On our last trip we saw both the best and worst campsites we have ever seen anywhere (let alone in the BWCA).

Here are our votes:

Worst: The middle site on the north shore of Peter Lake is horrible. There is nothing...I mean NOTHING there. The fire has wiped out every single tree. There aren't even two dead trees to hang a tarp from. This was truly just a fire grate on a rock. It really made us wonder where the privy was. Even on the busiest day of the year this site is not going to be used for a couple of decades.

Best: The Tuscarora campsite on the point just to the south of the Missing Link portage. The campsite is HUGE. There are 4 beautiful tent pads: 1 on the rocky point, 2 in the woods just off the point, and one grassy spot on the way to the privy. The rocky ledge for the landing has a nice gradual slope that makes it great for loading, unloading, or even swimming. Not only is the rock landing nice but there is another nice ledge just to the north that is attached to the site via trails. There are a hundred different places to sit on the rocks to enjoy the view. The rocky point is windy which keeps the bugs at bay but the tent pads within the tree line are completely protected from the wind. There are trails headed in every direction which would give younger campers chances to explore. The only downside is the lack of firewood (which explains all the trails).

We haven't been to a lot of different campsites so we are interested to hear what else the BWCAW has to offer in the way of great sites...but I still think our worst is going to be hard to beat.

The sight on Misquah is not the best when I was there several years ago, small and very weedy from under use , some what set back with no view of the water, small thin landing, one small log on the ground constituted the seating area around the fire grate. however I was glad to get the site as Vista and Horseshoe were full. Saw another site that hadn't been used in a long time on Calico/Barter lake, near Jenny Lake, the sight had a large tree fall, from '99 blowdown?, right throught the middle of it, the fire grate was orange with rust and the grass was 2 feet high. tom

Tough one to call Rob. One mans Club Med is another mans Nazi concentration camp. I prefer the tall pine's and hilly surrounding's over the flat scrub brush areas but will settle and be happy with anything if I don't have the luxury of choice.

Malberg Narrows! Also.....Herritage lake. On a point in the pines, north side in middle of lake. Totally awesome. A bit of work to get to. Fishing not so good here, but solitude makes up for it!

Welcome to the board "seamsealer!" Your username sure made me smile. :+]

The furthest north east site on stuart lake is not a nice site at all. We were forced to stay here because of high winds, and almost capsizing while trying to paddle through them. I'll be honest, I know you shouldn't make changes to a site, but we simply had to. The firegrate was dangerously placed close to a rock ledge that was extremely slippery when wet at all, so we moved/rebuilt it in a safer location. I also pushed over a dead tree that could have easily fallen on one of the tent pads and cleared out the pad area because it was nearly overgrown. The latrine was hard to find here, and the canoe landing was difficult to manage as well.

I've been to plenty of great sites in the bwca as well, and I have marked my favorites on the online map and reviewed them but I don't think i'll mention them here on the boards. Too easy.

I wish you had a picture of the bad site. And you should have found the latrine...maybe the trail was really long or over large rocks and up a big hill...that would have cemented it's horrible status. ;-)

Worst site I've encountered was on Virgin lake.

Horrible canoe landing, absolutely no where to set a tent, no remaining trees, no log seating, and the firegrate was in sorry shape.

Nicky Lake (Wagosh is a close second) has the worst I've seen.
The center campsite on Cummings is the best.

How about worst sites not ruined by a bad fire?

NW corner of Tuscarora has a site with one tent pad, no real landing.

N end of Thunder Lake (near Fourtown) has a site with really no tent pads, no landing, tall grass.

Most of the really BAD sites were established back in the '80s when the FS was closing sites that were getting worn out (that is, great sites). They would relocate the site to the closest spot that would "work" so that the map was still fairly accurate. Some of those relocation sites were /are miserable and will never get used much.

The FS realized that if they closed every worn site they could use up the whole available shoreline. So they quit relocating them.

