Pen Lake – Site 2

This is a smaller campsite. There’s one level tent pad and a couple others that are oh so gently sloped. The access to the water requires a bit of up and down, and the view from the fire pit is limited, but it all kind of works.

I stayed here in the fall and this was a great site for that time of year. The view of the colours on Pen was spectacular. It’s a south facing site, meaning it got a decent amount of sun which helped warm things up after cooler evenings. The interior of the site is fairly enclosed, which can mean either that it’s protected from the elements or kind of dark depending on your mood. Either way, it’s got some protection from the wind without feeling like you’re trapped.

The site access is a bit tricky. The site is fronted by a large chunk of sloping rock. The canoe landing is similarly rocky, and while there is room to pull up, there are a few underwater rocks that make navigation slightly scratchier. The swimming here was fine, if not spectacular. Those underwater rocks mean you’re going to want to keep an eye on where you’re stepping. But if you get tired of playing stub the toe in front of the site, there’s an awesome beach at the start of the Gem Lake portage, which is a three minute paddle to the east of the site.

The sleeping situation is suited for a small group. There’s one good tent pad, and a couple other reasonable spots as long as you don’t mind sleeping on a slight hill. I took one of those sloped spots, and it was fine, so you can definitely get more than one tent up here if you need to.

The site interior is small, with a central fire pit, a bushcraft counter that is sturdier than it looks and not much else. There are a couple of logs around the fire for sitting, but that’s about it. The Thunderbox is down a short path out the back of the site and is in decent shape. It looks like it’s seen a lot of use though, fair warning.