Closest Access Point: Smoke Lake (Access Point #6)
Distance To Access Point: 14.4 KM (3-4 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Hard.
Maintenance Level: Low
Date of Visit: August, 2021
This site exceeded my expectations, but that’s not saying much. I had pretty low expectations. This is the only (low maintenance) campsite you can find in a string of small, low maintenance lakes between Smoke Lake and Park Lake. I was expecting both a physical and spiritual wasteland, and I found … a campsite. Hooray!
Terrain: This is a flat site. The shoreline is beach that transitions into a level interior after walking through a small buffer zone of overgrown bush and tree. The interior of the site is just one big clearing. There are a few roots around, but nothing that makes for a significant tripping hazard. The rest of the clearing is a mix of pine needles and grass.
Canoe Landing: The site is surrounded by a beach-y shore front. The site is on a small elbow on the north side of the lake, and the beach wraps around the elbow. There are two trails from the water up to the interior of the site, one facing west and one facing south. There are no major underwater obstacles on the approach, although it is very shallow coming at it from the eastern creek so you may have to hop out and drag the last few feet.
Fire Pit: The fire pit in in the site’s interior and does not have much of a view out to the water. There’s a small window down one of the paths that leads to the beach, but other than that it’s an enclosed spot. The pit itself is fine. It’s a circle of rocks, about two rocks high. When I visited there were quite a few fire pit related accessories including a grill and what looked like a full BBQ set.
Swimability: The beach makes for a good spot to wade in. The weeds all along the shoreline make it a little less awesome. I hate weeds.
Tent Sites: There’s room for a couple of tents in the site’s interior and the ground is fairly level.
Thunderbox: Drew’s First Law Of Thunderboxes states: The shittier the campsite, the better the thunderbox. Hilly Lake, Site 1 is yet another example of this law in practice. The box is pretty new and in good shape.
Accessories: They may not be there anymore, but when I was through there was a full set of BBQ implements and a really nice grill across the fire pit. Apart from that, not much.
Views: The view from the site interior is mostly cut off by the dense forest that surrounds it. There are two windows out to the water along the paths that lead in from the canoe landings. The view from the beach is actually pretty nice, looking south and west across Hilly.
Notes: Picture a low maintenance campsite on a little used route and you’ll have a good idea of what you’re in for with this spot.
Related Trip Report: A Walk Among The Raspberries – Canoe Lake to Park Lake
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