Been canoe-camping lovers, my daughter and myself planned, for the
summer 2006, to remake the historical canoe trip made by Father Jacques
Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673. As you may know the goal of the
expedition of Marquette and Jolliet was to try to find a way to the
Pacific ocean (to china). You can look at Jolliet's expedition at
http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.a...&query=jolliet

He left Quebec city (where we live) in 1672 towards Sault-St-Mary
(Canada) where he spent the winter. The following spring, in may 1673,
with father Jacques Marquette he left Sault-St-Mary and paddled by
canoe on Michigan lake, then on Fox river and after a portage on June
14th, 1673 (where is Portage today) borrowed the Wisconsin river and
finally the Mississippi river.

We are planning to begin our 3 months canoe expedition at the beginning
of June 2006 in Green Bay (Wisconsin) and finish it in August in New
Orleans. I am writing to this group to get some information we need
about the Fox river.
The information missing is about the portion of the Fox River between
lake Winnebago and the canal at Portage (between the Fox river and
Wisconsin river).

Anyone can tell if the water flow on fox river is high, is it easy to
paddle against the stream from lake Winnebago up to Portage. What is
the water speed? Is anyone have paddled this part of the Fox?

Can we canoe on Portage canal anymore? This canal was established
between 1848 and 1857 and abandoned in 1950's for lack of use . I got
information saying that it may not be possible now to paddle on it.

Is there any difficulties we should expect paddling on the upper Fox
river?

We have a web site with all information about our expedition.
Unfortunately, it is not yet in English. This web site will be
reshape in October and will also have an English version. You may have
a look www.jolliet-1673-2006.ca

Any information will be helpful,
Thanks,
Denis
http://www.jolliet-1673-2006.ca

Interesting post. I have considered the same trip, from Green Bay to Prairie
du Chien and scoped out some of the waterway. I live about 40 miles south of
Portage.

I don't think the canal is navigable, but it should be portageable (~1 mile,
I think). As I recall there isn't even water in it. Jolliet had to portage
too. The upper Fox at Portage is a pretty small stream. You could almost
step across it as I recall. When I visited in early summer the current was
substantial, but not insurmountable. People do canoe this stretch, usually
in the opposite direction. I think you'll pass through some pretty marshy
areas before the canal where the current is minimal.

The Fox at the mouth of Green Bay is a very wide and heavily trafficked
waterway, but I think you could paddle it. It's a lot less polluted than it
was 30 or 40 years ago, although there are a couple of papermills along the
way that give their own special fragrance to the air. There are several dams
to portage before Lake Winnebago. Lakes Winnebago and Butte de Mort are
large lakes and can get choppy in the wind. They are also heavily used by
sport boats.

Are you planning to camp on the way? I wasn't sure if it would always be
possible.

Once you're past Portage, the Wisconsin is a great river to canoe and you
can camp on islands all the way down.

Keep us posted on the trip.



"Denis" wrote in message
oups.com...
Been canoe-camping lovers, my daughter and myself planned, for the
summer 2006, to remake the historical canoe trip made by Father Jacques
Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673. As you may know the goal of the
expedition of Marquette and Jolliet was to try to find a way to the
Pacific ocean (to china). You can look at Jolliet's expedition at
http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.a...&query=jolliet

He left Quebec city (where we live) in 1672 towards Sault-St-Mary
(Canada) where he spent the winter. The following spring, in may 1673,
with father Jacques Marquette he left Sault-St-Mary and paddled by
canoe on Michigan lake, then on Fox river and after a portage on June
14th, 1673 (where is Portage today) borrowed the Wisconsin river and
finally the Mississippi river.

We are planning to begin our 3 months canoe expedition at the beginning
of June 2006 in Green Bay (Wisconsin) and finish it in August in New
Orleans. I am writing to this group to get some information we need
about the Fox river.
The information missing is about the portion of the Fox River between
lake Winnebago and the canal at Portage (between the Fox river and
Wisconsin river).

Anyone can tell if the water flow on fox river is high, is it easy to
paddle against the stream from lake Winnebago up to Portage. What is
the water speed? Is anyone have paddled this part of the Fox?

Can we canoe on Portage canal anymore? This canal was established
between 1848 and 1857 and abandoned in 1950's for lack of use . I got
information saying that it may not be possible now to paddle on it.

Is there any difficulties we should expect paddling on the upper Fox
river?

We have a web site with all information about our expedition.
Unfortunately, it is not yet in English. This web site will be
reshape in October and will also have an English version. You may have
a look www.jolliet-1673-2006.ca

Any information will be helpful,
Thanks,
Denis
http://www.jolliet-1673-2006.ca

Thanks Tom for replying. The information you gave us will a great help.

Yes we will camp most of the time. Once an a while we will stop in
campgroung and probably stay in motel or hotel in large cities.
I will keep you inform by posting on this group.

Denis