Site Details
Closest Access Point: Shall Lake (Access #17)
Distance to Access Point: 9.2 KM (2.5 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date Visited: September, 2024
This is a great spot on Booth. Hidden away in the southwest corner, it’s not the first one you’d see or think of when you arrive on the lake, regardless of the direction you’re coming from. But it’s worth checking out, particularly if the popular eastern shore sites are all gone.
Terrain: This is a very easy site to navigate. The terrain is mostly level, with a slight grade down to the water for the last 10 feet of shoreline or so. Ground cover is hard packed dirt and pine needles, without real tripping hazards or obstacles.
Canoe Landing: The canoe landing is tucked around the corner of the site. This means that if you’re coming up from the main part of Booth (which is the only way to approach) you might not see it. Instead, there’s a rocky area that looks like it might be the landing. Don’t use this. There’s a wide, gently sloping rock and sand beach just around the corner that’s easy to access and provides tons of loading/unloading room.
Fire Pit: The fire pit is the least impressive part of this site. Towards the back of the site area, it’s at least fairly sheltered. But there are no benches and the pit is just a small jumble of rocks. View out to the lake is obstructed and, once the evening sets in, non-existent.
Tent Sites: Lots of level space for tents. We had a family sized six person tent, a three person and my aerial A1 with us, with lots of room left over. This is a good site for a large group.
Swimmability: The swimming here was okay. That beach I mentioned is a good spot to wade in from, but it is a bit weedy. The rocks on the other side were my preferred entry point. There are some pointy rocks under the water to navigate, but it drops off quickly and makes for a good, weed-free, dip spot.
Thunderbox: The thunderbox is private. Over a small hill out the back of the site, there’s no visibility to the box unless you’re walking back there. The box itself was in decent shape. 3 out of 5 stars on the “would poop here again” rating scale.
Accessories: I mentioned the lack of fire pit seating, but on the plus side there is a decent counter for the kitchen area. Probably the coolest feature of this site though is a nearby cliff you can climb to the top of. It’s only about five minutes from the site to an awesome lookout, just maybe leave the toddlers and hyperactive dogs with poor impulse control back at the site.
Views: The views from the campsite are fine. There’s pretty dense growth along most of the shoreline, so I’d say your view from the site’s interior is partially obstructed at best for the most part. There is a nice sunset view from the canoe landing, and the view out to Booth from the rocky swimming area is nice as well. But by far the best view is from the top of the nearby cliff. It’s well worth the walk up there.
Notes: Overall, this might be my favourite spot on Booth so far.
Related Trip Report: Booth Lake, 2024.