Closest Access Point: Sunday Creek (Access Point #10) (But, also, there’s a closer and easier way to get to Sunday Lake than using this access point, see the notes at the end.)
Distance To Access Point: 4.5 KM (1.5 hours)
Difficulty of Travel From Access Point: Easy/Medium.
Maintenance Level: Low/Regular
Date of Visit: Spring, 2021
This is, in my opinion, the worst of Sunday’s three sites. That doesn’t mean it’s terrible, just that if either of the other two are open I would pick one of those first. The only thing this site has going for it is that it’s got more privacy than the other two. It’s on its own along eastern shore while the other two are smack in the middle of the lake and are a two minute paddle ride away from each other.
Terrain: This is a compact, flat site. The ground cover is mostly dead pine needles and there are quite a few roots sticking up like nature’s trip wires, so watch where you’re walking. The good news is that it’s a fairly open site, so lots of room to move around (which would seem to directly contradict what I just wrote about it being a compact site. Somehow, it’s both).
Canoe Landing: There’s an easy harbour area right beside the campsite sign. You can pull up to the shore either parallel or pull the bow of the canoe up on a nearby flat rock that just pokes out of the water. Very easy to load and unload.
Fire Pit: This is cool. There’s a massive rock near the canoe landing that, when you walk around it, you realize is also the back of the site’s fire pit. This thing would throw off a lot of heat if you got a good blaze going, and the walls are nicely built to support either a grill or anything that needs drying.
Swimability: There isn’t really anything about this site that screams “this is a great spot to swim”, but there isn’t anything that screams “swimming here sucks”. Frankly, no part of the site screams and I take that as a good thing. That flat rock I mentioned a couple of minutes ago would also double as the best entry point for swimming.
Tent Sites: There’s room for at least a couple of tents, if not more. The ground is relatively flat at the most logical tent areas and the trees around the site don’t seem to have too many dead branches or other falling hazards.
Thunderbox: The thunderbox is on the older side, but still looks okay. It’s taken on a nice greenish tint that a) blends in with forest a bit and b) makes me worry about the box’s structural integrity. It’s down a short path from the back of the site and is very easy to follow.
Accessories: Apart from a stand up grill, nothing really.
Views: This is a fairly enclosed site. It’s sheltered on most sides by relatively thick trees. There is a bit of a view past the fire pit rock to the lake beyond, but it’s semi-obstructed at best.
Notes: The closest official access point to Sunday Lake is the Sunday Creek access at the Spruce Bog Trail. It is not, however, the easiest way to get to Sunday Lake. Sunday Road is a logging road that leads out of the Big Pines trail parking lot about two kilometers west of Sunday creek. If you follow that road for a couple of kilometers you’ll come to a set of gates with a big no entry sign. Just before those gates is a P150 that leads from the road down to Sunday Lake. The road widens right around where the portage sign is and you can pull over with some confidence that your vehicle isn’t going to get nailed by a passing logging truck. Full disclosure, I have no idea if using this road is actually within the Park’s rules. You’re not allowed to travel on the Park’s logging roads, that I know for sure. However, I’m not sure if the stretch of road from the Big Pines lot to the gate actually qualifies as a logging road or if it is there to provide easier access to Sunday. Based on the fact that there is a portage there my guess is that the Park expects people to use it as an access, but it’s probably not a bad idea to double check (and if you decide not to double check and get a ticket, don’t blame me).
Related Trip Report: Day Trippin’: Tonakela and Sunday Lake
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