r/MinnesotaCamping • u/outdoorsy73 • 15d ago
Love the Driftless area
Just wrapped up a four night trip to Whitewater State Park for some camping and fishing. Love the peacefulness of that area and the ease of finding solitude. Bonus points for being on Verizon as there is very little coverage in that area making it easy to unplug for a bit.
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u/BigAgates 15d ago
Nice. Just wrapped up a few nights at Mystery Cave. Nice campground with a similar vibe.
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u/Friendly-Program2609 11d ago
Went on my first solo camping trip there. My mom had to drive me as I was only 14. She dropped me off saying she would return at 10 the following morning. Things went fairly well, I made it through the night, but at first light I packed up and hiked the mile or so back the pick-up spot. What did I find ? My mom patiently waiting drinking coffee. She had stayed there all night "just in case" Now after 40 years and hundreds of nights out solo I still have a very fond place for Whitewater State Park in my heart.
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u/Impossible_Penalty13 15d ago
Is that the Wawona 6 tent? We bought one when we smarted camping with the kids and we catch one in the wild every once in a while.
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u/grantd86 14d ago
I've been eyeing the wawona 6 for our next tent. Do you like having the giant vestibule on there? I can imagine times when I'd love it and can just as easily imagine times where it could be frustrating to set up. What's it like in practice?
We're a family of 5 and my oldest is 10 so I also wonder how long it would hold us. State parks are the most likely use but we'd like to start doing bwca trips soon too which has me thinking about pack size and footprint size for site selection.
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u/Impossible_Penalty13 14d ago
We love it, the vestibule is great. We put a rug down in ours and the extra storage really helps keep the rest of the tent less cluttered. No real issues setting up, itâs part of the rain fly with just one extra pole and two guy lines to hold it up.
Biggest drawback is that itâs pretty big, you need a good sized tent pad. An 8x8 wonât cut it. We never really tested ours in a strong wind but if youâre going to camp in state parks, youâll be pretty sheltered in most every site you would use anyway.
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u/grantd86 14d ago
appreciate that feedback, do you remember what sold you on it over similar premium tents like the rei basecamp?
On the wawona if you were in a pinch for space would you be able to put the fly on without the vestibule and use the other door?
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u/Impossible_Penalty13 14d ago
If I remember correctly, I bought it in 2021, the REI one had just had the design changed and the vestibule had shrunk on the newer one. For car camping with a dog and family of 4, itâs about perfect. We put cots in for the adults and the kids/dogs have room on the floor.
The big vestibule is a curse and a blessing because itâs all one piece with the rain fly. The only way to do without the vestibule is to leave the rain fly off.
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u/outdoorsy73 14d ago
Actually I feel like the vestibule is somewhat small for its function. But it is a nice addition so I can have a rug there, take my shoes off before going in the tent, and not worry about the shoes getting wet. I wouldnât go without it now that I have it. I believe the vestibule on the 6 is much bigger than the 4. I can stand in the tent easily at 6â 1â which is awesome. I have a twin size air mattress and that leaves plenty of room for my gear to spread out. It doesnât pack up super small but that isnât a constraint for me since I have the trailer to haul it. Super easy to setup by myself. It requires a decent size footprint in the site so the 6 would need even more. Canât confirm how the 6 would be with a family of five but it would likely work? Good luck!
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u/Impossible_Penalty13 14d ago
I like the vestibule for the same reason. Plus taking off wet stuff if we have been in the rain to keep the rest of the tent dry.
We are a family of 4 and had a 90lb lab in the tent with us at night and the size was quite comfortable for us.
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u/the_traveling_ent 13d ago
Props for the Aeropress! Best home coffee short of having an espresso machine!
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u/Friendly-Program2609 11d ago
Strong in the wind. Easy to set up. I do it by myself. Vestibule is really awesome. Talk about added square footage, a couple of my kids always want to sleep in it. They think it's there private tent. I do a lot of solo backpacking trips, but for the family this has turned out to be worth every penny.
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u/thrwaway856642 11d ago
Please donât come back. It sucks here. đ
In all seriousness, it is a special place, and I thank you for sharing your photos. Hopefully they will inspire others to visit.
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u/rusty_rampage 15d ago
I have to ask - where were you able to actually access to fish and catch anything. When I was there it was such a zoo during the day with puerile in the water there wasnât really any chance. Also it was really overgrown with vegetation over like 90 percent of the bank access.
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u/outdoorsy73 15d ago
We do very little fishing within the park boundaries as there are many more opportunities if you drive a bit. Yes, some of the banks are grown in with vegetation and we regularly walk through stuff taller than us. But thatâs part of the fun honestly. Start at this link for some great information on all the river access in the area.
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u/hotdish81 10d ago
Find the cattle and you'll find banks with little to no vegetation in the driftless. Just be sure you can run faster than the bull đ
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u/spraungelbeats 14d ago
How was the fishing? Hoppers?
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u/outdoorsy73 14d ago
Fishing was decent, surprisingly they werenât interested in hoppers or any larger flies for us. Small nymphs and small dryâs were the best.
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u/girlbosser 14d ago
Would you recommend Cedar Hill or Minneiska campground for a first time visit?
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u/outdoorsy73 14d ago
We havenât stayed at Minneiska but have driven through and it seems more open and âdisconnectedâ from the rest of the park. I would recommend Cedar Hill. You can easily walk to the shower building, the river, and the park office from that campground without crossing the highway.
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u/slightly_overraated 15d ago
Are there random cows at Whitewater?!!