And I have to agree with BearBrown...keep the great sites to yourself, and let other people find them on their own, as we did.

There are LOTS of sites with only one tent pad, and in our case where there are just the two of us with a small tent, sometimes they become our favorites. So one that you might reject for a larger group might be perfect for a tandem pair or a solo.

I am having trouble thinking of a bad site. I can think of some that I liked less than others, especially if they had really difficult biffy trails (in the past few years my mobility ain't what it used to be, unfortunately), but if it has trees, a fire grate, a latrine, and somewhere to pitch a tent, I like it. :-)

And as others have stated, I am not going to share information about my favorites. Recently I posted on the trip planning forum about one that I thought was five-star and I was quickly told that I don't know much. . .so I have decided that this is a very subjective area and I'll let others decide. I'm going to keep my "best" to myself.

Would agree with tom m on Misquah Lake. We stopped for lunch and could not find a suitable tent pad anywhere. It was a very poor site. Only one on the lake.



Another one at the start of Banadad Lake. Small, cramped and no real canoe landing. Campsite #579 on our maps.

Now I have a discussion going on with Bow Partner on what have been the best, will be back to you.
Boppa

I've not stayed in a burn. Wouldn't do it unless it was an emergency. I have stayed at sites with no shade, bad bugs, a horrible landing, even no fish in the lake. I remember one that had no real decent place to put a tent. We slept on rocks and roots. I'm also not fond of deadfall, and that seems to be a problem with most of BWCA. You can't hardly get into the woods at all. It would be nice to be able to hunt mushrooms or look for bedded ungulates from time to time. I found a real nice campsite on a narrows during my last trip. Good shade and a beach close by. I'll keep it to myself for now - sorry. I will say that the campsite on the narrows between North and South lakes is pretty nice, with a real nice tent pad. However, the incessant float plane noise is pretty annoying - a deal breaker for me.

An old thread on the subject of best campsites

A few narly ones run across over the years.

1. Very south site in Oyster. Very closed in and buggy, small, roach motel. Nice beach though. Close to portage. Worked for over night.

2. Lake Lacroix - 23/22 island area - to the northwest a quarter mile or so from the top end of the channel leading down to Lady Boot Bay. Overgrown and never stayed at. No trees out front. fair amount of granite. Nice secluded area. Has potential if someone house cleaned for a few days.
(sidebar) Just stopped to check it out and found what we found. Decided to cast a few. Two, three casts and we both latched on to smallies right from the site, not real big but descent. One was maimed and splashed ocassionally for a few minutes about ten feet off shore. THEN...BAMMM! a musky or northern came and bit him in half.
I got scared and we left.

3. Lac Lacroix - in bay on south side of Coleman island to the northwest of Fishstake narrows. No trees, not much granite. not camped at. In my opinion, it would've been like camping in the desert...with water next to it.

Neat one never stayed at: On island just east of #2. Looking south down channel. Awesome views. Camp site is high and quite a climb (why we didn't stay) Secluded, fair docking, cozy - probably difficult for more than 4. Had been used but not abused. Some trees, but open.

Sorry I went on.

quote JoeWilderness: "Welcome to the board "seamsealer!" Your username sure made me smile. :+]"

I stayed on the campsite on the NE bay of Kekakabic this spring during memorial weekend. I would agree it would probably have been beautiful... if the wind wasn't blowing a steady 20 knots, fortunately that campsite has a secondary campsite back in the woods that we were able to hole up in for a couple of days while the front blew itself out. Some of the most treacherous paddling of my life to get there.

Another favorite is the island campsite before the big lake narrows on Cummings... everything you want... a rock table, nice view, tall pines, shade, lots of places to sit, plenty of tent sites and a protected landing. If only the lake had walleye it'd be perfect.

I started hammocking mostly because of all the terrible tent pads I've encountered. Now I just need two trees far enough apart.

quote TuscaroraBorealis: "Worst site I've encountered was on Virgin lake.


