The 100 Best Affordable Vacations (37 page)

Outfitters make this trip accessible. For about $100 per person per day—and often less depending on the time of year, trip length, and the number of children—you can be fully equipped for an adventure. “If you have nothing and you want to come, they can supply everything except your clothes,” says Sandy Skrien of Superior National Forest, which includes the Boundary Waters area.

A full setup includes canoe, tent, sleeping bag and pad, chair, and food. Usually the victuals are freeze-dried, but you can arrange for fish fixings for the dinner you can quite easily catch. Watters still remembers the northern pike his group had one night.

Along with providing gear and suggesting routes, outfitters secure required permits to enter the wilderness area. A permit limits groups to four boats and nine people. That way you won’t encounter flotillas in the middle of your deserted lake. Certain times of year and routes are more popular, so many visitors book their trips in late winter or early spring. That said, there are usually permits available for less popular midweek departures, which are also discounted by outfitters by 5 to 10 percent. A permit gives you the right to enter the wilderness area at a specific place on a specific day. After that, you’re free to explore as you desire.

BOUNDARY WATERS OUTFITTERS

Here are a few outfitters that operate in the Boundary Waters. Visit the Superior National Forest website (www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/superior/bwcaw) for a complete list.

 
Boundary Waters Outfitters,
629 Kawishiwi Trail, Ely, MN 55731, 800-777-7348 or 218-365-4879,
www.boundarywatersoutfitters.com
.

 
Canadian Border Outfitters,
14635 Canadian Border Rd., Ely, MN 55731, 800-247-7530,
www.canoetrip.com
.

 
Canoe Country Outfitters,
629 E. Sheridan St., Ely, MN 55731, 800-752-2306 or 218-365-4046,
http://canoecountryoutfitters.com
.

 
Piragis Northwoods Company,
105 N. Central Ave., Ely, MN 55731, 800-223-6565,
www.piragis.com
.

 
River Point Outfitting Co.,
P.O. Box 397, 12007 River Point Rd., Ely, MN 55731, 800-456-5580 or 218-365-6604,
www.elyoutfitters.com
.

The Boundary Waters abut the similarly lake-filled
Quetico Provincial Park
(807-597-2735,
www.ontarioparks.com
) in Ontario, Canada. If you’re not a Canadian citizen, you must apply for permission to enter the country before starting your trip, pay $30 for a background check, and have a passport to reenter the United States.

High season in the Boundary Waters region lasts from Memorial Day to Labor Day. June is the buggiest month when you’re most likely to encounter tics, black flies, and mosquitoes; bug spray is encouraged. July and August are better, and September can be quite nice, although days are shorter and it’s a little cooler.

Trips typically last three, five, seven days, or even longer. The lakes fill depressions left by glaciers and can be quite deep, so a life jacket is a must. The islands are home to boreal forest made up of spruce, fir, and red and white pine trees. On a typical trip, you may encounter a menagerie of wildlife from wolves and moose to elk and beaver, and even black bears. Eagles fly overhead and at night you’ll hear the mysterious cry of the loon.

“The mystery and the magic and the sheer beauty of the area puts things in perspective,” says outfitter Swenson. “It makes you feel very insignificant, but tied into the world in a different way.”

HOW TO GET IN TOUCH

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness,
Superior National Forest, 8901 Grand Ave Pl., Duluth, MN 55808, 218-626-4300,
www.fs.usda.gov/superior
.

hike in a rain forest, swim in a bioluminescent bay

PUERTO RICO

Perhaps the rebuilding of the body and spirit is the greatest service derivable from our forests, for what worth are material things if we lose the character and quality of people that are the soul of America.

—
ARTHUR CARHART, FOREST SERVICE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT (1919)

45 |
For Americans, a visit to a tropical rain forest usually requires traveling far afield. But in nearby Puerto Rico, you can hike through a rain forest, splash in a waterfall, and dodge “raining” frogs at
El Yunque National Forest,
all on a reasonable, wallet-friendly budget.

The 28,000-acre forest sits in the volcanic Luquillo Mountains, rising to more than 3,500 feet. Thanks to the altitude, the rain forest maintains an average temperature of 73°F year-round, which means it’s rarely steamy, though at the higher elevations often wet or cloudy. Of course, heavy rainfall means you’ll see La Coca Falls at its full 85-foot glory. Park trails wind through ferns, red ginger, banana plants, and blooms of hibiscus; some paths are gentle enough for younger children, others are for the hale and hearty.

For those who would like to explore in the company of a guide, one-hour Forest Adventure Tours ($5) are offered several times daily from the national forest’s Palo Colorado Interpretive Site. And for those who really don’t want to walk, the national forest visitor center at El Portal offers a film for $3 per person. Entry to the forest is free. (Hint: Bring sunscreen, a hat, and bug repellent; this is the tropics!)

The forest is open only during the day; the only way to stay within it is by camping, which requires a free permit. Most visitors opt to stay 25 miles to the west in San Juan and come for the day; many hotels offer tours that include transportation. Lodgings closer to the park cost $100-plus, but a few rustic cabins are available. At the nearby
Phillips Fruit Farm
(787-874-2138 or 787-414-9596,
www.rainforestfruitfarm.com
), the cost is $40.
Glorias’ Casa Linda del Este
(787-461-6666,
www.elyunque.com/glorias.htm
) also offers an apartment for $75 per night. Both are south of the national forest, far from the entrance at El Portal. On the north and closer to the entrance are
Sue’s Place
(787-889-1243 or 787-435-1760,
www.rainforestrental.com
), with a loft apartment starting at $95 per night, and the
Rainforest Inn B&B
(800-672-4992,
www.rainforestinn.com
) with villas from $145. You can find a wealth of information on other places to stay around the national forest on the Internet at
www.elyunque.com
.

RAINING FROGS

In seemingly a scene from the artsy film
Magnolia,
frogs sometimes drop out of the sky in Puerto Rico. When the humidity gets high, coqui frogs climb high in the forest canopy for relief; however, to escape any predators that lie in wait for them, the frogs often fling themselves through the forest rather than climb down. The tiny frogs are nearly weightless and typically don’t get hurt.

About 10 miles east of El Yunque lies the town of
Fajardo,
known for its snorkeling and diving. One of its chief attractions is its bioluminescent bay,
Laguna Grande.
Visit on a dark night and run your hand through the water to see your arm light up with glowing plankton, single-celled organisms called dinoflagellates—the underwater equivalent of fireflies. Several local companies offer tours by kayak, including
Kayaking Puerto Rico
(787-435-1665,
www.kayakingpuertorico.com
), which runs excursions starting at $45 per person.

There’s also a bioluminescent bay on the island of
Vieques
east of Puerto Rico’s main island. The island can be reached by ferry from Fajardo; the 1.5-hour ride costs $2.25 and goes several times per day, but seats are limited and boats are sometimes canceled. If you go, be sure to stay over a night—or two;
Mosquito Bay
is on the opposite side of the island from the ferry terminal, and since the bio bay tours are only held at night, you won’t have a choice. You’ll find plenty to enjoy; although once perhaps best known as a former U.S. Navy bombing site, Vieques is now a seductively tranquil place. Grab a book and a beer, and head for the beach. If you’re lucky, you might be the only one there.