Closest Access Point: Tim River (Access Point 2)
Distance To Access Point: 15-16 KM (4 – 5 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy to Moderate (Depends on the water levels on the Tim River).
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date of Visit: July, 2018
This is an open, accessible site. Like, super accessible. So accessible you might argue that it’s too accessible. It’s on the portage between Longbow and the Tim River, which means you’ll have lots of potential visitors if you plan to set up for more than a night. That being said, it’s a decent enough site in itself, and a reasonable place to stop if the sun’s on its way down and you’re just looking for a place to crash for the night (and site 3 on Longbow is already taken)
Terrain: Flat. The site is basically just a clearing off the portage, but it’s a big clearing, and it’s very level. The ground cover is dirt, with a couple downed branches (read small trees) lying around when we visited (but those are probably gone now). The usable site area is big enough for three (and maybe four) tents while leaving enough room to get around.
Canoe Landing: The landing is a mix of rocks and mud. A nice, gradual approach with little in the way of obstruction. The vegetation along the shoreline in the landing area is sparse and wouldn’t be an impediment. I suppose there could be a mild current pushing you towards the resumption of the Tim River, but it wouldn’t be enough to cause difficulties in the landing.
Fire Pit: Right smack dab in the middle of the site. The pit is fine, although not much more than a circle of blackened rocks in the middle of the clearing. If you’re looking to balance some pots over the flame you may have to do some work on the pit walls, otherwise, it’ll do the job of showing you where to put your fire. There’s also a smaller, secondary fire pit that someone’s created, but don’t use it. The Park puts the fire pits where they are for a reason.
Tent Sites: Lots of space for tents. I wouldn’t say there are specific spots where you have to pitch your tent, more like you can just pick any old place in the clearing and set up there. There’s room for at least three tents (probably more, although I believe the Park has rules on how many tents can be on a site). There’s also a small clearing just off the main clearing that would be fine for another 2 or 3 man tent if you wanted to set up a bit away from everyone else.
Thunderbox: I couldn’t find it. I’m sure it’s there, and it’s probably magical, but I can’t promise that’s the case. At the very worst, you can bushwhack to the brand new thunderbox on Site 2. The good news is you probably won’t be disturbing anyone there, what with site 2 being terrible and all.
Accessories: I don’t know if I’d call them accessories, but there are a lot (like, a lot a lot) of relics (also known, in some cases, as old junk) on this site. There are lots of pieces of rusty metal from … well, I’m not sure what they’re from, but they’re there. There’s also a stand up grill that would work as a decent prep table in a pinch and a cross bar near the fire pit that you could use to … drape stuff on I guess? One thing the site didn’t have were logs or benches near the fire pit.
Swimmability: I didn’t swim here, but I can say that the swimming options didn’t look that appealing. The site is located where Longbow starts to narrow back into being the Tim River. That means it’s shallower and I remember seeing a bit of plant growth in the water. There is, however, a beaver dam just past the site, and beavers love swimming, so maybe I’m missing something. I doubt it though.
Views: This is a relatively enclosed site. Trees grow all along the shore, meaning you’ve got an obstructed view of the water from pretty much everywhere. There is a nice little beaver pond to the south to look out on, and if you’re sitting right at the water’s edge you can see north on Longbow, but you probably aren’t choosing this site for the view.
Notes: As I said off the top, this is a fine site if you’re looking for a place to crash for the night. I wouldn’t pick it for anything longer though, there’s a much nicer site across the bay at Site 3, and plenty of decent sites on nearby Rosebary as well.
Related Trip Report: Four Days in July – Part Two: The Moccasin Lake Shuffle
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