Crotch Lake – Site 2

This is a decent option on Crotch Lake. On the southeast side of Crotch’s biggest island, this site has the benefit of being a short paddle from the access point while still being (maybe) off the main canoe throughfare up to Shirley. Every time I’ve paddled through Crotch I’ve gone up the island’s west side, which I’m assuming is pretty standard. If this is the case, then this site would avoid a lot of the traffic.

The canoe landing here is great. It’s a wide, sandy takeout with room for at least a couple of boats, if not more. The swimming here would be pretty decent as well. While there are some weeds in the shallows, they haven’t taken over and the underwater terrain looks good for wading out (I was here in November and most certainly did not swim).

The site is built at the top of a slight rise. If you’ve got knee issues, be prepared to climb a bit every time you go to and from the water. Nothing too challenging, but it’s definitely there. The site itself has a decent footprint. The fire pit is near the front of the site with a great view out to the water. The shoreline is dotted with pine and other trees and provides enough coverage that you don’t feel overly exposed while you’re eating your lunch. There’s room for a few tents of medium size or more, and the terrain is clear of obstacles and easy to navigate. The only slight drawback I’d note is that the thunderbox is at the top of another hill (this one a bit steeper) and the site isn’t all that far from Site 1. If you’re sharing the island with some loud talkers you’re going to hear everything (fun fact: Site 1’s thunderbox isn’t all that far from this thunderbox. Great place to meet new friends in a relaxed setting I guess).