Site Details
Closest Access Point: Sec Lake (access # 20)
Distance to Access Point: A few hundred meters.
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy.
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date Visited: November, 2022
Introduction: This is one of three west facing sites on Sec’s westernmost island. It’s a nice spot, flat and open with a decent view and nice swimming. It’s not that far from its neighbours, which would be the biggest drawback I can think of.
Terrain: This is a flat site. The ground is hardpacked soil covered with a layer of pine needles. The only tripping hazards would be the roots sticking up here and there like sea serpents cresting through the dirt (dirt serpents? Is that just a serpent?).
Canoe Landing: The site is fronted by a sandy beach, but for most of the site’s shoreline that beach is mostly underwater. The underwater approach is obstacle-free, but the pull up isn’t quite as easy as as it would be at site 12.
Fire Pit: No one’s winning any fire pit design awards with this one, but it’s a decent pit, nicely situated in the middle of the site.
Tent Sites: This is flat site. There’s plenty of room for tents, at least 2 or 3 decent sized pads.
Swimmability: Re-using this picture because I didn’t take many pictures of the waterfront. This is a good site for swimming. The site is fronted by an underwater beach that goes out for a decent distance.
Thunderbox: As I mentioned in my write up for site 12, my only concern with this thunderbox is that you can see your neighbour’s box from it. The tree coverage on this island is mostly tall, skinny pine making for decent sightlines between the two spots.
Accessories: The site is pretty bare on accessories. There’s a DIY counter between a couple of trees and that’s about it (no benches that I could find, which is unusual for backcountry sites but maybe makes sense on a busy lake like this one where a good looking log might end up in a fire),
Views: This is a west facing site. There are a quite a few tall pines dotted around the site, making for a lightly obstructed view out to the water from the site’s interior.
Notes: I like this site. It’s big, has a nice view and good swimming. It’s facing a quieter part of Sec so it would seem a little more secluded. The only problem would be that it’s relatively near Site 12, and within earshot of site 14.
Related Trip Report: Sec Lake Exploratory