Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Listening Point - General Discussion :: The Search for the Perfect Campsite (and memories of the not so perfect).
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Marten |
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1bogfrog |
What makes the ideal campsite for you (aside from a flat place to pitch a tent at the end of a long day)? Favorite features? Lakes or rivers? Is there a particular one that you try to hit whenever you're in the area or one that has extra special memories for you? Conversely, have you ever been forced to spend the night in one that you just couldn't get out of soon enough? We find that we tend to favor islands. Strangely enough though, my favorite site of all time was a mainland site up on Wine with some beautiful, big pines and unbeatable sunset views. As far as lakes with consistently good sites go, for my money, its very hard to go wrong up on Cherokee. I recall only one site that I wouldn't willingly return to. It was a swampy mess out on Kelly that was utterly devoid of any trees able to accommodate a bear bag. The evening culminated with a treble hook in a knee, and everyone went to bed before dark, feeling mighty stabby! |
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cowdoc |
quote boonie: "1bogfrog- The island site on Adams jumped to the top of my favorites list when we stayed there May 2015. |
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Spartan2 |
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cowdoc |
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cowdoc |
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1bogfrog |
quote boonie: "Last fall I came down into Boulder from the north like you are planning, but came from the west (Cap). I really liked the trip from Boulder to Adams (new to me). I think you will too. Adams is a beautiful lake (one of my favorites), if you have never been there." Thanks to boonie and cowdoc both for the suggestions and thumbs-up on the Boulder loop! Adams will be a first for me this year and I'm looking forward to it. The goal over the last few years has been to incorporate some new area on each trip. I'm betting that we may well have that area to ourselves if we hit it mid-week? |
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BigCurrent |
Spartan2. Those sound like some wonderful campsites and memories. This picture is truly special. I don't know the story behind it, but there is something really special about the moment captured. The light, colors, composition; everything about this photo is wonderful. Looks like a cup of hot coffee on a cool calm morning, my favorite part of BWCA trips. |
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boonie |
quote 1bogfrog: "quote boonie: "Last fall I came down into Boulder from the north like you are planning, but came from the west (Cap). I really liked the trip from Boulder to Adams (new to me). I think you will too. Adams is a beautiful lake (one of my favorites), if you have never been there." Yes, my experience is you'll see few, if any, people once you are a little ways north of Malberg. You may go days without seeing anyone or just a couple. Some really nice lightly-traveled country. When I stayed on Adams, the island site was occupied, although I never saw anyone - just the canoe - so I stayed at the site on top of the hill east of it. It's not suitable for more than a couple people. The landing is sloped granite, slippery, and it's quite a climb, but the view is great. You may want to skim through the relevant parts of my 2014 trip report (Little Sag) and 2016 trip report (Cap-to-Boulder and down through Adams) for some useful information. A quick look through those photo albums (1st and last ones) in the link from the portage thread may be helpful. |
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BlueSkiesWI |
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1bogfrog |
This is a photo taken two years ago of the site that gets my husband's vote for favorite up on Crooked. He's all about the elevation and big rocks to fish off of! I like islands for the sake of easy exploring, and I'm not opposed to a good pair of hammock trees! |
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DrBobDerrig |
dr bob |
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FullGo |
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BigCurrent |
As far as the perfect campsite, it's hard to top the island site on Ima. The only thing it lacks is trees near the firepit to hang a tarp. But the size, tent pads and view make up for that. A close second is the site right below Lower Basswood Falls. |
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Wables |
