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. High water and it’s easy. Low water and you’re dragging over beaver dams and swearing a lot).
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date of Visit: July, 2018
I visited all three sites on Longbow on this particular trip and this one was far and away my favourite. It’s got a nice location, good views, lots of space and a bumper crop of bunchberries if you feel like eating things that look poisonous but actually aren’t.
Terrain: Trees line the shoreline pretty much all the way around the site, but the living area doesn’t feel closed in the way some sites can when there’s a decent amount of growth between the site and the water. There site proper is flat enough, with the tent spots, fire pit and kitchen area are all more or less on the same level. There isn’t much of a grade coming up from the water.
Canoe Landing: Pretty good. The underwater terrain is mostly sand and while there’s a tangle of roots at the landing spot, it doesn’t get in the way of pulling the boat up. There was at least one big rock in the water leading in to the landing, but apart from that there weren’t any significant obstacles.
Fire Pit: The fire pit is in good shape. It’s a lower pit, which might be a problem on a windy day, however there’s a nice big piece of jagged rusty metal propped up on the lake site of the pit that acts as a handy tetanus repository and windbreak. We were on the site during a fire ban, so I can’t speak to the ambiance of the fire, but the shoreline between the pit and the lake is one of the places where the tree coverage isn’t as dense, so you’ve got a good view of the sun going down along with your fire (or, in our case, stove).
Swimmability: Not a bad spot for swimming. The sand close to the shore is relatively obstacle free, so you can slip in, and there are a couple of good sized rocks you can dry off on and catch the afternoon sun.
Tent Sites: There’s room for a few decent sized tents on this site, provided you don’t mind getting cozy with your neighbour. You can fit at least three tents in the area between the canoe landing and the fire pit, and there’s a little enchanted grotto area up between the fire pit and the Thunderbox that would work as well. If you’re a hammock kind of person, there are some nicely spaced pines close by.
Accessories: The aforementioned windbreak, a few grills in various states of “Nope, don’t think I’ll ever use that” shape and a really strange table thing that was basically just more jagged rusty metal on a stump, but at the perfect height to walk into on a dark night. There’s also a stand up grill that works as a good table and two very basic log benches around the fire pit that nonetheless get the job done. Also, there’s bunchberries! so many bunchberries!
Thunderbox: It’s a short walk up a (small) hill to the thunderbox. The lid’s seen better days, but the box itself was in good shape and, as of mid July 2018, didn’t appear to be particularly overused.
Views: As I mentioned, trees grow along the shoreline around most of the site, but never in such concentration that you feel hemmed in. You’ve got a partially obstructed view of the lake from most angles, and if you go down to the water you’ve got a vantage for watching the sunset.
Notes: I liked this site. We were there on a relatively wet, blowy day and the one thing I noticed was that we definitely felt the wind. It was coming straight from Rosebary and blew through the trees like they weren’t there. It made for a cold afternoon, but as soon as the wind died it was a very comfortable spot.
Related Trip Report: Four Days in July Part One – The River Mild
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