Site Details
Closest Access Point: Kiosk (Access # 29)
Distance to Access Point: 18 KM (4 – 4.5 hours single carrying)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Medium (a few portages, some creek paddling)
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date Visited: May 2023
This is a great island site in Erables’ south end. It checks pretty much all of the boxes as far as I’m concerned. Great views, great swimming, good tent pads and a nice fire pit. The only mild downside (with less than mild results) is that the wind blows right through it.
Terrain: The site is pretty flat. There’s a slight rise up from the water facing south, but nothing that’s going to challenge you. Site is fairly open, while still being dotted with quite a few good hammock trees, so the best of both worlds.
Canoe Landing: We pulled up on the south side and unloaded/loaded at this rock. There are a couple of other options as you work your way around the island. In particular, there’s a westward facing spot that seemed pretty good as well. In other words, there are plenty of options.
Fire Pit: Really nice west facing fire pit area. As you can see from the picture, there are a couple of decent log benches that can be used to sit on or for meal prep. Great view of the lake and the setting sun. Absolutely not protection from the wind.
Tent Sites: Room for at least a couple of medium sized tents on this site. We chose a more protected spot towards the back of the site. On the plus side, it’s not quite as exposed to the wind back there. On the negative side, it is much more exposed to the nearby thunderbox. Ground everywhere is relatively flat and free of bumps.
Swimmability: We were there in mid May with the wind blowing and the temperature dropping, so we did not swim. If I was there in July? Man, this would be a great spot for swimming. Lots of flat rocks sloping into the water making for easy in and out. Great sun exposure for drying off too.
Thunderbox: This was a great thunderbox! Pretty much brand new, and so what if my legs dangled slightly above the ground? One thing to note, this box is close to both Site 7, and within shouting distance of nearby Site 8.
Accessories: Apart from the log benches and the plentiful hammock trees, not much in the way of campsite “improvements”. But who needs them? The site is awesome enough as is.
Views: Really nice westward view. There’s decent tree coverage along the north side of the site, but the views west and south are fairly unobstructed.
Notes: I was a big fan of this site. Pretty much the only drawback was that it was relatively exposed. We were there on a cold night, and we ended up retreating to our tent pretty early because there wasn’t really anywhere to hide from the wind. Other than that? Great site. (Oh, and I suppose on other thing to think about: Site 8 is a near neighbour. If there are two groups on the island, expect to hear each other).
Related Trip Report: Birchcliffe, The Nip and Some Hills