Horrible canoe landing, absolutely no where to set a tent, no remaining trees, no log seating, and the firegrate was in sorry shape. "

You know it's bad when no one has used it for so long, moss has grown under the fire grate...

As I've mentioned, I pretty much go to the same place most of the time, but in one of my ventures over on Ely side, I was particularly impressed with a few different campsites on our crooked lake loop.

I liked the one below basswood falls (1548??). Mostly for it's location next to the falls.

I thought the one on the NE corner of gun was cute (1083) The fire pit is isolated on it's own little peninsula that juts out into the lake (I guess all peninsula's do, lol). The tent pads were back in the pine trees. I just liked the fire pit, and there was a moose in the bay to the south of camp in the morning.

We also enjoyed 1107 on Fourtown. It was a very large campsite, with smooth rocky surface next to the water, and pine trees and grassy knolls for tents back away from the water. You could fish and swim right off camp, which I enjoy, the only drawback might be the hike to the latrine. Don't get giardia. Feel like you need a day pack on the way back.

I don't go to new areas very often, but when I do, I find site selection to be half the fun (provided the weather is decent, and not pouring down rain, or the wind blowing real hard). There are lots of beautiful campsites all over the boundary waters. Seeking them out and discovering them on your own is part of the thrill of going to the boundary waters.

This site is nice, but I'm not sure I'd want to watch a video of a pending trip ahead of time, if there were one. It would take some of the fun out of the adventure.

Worst would be Clark Lake, best in B Dub would be a couple on Crooked and in the Q the 5 star on Brent

quote Rob Johnson: "On our last trip we saw both the best and worst campsites we have ever seen anywhere (let alone in the BWCA).

."

Worst: Campsite at narrows on Malberg:
Trash everywhere-ick
Also a campsite on Alice where someone left a used dirty diaper
Also a campsite on the Louse river which I rated an F
There was no actual level spot to place a tent.
They musta thot folks like sleeping on rocks when they built that one!
Also: the island on Kelso river where someone illegally camped, started a wildfire, and left dirty TP everywhere.


Best? I keep those secret!

Any sites in which portages go right through are generally ones I try to avoid at all costs. The one site on Deer Lake is probably the worst. There are sites on Rat/Rose and Clove lakes that also come to mind. I also sleep in hammocks predominantly and the first thing I look for are "hammock trees",not tent pads. It allows me to camp just about anywhere, regardless of tent pad condition.

Welcome to the board MNIIHON !!!

quote TuscaroraBorealis: "Worst site I've encountered was on Virgin lake.


Horrible canoe landing, absolutely no where to set a tent, no remaining trees, no log seating, and the firegrate was in sorry shape. "

I still stand by this comment. But, I will add, the lone site on Trygg lake also leaves alot to be desired.



Trygg lake campsite #98

Worst- the far west site off Isabella on the Pow Wow trail. Nothing for tent pads, closed in, no view of anything. We checked it out as there was nothing open but decided to bide our time and see if something else opened up. It did, and it was a great beach site just east of the entry point.

like other posters i'm not giving away the good ones only to say they are out of the way and over several carries.
the worse bunch i saw this year were around the Fish Stake Narrows.
over used and right in the traffic.one camp had a heavy Lexan table with a moose skull on it!!
i did however find one near the narrows that i was in back in the 80's and used as a fall back this year.at first the only tent spot was the same old one on a grassy spot where a huge pine stood in the 80's.
the tree is a downed log now and the fire place and the rest is in the wide open.good for a nice day but in the wind and rain you would really stuck because the rest of the site is tight with trees and brush.
however while i was walking around taking photos of the sunset i found just thru some light brush and in the woods a open spot that could of had the dead limbs pulled away and it would be a fine spot for a good size tent.what clinched it a rock table maybe 6 inches off the ground and about 1x4 feet and well grown over.this was the "real" tenting spot overlook for many years.
so if you find a camp that is not wonderful walk around a bit you might find the "real" tenting area.also there is a camp on Agnes in the Q that is like that just north of the falls.at first it looks like the area around the fire is the only tent spot and i did pitch there one year.back with my Wife a few years later i elbowed thru the brush by the shore on what i thought was a fisherman's path to a casting spot and found a fine tenting patch that looked like it had been there for many years....so look around..

quote Boppa: "Would agree with tom m on Misquah Lake. We stopped for lunch and could not find a suitable tent pad anywhere. It was a very poor site. Only one on the lake.





