Closest Access Point: Canoe Lake (Access Point # 5)
Distance To Access Point: 14.3 KM (3.5 – 4.5 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Medium
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date of Visit: August, 2021
Looking at it from the water, I thought I was really going to like this site. I thought wrong. It’s a small site that looks out at Brule but is basically part of Potter Creek. This means, among other things, you’re getting the kind of bug exposure you might expect from a creek site as opposed to a lake site. I visited this one in early August and it was the only site all trip where the bugs were not only noticeable, but aggravating.
Terrain: The site is built on a hump of rock sticking out into the creek. It’s uneven for the most part, with a couple of level areas towards the top. Staying here means a lot of up and down to the water. The ground is a mix of rock, dirt and in some places tall grass.
Canoe Landing: There are two canoe landing areas, neither of which are great. On the south side of the site, so into Potter Creek, the rock slopes into the water on an angle that I wouldn’t call steep, but that isn’t exactly gentle either. However, at least the rock slopes in, meaning you can wedge the canoe up on the rocks to keep it stable for loading and unloading. On the north side of the site, so facing Brule and where you might consider to be the natural canoe landing area, the drop off to the water is less convenient. In most cases there’s a step down from the rock ledge to the water. There is one spot where you can stand more or less at water level, but it’s still a tough load/unload.
Fire Pit: Located at the top of the site, it does have a decent if obstructed view north on Brule. It’s quite close to the trees up there, and I found that area to be particularly buggy. The pit itself is nothing special.
Swimability: I actually didn’t mind the swimming here. I mostly went in on the north side and the nice thing is that it drops off quickly there. The underwater terrain is large chunks of rock, so you have to mind your footing as you’re getting in and out.
Tent Sites: The tent pad at the top of the site has room for a couple of medium sized tents. This area is very flat and free of obstacles, so the site does have that going for it. You wouldn’t want to be here with a large group though. Once you get through those two sites the pickings are slim.
Thunderbox: Down a short path just past the fire pit. The box was actually in decent shape, all things considered. It’s also buried in the woods and was buggy AF when I was there.
Accessories: Apart from the snake I discovered sunning itself on the north slope, not much. A couple of beaten up log benches by the fire and that’s it.
Views: This is an open site. One of my main complaints was that on a hot day the meager tree cover doesn’t provide a ton of shade. The upside to that openness is that you actually have decent views from pretty much everywhere. The view north on Brule, with the sun setting to your left, is particularly nice.
Notes: I didn’t like this site.
Related Trip Report: Rain Lake to Canoe Lake
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