My most memorable site is on the main peninsula of US Agnes. It was the first site I ever camped at in the BWCA when I was 12. After that trip, my father was disgusted with the number of people, and we started going to the Quetico. (Imagine tackling the Badwater portage in a wet June at 13, 14, and 15!). After college out of state and living out of state for 14 years, I lost touch with canoe country. In 2008 I moved back to MN with my family, partially motivated to spend time with my grandfather in his last years. Unfortunately he passed away after we decided to move, but before we got here. He and my grandma wanted to be laid to rest on LLC, so my first fall back we had a 3 generation trip to burry them on Fish Stake Narrows. Where did we stay? The same site on Agnes! This was also the trip that my cousin, the meal planner, brought no butter or oil, only lard, but that is another story. It is safe to say my wilderness bonfire was lit on this trip. My other memorable site was 5 years after that. I took my first solo trip on a loop through Agnes, up to Fish Stake Narrows, west through Green, Rocky, and Oyster, and back out. I had a strong SSW wind the first day, with a cold front and north winds coming on day 2. I ended up gritting my teeth, playing the wind, and made it to the site on FSN across from where my grandparents are resting. The site was an absolute mess with blown down white pines that had been cleared just enough with a chainsaw to open up a tent pad and the trail to the latrine. I had to hanng my hammock from a broken off tree because everything else was gone. I huddled behind a root ball to cook my venison backstraps to avoid the wind. It was a magical place, as I could feel my grandparents there, and we talked about what they missed over the past years. This may be my most memorable place. Least favorite? Not sure. I've thought about it all day. We have had some times where we have had to "make do". Sometimes we have had a normally OK site with a big group that was tough to deal with. Sometimes a marginal site with 2 of us has been great. Probably my least favorite was a site on the west side of Ninamoose. The site was crappy, weather was crappy, nowhere to hang a tarp, nowhere to hang a hammock, and it was the last night of my first solo...and it was to shallow to fish from shore. |
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OldFingers57 |
Good tent pad area No widowmakers above the tent pad Good trees for tarp set up Some place without too many mosquitos |
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1bogfrog |
quote BigCurrent: "Elmwood, WI? I have a lot of family there. Great little town. " Yes indeed! We've got it all: three churches, three bars and a feed mill ;) Been here twelve years now and wouldn't trade any of them! I admit with no embarrassment that having two trout streams in town was the clincher in deciding to move here. Everyone's responses are making clear to me that it is time to extend my travels into the western portion of the BW. I've been a life-long east side girl. Time to branch out! |
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SevenofNine |
Peninsula site Elevated sites are nice as I like the view down the lake Fire grate in a good location Lots of open area to walk around the site Flat tent pads Trees to shelter me from the sun/wind Numerous views like East & West or North and South. Easy canoe landing :-) |
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schweady |
Lately, I covet the ones with an expanse of flat or gently sloping rock near shore free from obstructions of an open look at the full night sky. |
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Spartan2 |
quote BigCurrent: " I told the story in my post. It was the last day of our 22-day "trip of a lifetime", on the only even slightly warm morning that we had on the entire trip. A very special time, as you said. It is one of my favorite photos of all time. |
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Spartan2 |
I just posted the photo of that site in the February photo contest, so I won't post it here. And if you want to read about that trip (not very challenging at all, but very, very satisfying) you can see it here. The Celebration Trip, 2009 |
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jcavenagh |
The big site with a north facing beach holds some great memories for me. Plus the beach makes for some great swimming. Then, the next site just north is a little site with a cramped and slanting tent pad. The tent pad is so buggy and uncomfortable that my son and I called our trip short by one day after staying there one night...Well, it was also unbearably hot on that trip. We had not slept very well for a few days, so we were already feeling antsy before we got stuck at that little hellhole... Some pics of the good site... and my favorite...my brother and I with our sons. Life just doesn't get any better... |
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nicek |
quote 1bogfrog: "Things remain slow here in the little village of Elmwood, and my husband and I have moved on from portage discussions to reminiscing about favorite campsites this evening to while away the time until we can hit the water again. Since everyone has been having fun with best and worst portages, I figured I'd throw out the question of campsites for consideration. 1bogfrog, We are "almost " neighbors. I live in the "Biggest little town " in Wisconsin, Baldwin. We don't have those two wonderful streams here, just a creek. I'm sure my son had been fly fishing in your back yard at times:) Great campsites come up out of nowhere at times during trips. Very seldom planning for one proves essential. I had pleasure of camping on plenty great ones all over the park east or west. The view from the site is most often a deciding factor for choosing one in my mind. Some most memorable were on : Gaskin, Lac La Croix, South Temperance, Pauness, Little Shell.... oh well many anyway. The obscure once always served me well in a time of need. Can't wait to get on the water again in May. |