Another one at the start of Banadad Lake. Small, cramped and no real canoe landing. Campsite #579 on our maps.


Now I have a discussion going on with Bow Partner on what have been the best, will be back to you.
Boppa "

I have to disagree with you and TomM on your comments about the Misquah site. The site was perfectly fine for my son and I. We pitched our tent over a rock and that gave me something to lean against. Great night sleep.

I like closed sites (protection from wind) and lots of weeds from under use (it beats trampled bare earth). I found no problem landing our canoe (I don't need a dock for a landing) and what made the site sweet........ it was vacant and we were only passing through.

the campsite at keneu lake is 5 star. sig olson liked this site, so do i. this is a dead end route (not counting several 5 star portages), if the site is occupied it is a return trip. this adds stress, i avoid it now.

The campsite on the West side of Dent Lake...
The only way you will hear no one complain about it, is if you camp there solo....but you'll have to hold your own tongue.

It's just a fire grate, in the middle of thick, exposed, brush.

We checked out a campsight once and it was completely covered in huge red ants, every where! The ground looked like it was moving, so we contuned on

Allen right before the Jump portage is pretty bad.

This one circled on Grace Lake is a real pooper of a site. No tent pads and just bizarrely laid out.

there are a lot of places that should not even have a camp site made but there is this need to get a place for people to stay.the ones that are good get beat over the years and the others overgrown and unused.
at other sites i post at and mention my canoeing hobby i tell people that anyplace that dry,free of rocks and has the space to lay down in has had someone camp in it over the last 1000 plus years.that's how bad the ground is in canoe country.

quote TuscaroraBorealis: "

quote TuscaroraBorealis: "Worst site I've encountered was on Virgin lake.



Horrible canoe landing, absolutely no where to set a tent, no remaining trees, no log seating, and the firegrate was in sorry shape. "

I still stand by this comment. But, I will add, the lone site on Trygg lake also leaves alot to be desired.





Trygg lake campsite #98 "

unique place for a fire grate on trygg but i do like the little fishing pier. and the slant on that fire grate on virgin is never a good thing. and like nojobro said about the moss that is 1 lonely campsite. thanks for the pics TB.

quote Canoearoo: "We checked out a campsight once and it was completely covered in huge red ants, every where! The ground looked like it was moving, so we contuned on "

Are you talking about the southern most site on Cherokee. Stopped there in 2008. It had 3 or 4 ant hills in camp and ants everywhere. I moved on.

Could not even find the middle site on Partridge Lake. And I looked for it,

A bad campsite in the BW is better than my office chair any day.

quote Corsair: "A bad campsite in the BW is better than my office chair any day.
"

I love that quote! I agree that most campsites are either favorites or duds depending on its condition when you arrive. If trash is lying around, the blame lies with the previous campers rather than the site itself, but it does give a bad first impression. Campsites have changed in the last decade with the blowdown and fires, especially when it comes to hanging trees. Food barrels are a good choice out there these days. One of the most important features I try to consider when evaluating sites is the number of tent pads. A large group has different needs than a solo canoeist. During the height of canoeing season it's probably a good idea to save those larger sites for larger groups.

quote TuscaroraBorealis: "Worst site I've encountered was on Virgin lake.


Horrible canoe landing, absolutely no where to set a tent, no remaining trees, no log seating, and the firegrate was in sorry shape. "

Looks like the virgin done got violated.

Only because it is sentimental to me.

NW. end of Thomas.

