Site Details
Closest Access Point: Sec Lake (access # 20)
Distance to Access Point: About 100 steps.
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: See above (easy).
Maintenance Level: Regular
Date Visited: November, 2022
This site is a very short walk to the west of the access point. It’s along the path that leads to both Norm and Wet Lakes, and it’s probably easier to just unload your vehicle and hoof the gear over rather than load up the canoe, paddle for 10 seconds and then unload. As far as sites go, it’s actually a decent spot. If this site were a true backcountry spot, it wouldn’t be half bad. However, the proximity to both the access point and the parking lot makes for a less than ideal situation if you’re looking for some solitude.
Terrain: This is a very flat site set at the tip of a small point. The ground is mostly free of obstacles and the site is dotted with tall, skinny … trees. Let’s say pine. There’s a lot of pine needles on the ground, so that seems reasonable (Man, I need to brush up on my Trees of Algonquin guidebook).
Canoe Landing: There’s a sharpish rise up from the water to the site. As a result, the takeout is a bit uneven. That’s probably less of a problem than it normally would be, as you won’t need to worry about loading and unloading all your gear.
Fire Pit: The fire pit is centrally located, with a nice view out to Sec. When I was there, it was this jumble of rocks you see above. My guess is that this one gets made and remade a ton, as I would imagine this spot is used throughout the year by campers and day trippers alike.
Tent Sites: The ground is flat and a bit rocky. You could fit a couple of tents here, at least.
Thunderbox & Accessories: I didn’t take a picture of it, but there’s an outhouse along the trail that runs behind the site. I would imagine that’s the site’s privy. I’m not going to lie, heavily trafficked access point outhouses aren’t my thing. This one was no exception.
View: Nice view south and west (ish) across Sec. The site is dotted with trees, but not to the extent that it really hampers visibility. You’ve got mostly clear to semi-obstructed sightlines to the water and back to the access point.
Notes: This is a good access point campsite. That’s about the best I can say for it. I wouldn’t pick it for a multi-day stay, but it would be good for a late or early season trip where you want to get back in the tent but also want easy access to your vehicle if the weather gets terrible.
Related Trip Report: Sec Lake Exploratory