Closest Access Point: Rain Lake (Access Point #4)
Distance To Access Point: 10.5 – 12.5 KM (depending on your route) (3-4 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Medium/Hard (depending on route).
Maintenance Level: Low (but in good shape anyway)
Date of Visit: August, 2021.
This is Cranebill’s only site and it’s not bad. Definitely worth checking out if you want a private lake for a night.
Terrain: The site is fronted by a large shelf of rock sloping into the water. There’s a bit of a walk up from the water to the rest of the site, but nothing too challenging. More than a few roots and rocks sticking out, but again, don’t run around in the dark with your eyes closed and you’ll be fine. The shoreline is rocky and the trees in the area are mostly pine and Cedar.
Canoe Landing: I pulled up to the rock slope and got out sideways. There are a couple of decent spots to wedge your canoe onshore so that it doesn’t shift as you unload. A little further east from the rock outcrop there’s another spot that would work as well. Less rocky with a more gradual slope into the water.
Fire Pit: The fire pit is cool. It’s built against a medium sized boulder on one side which gives it a nice wall to reflect heat back out at you. It’s not too far from the water and has a semi-obstructed view out to the lake.
Swimability: This would be a nice site to swim from. You can slip in pretty easily from that rock slope. Underwater terrain is more of the same, so water shoes might help avoid stubbed toes.
Tent Sites: A couple of decent sites. As mentioned above, there are a few rocks and roots on this site, so you may find it a bit bumpy. Regardless, I’ve slept on much worse. The tent sites are back of the fire pit and a little bit east of the canoe landing.
Accessories: None that I can recall. This was a really basic site. I don’t think there were even any log benches. Might want to pack that camp chair if you’re staying here for a couple of days. On the plus side, there are quite a few trees dotted throughout the site so plenty of space to hang your hammock.
Views: Nice view of pretty much all of Cranebill from the landing/swim area. The site faces south and east so you get good morning sun. View from the interior of the site is a semi-obstructed, but not to the point where the site feels too enclosed.
Notes: This is a decent little site on a quiet lake. There are three portages into Cranebill, two of which are over 2 kilometers and low maintenance. My guess is you don’t get a lot of thru traffic here.
Related Trip Report: Rain Lake to Canoe Lake – Day 2
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