I stayed at a few sites on my last trip. But Boulder lake was my favorite... until the Bickersons moved in.

The worst was a site on Duncan Lake. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad it was there. But the tent pad was challenging and the path to the facilities was very steep. There was spots in the campsite you had to watch how you stepped. And the landing was marginal.

Also Little Beartrack wasn't the greatest either.

Most sites were pretty good. West of Fish Stake Narrows about an hour or so (when bucking a wind) had a site with landings on two sides... I was pretty well protected. But boy was it cold! :) Then the island on Finger Lake was fun cause I met the captain of the Black Peril... Also a good site. Loon Lake has a few good ones... You appreciate the lack of motor boats on other lakes when you stay on the motor boat lakes.

nctry..did the two landings one west of the fish stake have a burned out area? if so i was in that one last august.the story is someone moved the fire place next to a stump and burned the entire point down!
i have see that site get some real beatings over the years,the tent pad one year had deep trenches all over the place and the fire place full of junk..i wonder why they left a big philips head screw drive behind?
i know the one your talking about on little beartrack.that was the year i did the "portage too far" and ended up beat and in a beat up camp on steep.the one at the north end of beartrack is not so great because it's on a rock sheet but at least the FS cut away the half downed tree in the middle of it.

quote wetcanoedog: "nctry..did the two landings one west of the fish stake have a burned out area? if so i was in that one last august.the story is someone moved the fire place next to a stump and burned the entire point down!
i have see that site get some real beatings over the years,the tent pad one year had deep trenches all over the place and the fire place full of junk..i wonder why they left a big philips head screw drive behind?
i know the one your talking about on little beartrack.that was the year i did the "portage too far" and ended up beat and in a beat up camp on steep.the one at the north end of beartrack is not so great because it's on a rock sheet but at least the FS cut away the half downed tree in the middle of it."

I think we're talking the same campsite west of Fishstake Narrows alright...














I think the third picture is the burned area. Hard to see as a thumbnail. There was a path from the firegrate area that eventually went up a hill. Also a pile of cans in a pile right there. Also note the water level is down a bunch.

quote TuscaroraBorealis: "Worst site I've encountered was on Virgin lake.


Horrible canoe landing, absolutely no where to set a tent, no remaining trees, no log seating, and the firegrate was in sorry shape. "

And alas no virgins to be found anywhere .

I like even the little-used sites, for their flavor if not always comfort... Have even liked a site that was burned a few years back, though those sites are pretty hot, for lack of shade (didn't hurt that the lake had super smallie fishin'). I will take a site with
somewhat tough landing situation, if it offers up a good view...
Feels weird (if solo or two paddlers) to use those big-clearing sites that look open enough for a rock concert (wandered down to one of those on Hustler, while hiking SHtrail; wandered right back up from it).

Have been to many good sites and would be hard to pick just one.

The worst site I have seen, at least recently was at the very north east end of Sawbill, It is where the small creek from Smoke lake enters sawbill lake. We could here the skeeters 50 yards from shore, very overgrown, swampy and facing south, no chance of wind to drive off skeeters. Think we would paddle back to campground before ever staying there.

IMO there are no worst campsites in all of the bdub. I have been in many that were not as nice as others but all, in their own way, have had something wonderful about them. Yes, there are many "Best" campsites and two of my favs are these...The western site on Ahsub Lake and one of my most recents sites, the campsite on the big island on Shell Lake, the site on the south tip of the island. There are three on this island. The north site is nice as well.
Yes, some sites sucked compared to others but I'd never chalk any up to being the worst.

Big Moose Lake , one of my favorites

quote walllee: " Big Moose Lake , one of my favorites"

Not sure if it's the same site???? But, I really liked the convenient (for seating) rock ledge near the fire grate. Of course the view isn't too shabby either? :)

quote fitgers1: "IMO there are no worst campsites in all of the bdub. I have been in many that were not as nice as others but all, in their own way, have had something wonderful about them. Yes, there are many "Best" campsites and two of my favs are these...The western site on Ahsub Lake and one of my most recents sites, the campsite on the big island on Shell Lake, the site on the south tip of the island. There are three on this island. The north site is nice as well.
Yes, some sites sucked compared to others but I'd never chalk any up to being the worst."

