Forum Discussion
dewey02
May 29, 2018Explorer II
This article has no clue whatsoever.
Check out item no. 15.
It has the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as an alternate to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. These two places have NOTHING in common. The Dunes are an Urban Park, with the main attraction (most of those millions of visitors) being sandy beaches and warm water of Lake Michigan for the sun worshippers from the Chicago area. Yes, there are some trails and a small campground, but most people go to lay out on the beach.
The BWCA is a dedicated Wilderness area. No motors or mechanical devices are allowed, with just a few of its literally hundreds of small, connected lakes allowing 10 hp motors. People travel by canoe and carry their tents and food with them. Trails, called portages, connect the lakes and you hoist your canoe onto your shoulders and carry it to the next lake. You often stay out for 5 days to a week or more. Visitation is low because the number of entries is carefully limited to provide for solitude and a Wilderness experience.
Both of these places are wonderful and have their appeal. I know, because I worked as a Park Ranger at the Dunes, and I was the Program manager for the BWCA Wilderness. But they offer a completely different experience, and someone wanting to go to the Dunes would not find any sort of similar experience by going to the BWCA.
And in reality, neither of these two places is a National Park. Indiana Dunes is a National Lakeshore, administered by the National Park Service. The BWCA Wilderness is a part of Superior National Forest, administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
It makes me think that their other comparisons between parks (that I know nothing about) may be just as bogus.
Check out item no. 15.
It has the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as an alternate to Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. These two places have NOTHING in common. The Dunes are an Urban Park, with the main attraction (most of those millions of visitors) being sandy beaches and warm water of Lake Michigan for the sun worshippers from the Chicago area. Yes, there are some trails and a small campground, but most people go to lay out on the beach.
The BWCA is a dedicated Wilderness area. No motors or mechanical devices are allowed, with just a few of its literally hundreds of small, connected lakes allowing 10 hp motors. People travel by canoe and carry their tents and food with them. Trails, called portages, connect the lakes and you hoist your canoe onto your shoulders and carry it to the next lake. You often stay out for 5 days to a week or more. Visitation is low because the number of entries is carefully limited to provide for solitude and a Wilderness experience.
Both of these places are wonderful and have their appeal. I know, because I worked as a Park Ranger at the Dunes, and I was the Program manager for the BWCA Wilderness. But they offer a completely different experience, and someone wanting to go to the Dunes would not find any sort of similar experience by going to the BWCA.
And in reality, neither of these two places is a National Park. Indiana Dunes is a National Lakeshore, administered by the National Park Service. The BWCA Wilderness is a part of Superior National Forest, administered by the U.S. Forest Service.
It makes me think that their other comparisons between parks (that I know nothing about) may be just as bogus.
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