I am planning my first ever Quetico trip in August 2026 and we are doing a loop out of Stanton Bay. I have plenty of experience in WCPP and Algonquin so I am looking forward this new adventure. Two of our crew are flying from BC to Thunder Bay where two of us will pick them up after driving from Ottawa.

Our itinerary has us arriving at Stanton Bay around 3pm on a Saturday. I have done enough research on this site to know that Pickerel Lake can get nasty when the afternoon winds pick up.

Assuming that the wind will be whipping up whitecaps on Pickerel Lake proper, is it reasonable to plan to make it to the campsite on the island at the mouth of Stanton Bay (site 1JK) or should we just grab the site nearest to the Stanton Bay put-in (site 1HL)? We are not looking to take any unnecessary chances or get ourselves into a sketchy situation.

Cheers,
Ian

It would have to be pretty epicly windy for you to fail to reach the one at the mouth of the bay, and it is a much nicer site than the one at the narrows (1HL).

Go for it!

CedarHill, I've only done one Quetico trip, just this past June. The island at the mouth should be reachable in any reasonable weather. I stayed on that site my last night before exciting at Stanton. Of the several other sites we camped, It was middle of the pack - but we stayed at some really nice ones, so that's no slight. Its about ideal for a last night before exiting Stanton imo - and far superior to the campsite in the narrows leading out of SB. Only caught one smallmouth off the rocks down by the canoe landing, but got into some nice fishing by bushwacking to the east side of the island to fish the sort of odd SE winds when we were there - that windy shoreline produced some nice fish from shore, including one of the best walleye of the trip. Enjoy!

Depending on wind direction you may also get lucky and be able to take advantage of the lee of the many islands.

Also, if you can travel further southwest after coming out of Stanton Bay there is a large "half moon" bay that is all sandy beach with a few boulders. There is at least one site there that does not appear on maps. With at least one tent pad. Pretty beach.



Definitely a good call to be thinking about wind. I hope you get lucky on that front and have a great trip!

As others mentioned, yes, it is good to keep possible wind issues in mind. Obviously, you will need to keep an eye on current weather on your arrival day in order to plan accordingly.

I will say that in August, that area gets quite busy, so there is a good chance that the island site might be taken so be sure to have a back up plan. If we knew where you were heading, people may be able to make better suggestions for alternate sites.

The site you suggested in Stanton Bay is not a very good site. Limited space and very exposed to winds if they are coming down the bay. There is a second site in the bay (1HZ) that is very protected from most winds. It is a smaller site with one good spot for a tent, but the second spot is under the large red pine hanging over the site. Not ideal.

Site 1HY is just around the corner of the bay heading west. You could get two tents in there, but again, it is very exposed. If winds do not end up being an issue, then anything available is worth taking that late in the day.

Another option might be to stay the first night at Dawson Trail where I assume you would be picking up your permit anyway, then get an early start in the morning.

rick00001967: "i will say that in august, that area gets quite busy, so there is a good chance that the island site might be taken. so be sure to have a back up plan."

We are entering on Aug 15 and exiting on Aug 22. Hopefully by going after the August long weekend peak, we can avoid the worst of the crowds. We will definitely have alternative sites planned in case our preferred sites are taken

rick00001967: "if we knew where you were heading, people may be able to make better suggestions for alternate sites."

We plan to head south to the B-Chain and make our way to Russell before heading back north through Deux Rivieres and Dore.

sounds nice. hopefully you will have some friendly weather.
i have been considering trying that route to russell myself on a solo trip next year. had also considered going in at nym/maria/jesse/sturgeon etc and out thru the bchain/stanton.
lots of campsite options between stanton and the dam if you can get across pickerel.