Worse doesn't have to mean bad. There are worse sites than others, like you say, just not as good as others. I'll take the worse site in the BW over a KOA site anyday. :) But saying there is no worse site could only mean they are all equal... IMO. :)

I stayed I think on the other site on Ahsub. I liked the grassy area to pitch a tent... it made for a clean tent to pack the next day.

if quetico is allowed, best i have ever seen. look at this point on sturgeon. beach on both sides, wide ground shore to shore, completely level everywhere. could hold 75 tents easily, maybe 100...and there i was alone, with a tiny solo tent.

Old picture of one of my favorite campsites on Tin Can Mike. Open airy location to keep away the bugs, huge raspberry spots close by,great night shore fishing location for Smallies and walleyes, and just a short distance away is a great gorgeous baby making overlook spot.

quote kanoes: "if quetico is allowed, best i have ever seen. look at this point on sturgeon. beach on both sides, wide ground shore to shore, completely level everywhere. could hold 75 tents easily, maybe 100...and there i was alone, with a tiny solo tent.


"

Heavy Canoe & I took our kids to a canoe access lake like that in Wisconsin as a warm up for the Bdub. We were wondering if a site like that existed. THANKS KANOES...we now have a goal!

quote kanoes: "if quetico is allowed, best i have ever seen. look at this point on sturgeon. beach on both sides, wide ground shore to shore, completely level everywhere. could hold 75 tents easily, maybe 100...and there i was alone, with a tiny solo tent.


"

Wow that beach shot looks like Gilligans island.

quote nctry: "

quote fitgers1: "IMO there are no worst campsites in all of the bdub. I have been in many that were not as nice as others but all, in their own way, have had something wonderful about them. Yes, there are many "Best" campsites and two of my favs are these...The western site on Ahsub Lake and one of my most recents sites, the campsite on the big island on Shell Lake, the site on the south tip of the island. There are three on this island. The north site is nice as well.
Yes, some sites sucked compared to others but I'd never chalk any up to being the worst."

Worse doesn't have to mean bad. There are worse sites than others, like you say, just not as good as others. I'll take the worse site in the BW over a KOA site anyday. :) But saying there is no worse site could only mean they are all equal... IMO. :)


I stayed I think on the other site on Ahsub. I liked the grassy area to pitch a tent... it made for a clean tent to pack the next day."

How about if we say Not As Good then?

quote Basspro69: " Old picture of one of my favorite campsites on Tin Can Mike. Open airy location to keep away the bugs, huge raspberry spots close by,great night shore fishing location for Smallies and walleyes, and just a short distance away is a great gorgeous baby making overlook spot."

WOW-- that is an OLD pic. The Los Angleles Raiders!!!

Sometimes it depends on the weather. I wouldn't want a treeless site in mid-summer, but on some cold days the sun is welcome. I guess open breezy sites are nice in bug season, but maybe not so nice on a cold windy Oct day. On my last trip I stayed at a campsite on Allen that one person had rated as a 1-star, but it worked just fine for me. I'd give it an average rating. BUT...if it had been wet weather instead, it might not have been as nice. I pitched my tent in a low area with moss-covered ground. I did bypass the eastern site on Kiskadinna though ;). But I could have made it work if necessary.

quote rtallent: "I like even the little-used sites, for their flavor if not always comfort... Have even liked a site that was burned a few years back, though those sites are pretty hot, for lack of shade (didn't hurt that the lake had super smallie fishin'). I will take a site with
somewhat tough landing situation, if it offers up a good view...
Feels weird (if solo or two paddlers) to use those big-clearing sites that look open enough for a rock concert (wandered down to one of those on Hustler, while hiking SHtrail; wandered right back up from it)."

