Closest Access Point: Kiosk (Access Point #29)
Distance To Access Point: 13.5 KM (4 – 4.5 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Medium/Hard (One of the portages on Maple Creek suuuucks).
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date of Visit: July, 2020
I really liked this site. It’s on the far side of a small island, facing a bay on the north west shore. You can’t see much of Maple Lake, which is both good and bad. It’s bad because the view is somewhat limited (but still very nice). It’s good because you feel like you’re completely alone while you’re on it.
Terrain: Big slabs of rock sloping up from the water that turn into hard packed dirt and pine needle after about twenty feet. The site itself is very flat, excepting that slope from the water and a slightly raised spot to put a tent. Good footing, not much risk of catching a rock or a root if you have to leave tent in the middle of the night.
Canoe Landing: Remember that big slab of rock? Well, that’s pretty much your landing. There’s lots of space to pull up sideways. Less ideal if you prefer to ram your bow up on shore, but you really shouldn’t have to do that here. Not much in the way of underwater obstacles on the approach either.
Fire Pit: This is a nice, if basic fire pit. There are a couple of log benches around it and a nice plywood table someone has put nearby for food prep. There isn’t much of a view from the pit as the site is fairly enclosed.
Swimability: Very swimmable. You can wade out nicely along the rock bottom and the water feels great after a few hours paddling up Maple Creek. There are a few random rocks further from shore that you can find to stand on with the water exactly at chin level if you happen to be 5’10 to 5’10 1/2.
Thunderbox: Not that far away from the site, and not exactly hidden either. It faces away from the site, which is good, because otherwise you could have a pretty easy conversation with your buddies who are hanging out but the fire.
Tent Sites: Two very nice sites and a third that would do in a pinch.
Accessories: A couple of basic log benches and one very useful plywood table. Apart from that, not much,
Views: Really nice sunset view from the swim rocks. Not much view in other directions. The site is back in the middle of the island and there is pretty heavy tree growth on all sides.
Notes: One other nice surprise about this site, the bugs weren’t bad. I had worried that we might get swarmed, but they were barely noticeable on a trip where they were absolutely terrible along the portages.
Related Trip Report: Return to Kiosk (pt. 1) – Bright Days, Big Bugs, Biggar Lake
Back to Campsite Reports