Closest Access Point: Canoe Lake (Access #5)
Distance To Access Point: 11.5 KM (2-3 hour’s travel)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Medium (Not too far, but Potter’s Creek kinda sucks)
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date of Visit: August, 2021
This is my favourite site on Potter. It’s on a small point jutting south into the middle of the lake. It’s got nice views and a decent amount of room. Definitely my first choice on the lake.
Terrain: This is a bit of an uneven site. There’s a climb up from the water to the site, and it’s a bit of a step up right at the start. The ground is mostly dirt, rock and root. Once you get up from the water it levels out, but not completely. Most of the major areas (fire pit, tent sites etc) are on slightly different elevations from each other.
Canoe Landing: The canoe landing isn’t spectacular. The best spot I found was on the west side of the small point. There’s a place here where you can wedge your boat into the shoreline on top of a low lying rock. There are a couple of underwater rocks here, so keep an eye as you paddle in. Loading/unloading means climbing that short rise a few times.
Fire Pit: Towards the back of the site, near the highest point. It’s well located and nicely built. Because you’re a bit higher here than nearer the water, your view is somewhat obstructed by the trees that grow down along the shoreline. However, you can still see the lake and the trees would likely cut the worst of the wind. The wind that does sneak through would find itself up against the high walls of a very nicely built fire pit.
Swimability: The entry and exit from the water here isn’t the best. You can wade in by the canoe landing, but that area is a bit rocky. The site is also fronted by a nice rock ledge facing south. Despite this being a bit more of a scramble, you can get into the water here as well. This would be my preferred swimming area as it drops off a bit quicker and the underwater terrain, while still rocky, is at least free of the weeds you’ll find around the corner.
Tent Sites: There’s one really good tent pad near the back of the site, and a couple more that are useable if slanted.
Thunderbox: The thunderbox is a bit of a walk out the back of the site. There are a couple of trails back here, and the one that looks the most likely is not the correct one. Or, more accurately, it is not the correct one if you don’t want to wade through a bunch of bristly scrub trees to get to the box. Look for a trail heading northwest just past the fire pit.
Accessories: There’s a nice Y of benches behind the fire pit. It’s kind of a weird setup, one third of the bench system doesn’t actually face the fire, but it would make for a good counter area.
Views: The view south from the rocks that front the site is quite nice. Once you’re on the site, because it’s a bit higher up, you’ve got semi-obstructed views in pretty much every direction. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as the trees also keep the site a bit private, which is good because this site is directly on route between Potter Creek and Brule, as well as for anyone heading east and west to Pathfinder or Ground Hog.
Notes: This is my top site on Potter Lake. That said, Potter Lake is very far down the list of lakes I want to stay on. Frankly, if you can, I’d give the whole Potter/Brule stretch a miss. Tom Thompson and McIntosh, just a bit to the east, are both much nicer.
Related Trip Report: Canoe Lake to Rain Lake
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