You're not the only one who sometimes feels weird in a great big site when solo.

I also happen to like the really elevated sites that some people don't like to carry everything up to - I'd pick one of those over one right down low on the water even if the landing is hard. Epecially if it has a nice grassy spot for my tent rather than hard-packed, bare dirt.

quote fitgers1: "

quote nctry: "

quote fitgers1: "IMO there are no worst campsites in all of the bdub. I have been in many that were not as nice as others but all, in their own way, have had something wonderful about them. Yes, there are many "Best" campsites and two of my favs are these...The western site on Ahsub Lake and one of my most recents sites, the campsite on the big island on Shell Lake, the site on the south tip of the island. There are three on this island. The north site is nice as well.
Yes, some sites sucked compared to others but I'd never chalk any up to being the worst."

Worse doesn't have to mean bad. There are worse sites than others, like you say, just not as good as others. I'll take the worse site in the BW over a KOA site anyday. :) But saying there is no worse site could only mean they are all equal... IMO. :)



I stayed I think on the other site on Ahsub. I liked the grassy area to pitch a tent... it made for a clean tent to pack the next day."

How about if we say Not As Good then? "

OK :)

This was my not as good campsite of my 40 day trip. Sorry for the mess. :) Like Jeff says, none of them are not that bad in themselves. Some, like this one on duncan wouldn't be good for any kind of group. It was small... But it also was available for one tired paddler who was thankful to have a spot to lay his head for the night.

super pics arceneaux. the site next to the rock cliff is something else what a view, and nice looking lab.

We stayed at a site in the South Arm of Knife that had had a burn several years before. There were a few trees for shade that were spared near the tent pads. It was actually a good site, with almost unlimited readily available firewood nearby, but one that would be rejected by some out of hand. I really liked the lush grass and feel that not every square inch in the site was contaminated by human activity.

quote tom m: "The sight on Misquah is not the best when I was there several years ago, small and very weedy from under use , some what set back with no view of the water, small thin landing, one small log on the ground constituted the seating area around the fire grate. however I was glad to get the site as Vista and Horseshoe were full. Saw another site that hadn't been used in a long time on Calico/Barter lake, near Jenny Lake, the sight had a large tree fall, from '99 blowdown?, right throught the middle of it, the fire grate was orange with rust and the grass was 2 feet high. tom"

When I was in the Boy Scouts we took the wrong portage out of Jenny Lake and ended up having lunch at that campsite between Calico/Barter. I remember there being a large beaver dam between the lakes that we had to get our canoes over in order to get into Barter Lake. This was in '84 and I recall both the campsite and the portage into Calico were in rough shape.

bump

Banadad island site #580 makes my worst list.

More campsite information here.

TuscaroraBorealis: "

quote TuscaroraBorealis: "Worst site I've encountered was on Virgin lake.



Horrible canoe landing, absolutely no where to set a tent, no remaining trees, no log seating, and the firegrate was in sorry shape. "

I still stand by this comment. But, I will add, the lone site on Trygg lake also leaves alot to be desired.





Trygg lake campsite #98 "

I agree that the site on Trygg was pretty pitiful. This photo is from 2014. The tent area is down to the left (not visible in photo) and was under a bit of water.

Best and worse are very subjective dependent upon group size, young kids, and base camping vs traveling thru. Stopped at one during a rain shower on Ensign and it literally had a stream running thru the only adequate tent pad, also on Ensign one that was back in a swampy corner where the mosquitoes were so bad they were biting each other. The Kawishiwi triangle area seems to be notorious for having fewer large group sites. The best site I have found for kids would be the whale island site on Basswood, tons of room to explore without getting lost, and a sandy/sunny lagoon that a toddler could spend days splashing around in, but then there's the sandy sites on Insula, the old pines at the narrows to lake Four, the............

I used to think rating sites was a positive, now separating the wheat from the chaff is half the journey.

