Site Details
Closest Access Point: Kiosk (Access # 29)
Distance to Access Point: ~9 KM (1.5-2 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy/Medium (depends on wind on Kioshkokwi)
Maintenance Level: Regular on the map, low in real life.
Date Visited: May 2022
I thought about just writing an all caps NO for this report and leaving that to stand on its own, but I guess a few details are worthwhile. This site is located at the south end of the P630 portage in between Kioshkokwi and Maple Lake. It’s a portage landing first, campsite second. If it’s 8:30 pm and you’re looking for a place to stop for the night that’s got a thunderbox, this site does the trick. For pretty much any other situation, I’d keep moving.
Terrain: The site is built on a slight grade. That makes sense, it’s the end of a portage and typically portages end on a slight grade. The ground is grassy and the kind of uneven you get with thick grass.
Canoe Landing: The portage put-in doubles as the canoe landing. There are a few rocks to navigate, but otherwise this is a decent put-in, which makes it a a decent canoe landing. The ground is a bit mushy for the first few feet.
Fire Pit: This fire pit doesn’t look like it gets a lot of use. It’s a small circle of rocks tucked towards the back of the site. That’s about all I have to say for this one (those sleeping stumps are what I imagine are meant to be the sites log benches. The good news is that the grass is pretty soft if you’ve got more than a couple of people and not enough chairs).
Tent Sites: There was one dedicated tent pad that I can recall, tucked away in a small clearing just off to the side. It actually looked like a decent spot to pitch a tent. I probably wouldn’t want to be here with a large group though. I have no idea where tents 2 and 3 would go.
The Rest: Look, normally I’ve got swimmability, thunderbox and accessory sections in these reports, but, honestly, this site doesn’t need them. There is a thunderbox. It’s down this path. If you’re swimming, you’re swimming in the extremely shallow waters of Maple Creek, and probably sharing your dunk spot with some leeches. On the plus side, at the other end of this portage there is a really pretty set of mini-falls that are tailor made for splashing around in.
Notes: NO (there, I did it).
Related Trip Report: Birchcliffe, The Nip and Some Hills