Closest Access Point: Rain Lake (Access Point #4)
Distance To Access Point: 6.9 KM (2 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy.
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date of Visit: June, 2019
I loved this site. It’s a compact little spot smack in the middle of Islet Lake. It offers pretty much everything you could possibly want in a site, from great views, swimming, privacy (well, assuming no one is watching you from shore through binoculars, then there’s nowhere to hide) and is surprisingly bug free in the middle of June. Stay here.
Terrain: As you might have guessed, as a small island site, the terrain is pretty flat. There’s a very, very small slope from the canoe landing to the site proper (which is like 10 feet from the water) but apart from that it’s very easy terrain to navigate. There are enough trees to provide shade if needed, but not enough to block the views or the wind, so this might be a very cold place come October or May.
Canoe Landing: I pulled up on the southern side of the island, but it looks like there were a couple of spots that could have been used on the other side as well. Pulling up where I did gives you a rock slope to step out on that makes for a good spot to load/unload. There wasn’t much in the way of underwater obstacles leading up to the landing area.
Fire Pit: The fire pit isn’t going to win any fire pit of the year awards, but it doesn’t have to. It’s basically a circle of giant rocks smack in the middle of the island. You may have to build up one side to cut the wind if its blowing particularly hard, but as it stands right now there’s probably enough protection to get a small fire going in most conditions. While the pit isn’t that exciting, the location of the pit is great. You’re ten feet from the water with nice views to the southern shore and down towards Weed Lake.
Swimability: Very swimmable. In fact, I went for a swim. You can step in pretty much anywhere along the shoreline in front of the fire pit. The underwater terrain is rocky, so it helps to have water shoes, but apart from that there’s little to complain about. It’s also a great site to dry off on as the sun hits the rocks pretty much all afternoon and the wind blowing through gives a good air dry as well.
Tent Sites: Room for a couple of tents, maybe more if you don’t mind sleeping on some roots. I wouldn’t come to this site with a large party, but you could definitely sleep three or four comfortably.
Thunderbox: Down a path towards the other end of the island. It’s got lots of privacy, looks like it’s been there for a while. Pretty much the only place on the island where I found bugs (or, more accurately, where the bugs found me).
Accessories: Not much in the way of man made additions beside a couple of small logs that double as benches. However, it also has a series of four pines on the eastern tip of the island that were put there by the Hammock Gods for you to hang your hammock. That alone makes this site an 11/10. I spent a good two hours lying in my hammock, reading a book and letting the wind blow the bugs away.
Views: Great views to the south, southwest, east and north. The vegetation on the western side of the island is denser, so you can’t see as much that way, but you don’t really need to.
Notes: I loved this site. As I mentioned, it was a great place to relax for an afternoon and I’d happily go back and spend a night or two.
Related Trip Report: Islet in the Sun
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