Site Details
Closest Access Point: Opeongo (Access # 11) Note, the Shall Lake access (#17) is almost as close in terms of distance, but requires significantly more portaging.
Distance to Access Point: 25K (1-2 days depending on if you are using a water taxi)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Medium. Longest official portage in the Park is between Dickson and Opeongo.
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date Visited: September 2022
I really liked this site. Set on an island at Dickson’s midpoint, the site offers lots of living space, is conveniently located and has one of the single best sunset watching spots I’ve come across.
Terrain: It’s hard picking just one picture to convey what this site is like. It’s a big site, with multiple useable areas. Each area is flat and easy to navigate. There is a hill rising towards the east where the thunderbox is located. heading west the island tapers into a point that provides access (down a small hill) to a nice stone beach area. While the interior is easy to navigate, the shoreline is mostly grown in, making the interior feel enclosed.
Canoe Landing: The site is fronted by a north-facing beach. This is perfect for loading and unloading the canoe. There were no underwater obstructions or real impediments to the approach.
Fire Pit: The fire pit is located at almost the exact center of the island. Given the tree coverage along the shore, this makes for a well protected pit. It also means the views from the pit area are effectively nil. Don’t expect to be watching the sunset around your fire. The pit itself was in good condition and well constructed. Lots of firewood on the island, even in September.
Tent Sites: This site is not lacking for places to pitch a tent. The best tent pad I saw was along the south side of the island. There’s a wide, flat spot here big enough for a couple of tents. There was also room for a tent or two closer to the fire pit, along with space towards the western tip of the island. In other words, there’s lots of room for tents here.
Swimmability: The beach makes for a good spot to wade in. It’s predominately sand, with a few errant sticks and rocks to watch out for. It’s north facing, which meant that, at least when we were there, afternoon swims don’t get a ton of sun for drying off. Otherwise, it’s great for swimming.
Thunderbox: The Thunderbox is up a small hill to the east of the site. The box was in good shape, although a little bit slanted. I have no idea what the story is behind all those rocks.
Accessories: Beyond this shaky bushcraft counter, not much. There weren’t any benches around the fire pit, which is unusual for an Algonquin site.
Views: Literally the best sunset view I’ve had in years. The western tip of the island gives you a 270 degree view of Dickson, and Dickson does not disappoint. It’s good that the views from down by the water are so good, because the interior views are non-existent.
Notes: I don’t know if I loved this site, or I just loved the sunset view from this site. Sitting at that western tip, eating dinner and watching the sun go down was one of my favourite memories of tripping that summer. The rest of the site has its pros and cons. Love the beach and the flat terrain, wish there were benches and more visibility from the site’s interior.
Related Trip Report: Crow River Loop(ish): Proulx to Dickson and Everything in Between