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I guess we differ then. In VT, for example, in the national forests, I've always felt in the remote areas that I am truly alone and in the wilderness, on my own, since there are few regulations to contend with and forest rangers are rarely seen (as are other visitors as they generally stay to the smaller areas with more extensive trails), whereas in national parks I've visited, the regulations made it more like a museum with heavy security, always felt like I was being watched. I don't like that feeling. Perhaps NP's get more attention by the public (a lot of people don't even seem to know what national forests are as opposed to national parks) and the museum-like style of running them is more attractive to tourists, but for enjoyment by the residents of an area, I'd prefer a national forest.
That describes my experience with both state and federal parks and forests. In the forests, roads are unimproved, if you find a rest room, it'll be a pit toilet, and the campsites are geared more for tenters than RVers. A much different experience.
I think it would stimulate not only Southwest Wisconsin's economy, but draw more and more tourism to the driftless area of NE IA, SW WI, and NW IL. I am all for it. Prairie du Chien is in Crawford County, I believe, nice town, I believe they have a Cabela's there :].
And right across the river is Effigy Mounds National Monument.
Yes, sorry I got my corners of WI mixed up. The SW part is the area with the pretty rolling hills and river valleys. I remember my trip from Dubuque, IA up to Lacrosse, WI zig zagging through lots of towns east of the Mississippi in WI. I like visiting National Parks as much as anyone else, but I am skeptical about a suggestion for the government to step in and get involved in buying out private property in rural area. Somebody (and their ancestors) have been living there for a long time, and even though they may not be making a lot of money, it is somebody's home and probably where their heart and soul may be too.
SW WI already has some great recreational resources. It is one of the best places in the USA for bicycling. Great rural back roads, great rails to trails (former railroads converted to long distance bicycle trails), wonderful small towns. There are places in SW WI that look more like a postcard from rural central Europe than middle america, which is a treasure in itself. They should promote that more, but few people outside the immediate area have a clue what there is to see there.
This is so true. When Midwesterners think of beautiful areas of WI, they think of Door County, WI Dells, Apostle Islands and the Northwoods, completely ignoring the SW corner of the state. But that's why I like it! There are no goofy cheese shoppes, minature golf courses, fast food restaurants and chain motels there, it seems to pristine.
Goofy cheese shops. lol I'd really like to see that turned into a National Park. I think it could offer so much to the economy and as one of the websites said, it would create 5,000 jobs. That's awesome if you ask me.
it is an excellent idea....but what would you put there ? What attractions ? Crawford county would benefit much from it, along with the surrounding counties who aren't too far behind on the poor scale. I've been all over the midwest and I can tell you this, Crawford, Vernon, and Richland Counties are absolutely stunning, my favorite place to be visit and roam around in when I have time. The hills, the streams, the small villages, the apple orchards, the backroads, and the terrific views all come together and create a real nice getaway that never gets old from the big city. But my question still stands....what do you put there ? I'm not say create a yellowstone, cause its not possible, but you usually need some sort of unbelievable or extremely unique feature/characteristic(s) to attract people. I think a bike trail though entire trio of counties would be great too.
There are only 4 national parks in the entire central time zone, which is not an area that screams out about natural scenic beauty. Those that are in the CST are underground (Mammoth Caves), historic (Hot Springs), or inaccessible roadless areas (Isle Royale and Voyageurs). So don't accuse them of slighting Wisconsin.
I don't know why Wisconsin thinks they deserve a huge expenditure of federal funds to boost Wisconsin's economy. Wisconsin already has the St. Croix River and Apolstle Islands, which are administered under the National Parks Service, and I bet not 2% of Wisconsinites have visited either one of them.
I guess we differ then. In VT, for example, in the national forests, I've always felt in the remote areas that I am truly alone and in the wilderness, on my own, since there are few regulations to contend with and forest rangers are rarely seen (as are other visitors as they generally stay to the smaller areas with more extensive trails), whereas in national parks I've visited, the regulations made it more like a museum with heavy security, always felt like I was being watched. I don't like that feeling. Perhaps NP's get more attention by the public (a lot of people don't even seem to know what national forests are as opposed to national parks) and the museum-like style of running them is more attractive to tourists, but for enjoyment by the residents of an area, I'd prefer a national forest.
You're definitely being watched in a National Park because the place requires protection. Not all have good intentions while there. I agree though.
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