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HighnDry |
quote jcavenagh: "Both of my best and worst campsites are at the southwest end of Agnes, just a little north of Louisa Falls. There is a favorite site of mine just 20 min. north of that site. It sits on a peninsula and faces south to the island with the pictos. Worse site is a close call between several out there :). Probably that one on Brule with the dozen or so pike carcasses. Yuck! |
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1bogfrog |
" We are "almost " neighbors. I live in the "Biggest little town " in Wisconsin, Baldwin. ." Hello there, neighbor! I'm always shocked to find people who know where Elmwood is! We may all be back on the water sooner rather than later (at least in this part of the sate) if this weather holds. |
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missmolly |
quote Marten: "My favorite site is up in Woodland Caribou. The previous camper had left some trash but since it had been about 50 years ago I called the home made tea pail an artifact. The lake has no name so I just call it Billycan Lake. Four portages totaling a few miles of bushwhacking from Craven Lake on WCPP's west side will allow the next person to enjoy it too. It is well worth the effort for the elevated view, Bonapartes Gulls, ankle deep lichen and knowing its been a long, long time since it was last used." So cool that you reached it! Number one might be a safe place to launch a canoe. Number two is a flat place to sleep. There are no bad views up there, are there? |
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boonie |
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Michwall2 |
Campsites: Favorites- Little Sag - South shore peninsula about 20 feet above the water. Great views to the north. Mesaba - Straights to the north bay. Love this spot. Great tent spots. Easy landing. Can get back in the shade or out in the open. Great place to watch a night sky. Finger Lake - site on the southwest side of the south island. Big pines. View of cliffs. Pictos in the campsite. Lots of paths to explore. SAK - site on the north side of the narrows to the west of Eddy Falls. The highlight of this site is the hill behind the campsite. At the top of the hill you can see both east and west along the lake. The is a perfect sitting rock just off the top facing west. Banadad - Very west end is a great site facing east. Views up and down the lake. Great sunning rock. A little tough to swim off. Some nice paths behind the site to explore. Frost - The site next to the sand beach on the east shore. Golden sand beach. Super swimming site. Moose sightings. Least favorite- Malberg - At the chanel to the northeastern bay. Small, brushy, no views. Little hanging space. Use as last resort only. Makwa- Site at the base of the cliffs. Small. Rocky. Can't stake a tent down in the wind. Got blown off this rock one afternoon. There are others that are memorable for the trip, but not necessarily for the site. Thanks for the chance to spend an evening replaying trips in my head. |
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DeanL |
A few that would make me keep paddling are the west 2 sites on Vera, the one by the portage is hardly a site and the one by the narrows never flattens out, it's a slope the whole way. The south site on Mesaba is not much more than a hole in the brush. I think most of like the same features in a campsite but ifor it has a big rocky face where I can fish I'm happy. If it has a mature trees and an open feeling to it even better. |
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1bogfrog |
quote Michwall2: " We've been forced by necessity to stay for a night on the Malberg site. I'd almost forgotten about it, but you are spot on! As much positive press and traffic as Malberg gets, its never been one of my favorite lakes in terms of campsites, and the fishing has been a bit of a let-down. I've really enjoyed everything I've seen north of there and am planning on heading up to Makwa and making the little loop through Boulder, Adams and back down in late August (an area new to me). I may try for nights 1,2 and 3 on each of them respectively for some fishing. If the lakers are hitting, I may just get stalled out on Makwa for the duration! The site mentioned as a favorite on Mesaba was one we stayed at two years ago. We passed it again last year on our way to Crooked and it had kind of taken it on the chin with the blow-down last summer. I'm hoping it gets cleaned up and regenerates with time, because that was undoubtedly the best site on that lake! |
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GoSpursGo |
-The one where I have the lake to myself -As few mosquitos as possible |
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Spartan2 |
