Site Details
Closest Access Point: Shall Lake (#17)
Distance to Access Point: 6 KM (half a day at most)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date Visited: August, 2023
Related Trip Report: Shirley Lake Basecamp
Map courtesy of Maps by Jeff
This is the first site you pass by when you come out of the Shirley Lake portage. It’s a decent spot, although the shoreline in front is a bit weedy for my taste. There’s a small climb from the water up to the site proper, but when you get there the site itself is very flat, with a fair bit of useable space.
While the site is on a small point, it doesn’t really feel like it. The growth along the borders of the site and shoreline is fairly thick, so it feels pretty enclosed. That’s good and bad, I suppose. I imagine there’s a fair bit of traffic going by this spot, so it’s nice to have a bit of a privacy wall. At the same time, I love a good view of the water and for the most part the view to Ryan is at best semi-obstructed.
The site has plenty of room for tents, and the ground is nice and level. The fire pit is centrally located, with an okay view out to Ryan. My biggest complaint would be the swimming options. I don’t love wading through weeds. That said, there’s a cool island just offshore that looks like it would be a good swimming base.
Are there better sites nearby? Ryan has a bunch of sites to pick from. This isn’t a bad spot, but it probably wouldn’t be my first choice. I liked the look of the island site (site 11), although there were people on it when I went through so I couldn’t check it out. I was also a fan of Site 9.
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