I think one of the least desirable I've seen (didn't stay there) is the one on Trapline Lake. I'm not that particular when I'm solo, especially if the weather's not bad, and have stayed at some that others would rate very low, and been happy enough with them. Obviously, there's a certain amount of subjectivity in ratings, as well as a number of variables that could influence it at any given time for any given rater.

since my last post on this thread in 2012 came across this one in 2013. wish i would have taken some pics , cant imagine any worse in the BWCA , the best i've stayed at ,,,, here's a couple of pics. jasper #800

A few favorites (not necessarily all 5*)...





Canoe Lake site 701.
Crab Lake site 312.
Crab Lake site 314.







Unmarked site on Eskwagama Lake.
Gogebic Lake site 582.
Kawishiwi river 1129.







Kawishiwi river 1141.
Gabimichigami Lake site 806.
The Little Crab Lake campsite







Little Saganaga Lake site 531.
Frost Lake site 879.
Long Island Lake site 569.

^^ TB quit moving my furniture around ;)

There's one on the east end of Lake One at the base of a rapids where the hike to the throne might be somewhat harder than just paddling back to the EP and using the one in the parking lot.

shock: "^^ TB quit moving my furniture around ;) "

I've seen many different 'arrangements' up there at that site. Those rocks are really conducive to fostering creativity.

kanoes: "if quetico is allowed, best i have ever seen. look at this point on sturgeon. beach on both sides, wide ground shore to shore, completely level everywhere. could hold 75 tents easily, maybe 100...and there i was alone, with a tiny solo tent.


"

Been There! 1979
Dream of returning

CC

kanoes: "if quetico is allowed, best i have ever seen. look at this point on sturgeon. beach on both sides, wide ground shore to shore, completely level everywhere. could hold 75 tents easily, maybe 100...and there i was alone, with a tiny solo tent.


"

I am pretty sure Jan is there now and has 100 new and old friends camped there with him.

It's been mentioned here already, but the northeast site on Frost. I don't get much vacation, but when I do, I drive north for 18 hours and go there.

Last year my brother and I got to Frost and it was taken . I spent a day and a half watching from the west shore. When the canoe left, I told my brother to leave the chopped wood and collapse the tent and throw it in the canoe, we're moving.

To the OP from 2011, we stopped at that site on Peter to cook a lunch o’laker the week after fishing opener in 2017. Started the fire, and then the bees came out. Initially just a few, but by the time we left they covered everything that had dried sweat on it (for salt?). Our PFDs on shore were covered in bees. No stings during lunch, and not aggressive bees, but would not have been pleasant camping.

adam: "

kanoes: "if quetico is allowed, best i have ever seen. look at this point on sturgeon. beach on both sides, wide ground shore to shore, completely level everywhere. could hold 75 tents easily, maybe 100...and there i was alone, with a tiny solo tent.



"

I am pretty sure Jan is there now and has 100 new and old friends camped there with him.
"

I think you're right on that one Adam. =)

Night and day, on one lake....
Dent Lake has two campsites...

West side is awful
East side is wonderful.... only thing missing, is fish.

One lone campsite on a lake mentioned up near the top of the thread is remembered by me as being a great site so I guess it’s pretty subjective.
Since I’m a solo camper I strongly dislike large campsites. I prefer a small woody site not easily visible by the water.

That said, on the February day, I’d pay good money to be sitting at almost any site in this thread today if it were warm and sunny.

Tom

MNIIHON: "Any sites in which portages go right through are generally ones I try to avoid at all costs. The one site on Deer Lake is probably the worst. There are sites on Rat/Rose and Clove lakes that also come to mind. I also sleep in hammocks predominantly and the first thing I look for are "hammock trees",not tent pads. It allows me to camp just about anywhere, regardless of tent pad condition. "

The Mountain lake site that incorporates the trail to the latrine as part of the portage to Pemmican comes to mind.



More 'worst' campsites