Closest Access Point: Rain Lake (Access Point #4)
Distance To Access Point: 4 KM (1 hour)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date of Visit: June, 2019
I didn’t love this site. It feels more like a last resort type of spot than it does a place I’d actually want to spend a night. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible, but it’s not that great, either. It’d do if you just wanted a place to stop for the night, but if you’re looking for somewhere to spend a bit more time, I’d look elsewhere.
Terrain: The site itself is flat and clear. It’s relatively enclosed by trees and pretty well shaded. There’s a bank down to the shoreline, but it’s not too steep or difficult to navigate.
Canoe Landing: Not the greatest. At the eastern edge of the site there’s a spot to pull your canoe up hidden behind a large boulder. It’s not a bad place to wedge your boat in, but it could be a pain to load/unload from if you don’t want to get wet. Fortunately there’s a flat ledge of rock very close by that can also be used. Further west there are a couple of spots you could use as well. The underwater topography includes some rocks, so take care as you approach.
Fire Pit: Pretty good. I mean, it’s just a circle of rocks in the middle of a clearing, but it gets the job done.
Swimability: You can slip in in a couple of spots, but this wouldn’t be my first choice as a place to swim. I don’t love river swimming to begin with, and it was pretty shaded from what I recall, so air drying might not be that fun.
Tent Sites: This is a wide, flat site with lots of room for tents. There’s even a secret, personal tent spot hidden behind a nearby tree.
Thunderbox: Another brand new box. The Park must have gone through Rain Lake recently and replaced all the thunderboxes. This one is at the end of a short path that’s marked by a handy yellow washroom marker. The only thing I wonder about is that a part of the Western Uplands Backpacking Trail goes past here. How far away is it? Are you going to have someone wondering by while you’re communing with nature? These are important questions that I don’t have the answer to.
Accessories: One solid fireside bench with, for some reason, two long branches sticking up from either end. A second log that I suppose would be classified as a bench but is really just a fire adjacent log. That’s about it.
Views: Obstructed. Trees grow all along the shoreline. It’s not completely enclosed, there’s a space between the lowest branches and the ground where you can see the water, but it’s not great either.
Notes: I didn’t love this site. You could definitely stay here in a pinch, but otherwise you probably want to look somewhere else.
Related Trip Report: Islet in the Sun
Back to Campsite Reports