Can't really think of a campsite that I seriously hated. We have had a few that we didn't like at first, but we usually found something to enjoy about them once we were set up and comfy. Maybe I have just forgotten. After a few years, I tend to try to remember the good memories, so let's think about a few of those. We had the campsite on Little Caribou one time. After years of paddling by that one when it was "occupied", we were thrilled to finally be there, and we did enjoy it. I wouldn't call it perfect, but I did enjoy my little meditation spot down by the water And the view from up high is always so pleasant There was a favorite campsite on our very first trip in in July of 1971, and it had nothing to do with being perfect. (Actually, it wasn't a very nice campsite at all, except that you could hear the sound of the falls as you lay in the tent.) It was because of the memory of me finally deciding that I loved the canoe country, and of me sitting on the shore by Myrtle Falls on the Namakan River in Canada and praying for a dark-haired, brown-eyed baby boy. Our son was born on April 10th, 1972, with black hair and deep brown eyes. We returned to Myrtle Falls a few years later so I could offer my thanks at that special spot. We haven't often returned to favorite spots, but there are a few. There was one on Hudson Lake that had a big boulder by the water's edge in 1973, and when we returned a few decades later, the water level was much different and I could hardly recognize the spot. I am sure that area is burned now and would be even more unrecognizable. A special campsite on Pine Lake is one that we have stayed at two times and also returned to visit for a lunch break on another occasion. The first visit was in 1994, and I fell in love with the tall pines and the view of the lake from that particular place. Spartan1 was splitting some dead wood and he found a tiny, tiny little seedling growing in a piece of dead wood, so I "planted" it in the ground there. We have returned twice to try to see if it is still growing. (Silly, I know, but it doesn't take much to amuse me.) These photos are from our first visit: And this one is from 1998: And then there is my all-time favorite site on Cherokee. It is on the south end, not long after you enter the lake from Cherokee Creek, on the east side. There is a big sitting rock that juts out into the lake. The biffy trail leads 'way up high on the hill. We first discovered this spot in 1992 on our 22-day trip, and I was "home". It has always been the place that I remember when I think of the BWCA, or even the canoe country at all. We photographed each other from the rocky points--our second camera was a little disposable panoramic camera back then. We returned to this magical spot in 2002 and stayed there again. It was just as wonderful as I had remembered. And we tried again in 2012, on what turned out to be our penultimate canoe trip, the one we took with HoHo and David. But this time the campsite was occupied, so we asked permission to just approach and take the photographs again. At the time, permission was granted. Unfortunately, it caused a bit of a controversy; one that was aired out on this board at some length, and that spoiled the experience somewhat. But our memories of this special place remain, and it is still the place where I hope my family will return to leave our ashes someday. And as I close out a much-too-long posting, I still think of another favorite memory. A campsite on Caribou Lake (the one near Lizz and Poplar) where we spent our last night on the 22-day trip in 1992. It had been a record cold June and we had been challenged to stay warm throughout the entire trip. On this perfect last morning, the dawn was misty and beautiful. Spartan1 rose early and started a little "junk fire" to warm us up and to make a bit of instant coffee. He called me from the tent early in the morning, and a loon was calling out on the misty lake. I snapped this photo of him under the pine tree as a remembrance of the trip of a lifetime for us. It was the spring before we found out about the kidney disease. It was a lovely time. We paddled to Lizz Lake and I cried all the way across that last portage. I didn't want it to end. We paddled around Poplar Lake for a while, and decided to stop at Trail Center for lunch before we went down to Rockwood Lodge to end our trip, as neither of us could bear the thought of saying "this trip is at an end." How I wish we could turn back the clock and do that trip over again! It was a lovely adventure! It's not about the campsite, it's about the memory. |
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boonie |
When we went up from Polly to Little Sag, we stayed on Pan - there's a decent site there. Last fall I came down into Boulder from the north like you are planning, but came from the west (Cap). I really liked the trip from Boulder to Adams (new to me). I think you will too. Adams is a beautiful lake (one of my favorites), if you have never been there. |
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1bogfrog |
quote Spartan2: "And then there is my all-time favorite site on Cherokee. It is on the south end, not long after you enter the lake from Cherokee Creek, on the east side. There is a big sitting rock that juts out into the lake. The biffy trail leads 'way up high on the hill. We first discovered this spot in 1992 on our 22-day trip, and I was "home". Spartan2, this is the first campsite I ever spent time on in the BW! I was two when we went, and I portaged out my little red backpack carrying my own underwear and storybooks for bed! For many, many years, this was our "family site" as well. When I get that way again, I'll give the site a "hello" for both you, and my parents who are no longer able to make the trip out there :) |