Closest Access Point: Basin Lake (Access Point # 19)
Distance To Access Point: 0.2 KM
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy.
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date of Visit: June, 2021
This site is just across Basin’s south bay from the access point. It’s on a small hump of land that you could call a point but is more of a nub. You could swim to it if you somehow managed to forget your canoe. It seemed, at least when I was there, like it wasn’t a well used site. It was fairly overgrown in places and kind of felt like it was on its way to being reclaimed by the forest. That may have just been a function of when I was there, or it could be that this site doesn’t see a ton of use.
Terrain: Uneven. The best way I can describe this site is lumpy. That’s not to say that there are a ton of tripping hazards, there aren’t, but it didn’t seem like there was much level ground either. The site proper is built on the side of a very slight slope. Ground cover is mostly pine needles and some green stuff starting to sprout.
Canoe Landing: There’s a clear landing spot on the north side of the nub. It’s easy to access, no underwater obstacles to speak of and makes for a decent in and out area. Underwater terrain is mostly sand, so it’s a smooth beaching process.
Fire Pit: Pretty basic. Not much more than a circle of rocks, but a well built circle of rocks. One cool feature is that the pit is kind of sunk into the ground. I don’t think this actually improves the fire at all, but it looks neat. View from the pit is north up Basin. There are a couple of pines in between the pit area and the water, but not enough to make things feel obstructed.
Swimability: The best entry spot I found was that canoe landing area. The ground here is sandy with some other soft gunk thrown into the mix. I’d want to wear water shoes because I don’t know that you could see everything you’re stepping on, but it’s a fine spot to take a dip.
Tent Sites: Here’s where the general lumpiness seemed like it could be a problem. I saw a couple of spots where you could pitch a tent. Neither seemed ideal, but neither seemed terrible either. I wouldn’t want to visit this site with a large group unless I was squeezing that large group into a couple of midsized tents.
Thunderbox: Thundebox is in good shape. Down a path out the back of the site. You’ll know you’re on the right track if you walk past a tree with a small yellow bathroom sign that I am 100% confident is also haunted. Bad things have happened at that tree. (Bad things have probably happened at the thunderbox too, but let’s not dwell on those).
Accessories: Minimal. There are a couple of logs beside the fire pit that would serve as your benches. Frankly, I’d probably pick the ground over them. Bring a camp chair if you can.
Views: Like most of the sites on Basin there are a few trees in between the site and the water. This one is more open than most, and you’ve got nice semi-obstructed views to the north. and southeast.
Notes: This would probably be tied for my third choice site on Basin with Site 2. If neither of Site 1 or 4 are available, this is an okay fallback.
Related Trip Report: Basin Lake
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