our campsite and $165 for three ferry tickets. Current Total-$275 Our campsite was beautiful. We even had our own private patch of beach. The sites were easy to cook at and we cooked meals from groceries we brought from home to save money. All in all we spent about $25 on food. Trip Total-$300 Cost per Person-$100 For a four day vacation $100 was a great price to pay for future college students. We were able to thoroughly enjoy ourselves at a cheap cost. I hope you have just as much success with your Apostle Island vacation.

Photograph by Hanna Newman