Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Sylvania rules?
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mjmkjun |
moray: "Does anyone know if the showers at Clark lake are open? Is there any other shower options in the area? I have a long drive when I exit and would sure like not having to smell myself for 8 hours! What is your exit date? |
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moray |
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SteveF |
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mjmkjun |
eagleriverwalleye: "Your printed reservation will be your permit if the ranger station remains closed." Yep. However, there is one more form to fill because the ranger station is closed: It's the 2nd item on bulleted list below--which I copied & pasted here. "SYLVANIA WILDERNESS BACKCOUNTY CAMPING • All backcountry campers must have a campsite reservation prior to camping between May 15 and September 30. All backcountry camping sites are by RESERVATION ONLY. All reservations must be made through recreation.gov. NO CAMPING FEES PAID ON SITE, you must make a reservation if you wish to camp in the backcountry. • You will need to fill out a backcountry permit on site with your reservation confirmation information before you proceed to your campsite, and keep the blue backcountry permit with you at all times in the backcountry. • If you have arrived without a reservation, you can reserve a site by calling 1-877-444-6777 or visit Recreation.gov and search “Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping.” • If you are unable to reserve a backcountry site upon arrival, you can stay in the Clark Lake Campground. • All rules and regulations apply and all backcountry campers must camp at a designated site with proof of reservation. • Rules and Regulations for Sylvania can be found on all the bulletin boards located at the entrance station, trailheads, canoe launches, as well as on the back of the blue backcountry permit. |
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cowdoc |
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deerfoot |
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eagleriverwalleye |
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egrabi1 |
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mjmkjun |
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bottomtothetap |
mjmkjun: "Moray, inquire with Sylvania Outfitters 1-906-358-4766. They might offer the showers. ??" asked that yesterday and was told they do not |
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moray |
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whyzata |
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naturboy12 |
That being said, I would be happy to share some panfishing knowledge with you by email. Nothing about catching bluegills is rocket science of course, but hit me up if you're interested. |
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eagleriverwalleye |
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martian |
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deerfoot |
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bottomtothetap |
Sorry, again, I'm new to this park and I appreciate everyone's help as I learn the process! |
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mjmkjun |
martian: "How busy is the place? I just tried to do some booking and October when I was hoping to head north it's all first come first served. " It was lean pickings when I booked yesterday but the dates immediately following were 'Not Yet Released'. I don't know what that means. It's supposed to be open for rerservations until Sept 30th. helpful link If that is no help call reservation dot gov. They may know why sites aren up for reserving. |
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eagleriverwalleye |
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deerfoot |
martian: "How busy is the place? I just tried to do some booking and October when I was hoping to head north it's all first come first served. " Sylvania is open as in the entrance station and Clark Lake beach pavilion are open and rangers are patrolling the area from May 15th thru September 30. Outside of those dates it is still open for use but no facilities are open and it is not likely the hand pumps for fresh water at the two entry points (Clark Lake and Crooked Lake) are still functional. The upside is there are no fees off season and likely no USFS personnel in the area. Occasionally you may encounter Friends of Sylvania volunteers doing backcountry maintenance work. Years ago you would find no one in the fall season after the fall foliage dropped in late September - same in the spring prior to May 15th. Now you can see a few others from ice out which used to be during the first week in May but is now occurring earlier and October and into November. Personally I have long preferred the shoulder seasons for cool temps, no bugs and most importantly few to no people (but please don’t tell anyone). One issue I have noticed in the last few years is in the off season you self register at a kiosk at the entrance station picking any campsite which is open and then find someone is occupying the site without having self registered for it. Also this spring the drive in campground at Clark Lake had one loop open for off season use. This was never in case in previous years. |
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moray |
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martian |
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naturboy12 |
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bottomtothetap |
naturboy12: "Sorry to hear the fishing didn't work out for you, but glad that you enjoyed the trip! Cubbie Mini-mite lures tipped with a tiny piece of scented Gulp worm sure got the attention of the bluegills on Glimmerglass (and on Liluis too). LOTS and lots of nibbles but we missed most of them. I think that's where the lack of skill with barbless hooks comes into play. Actually did boat one hand-size keeper bluegill and another that was quite a nice size--about 7-8"--but a few very small fish was it besides that. We let the 2 eaters go and ate our freeze-dried food instead. |
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moray |
mirth: "cowdoc: "moray: "cowdoc: "If you're there for a week......what's the rules on parking....and where? (just starting to look into this option) Thanks" This is from my reservation email from Recreation.gov Registered Sylvania Backcountry Campers are not required to pay the day use fee solely for parking a vehicle at Clark Lake or Crooked Lake Boat Landing areas to access backcountry campsites. Use of the Clark Lake Day Use Area requires a daily $5.00 per vehicle fee, or a season pass for $30 per vehicle. The season pass covers Lake Ottawa Recreation Area, Sylvania Recreation Area, and Black River Harbor Recreation Area. |
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WindChill |
The special fishing rules are listed in the state fishing regs brochure (pg 26 as I recall). I found several videos on YouTube of people's trips so you can get an idea of landings and campsites. Might even find your specific site. |
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mjmkjun |
Just know going in that's it's a far cry from BWCA. Campsites are paired and often close together sharing same landing. Example: Fox 1 & Fox 2, Pine 1 & Pine 2, etc. etc. Pit toilets not too private/or set deep in the woods at some sites cuz there's no undergrowth. Used to be wealthy mans' playground so some of the 'roads' transformed into perfect hiking paths. The old-forest timber was spared because of the wealthy, in this case. Bears and eagles. If you're OK with that then enjoy! Porcupine Mountains State Park with its dispersed camping is 1.5 hours to the slight northwest. When I checked earlier this morning the dispersed hike-in sites are booked-up for Labor Day holiday. Might be worth a stop at the visitor's center. Info gathered for a future trip, maybe? If you spot an old man hunkered in a blue hammock at Fox 2, wave! :D |
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whyzata |
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moray |
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mjmkjun |
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bottomtothetap |
A few minor dislikes: 1. The fire grates were harder to use than the BWCA with the floor of the Sylvania pits sometimes a foot below grade. This made for a lot of reaching way down and getting back up to tend the fire--something my old knees complained about regularly throughout the trip 2. The set-back from the water of the campsites makes for more hauling of gear back and forth from the landing and reduces views of the lake. 3. Crooked Lake, kind of the centerpiece body of water for this wilderness, is VERY murky with some areas of the lake so green with algae and weeds that the water is almost opaque. If you are to camp on this lake, don't plan to get your water from here even with a good filter as I think it would plug up pretty quickly. We went to High Lake (VERY clear) to get our water the night we camped on Crooked. 4. Being not real skilled fisherman, the artificial only and barbless hook policy reduced our chances of fishing success and we only caught a few tiny ones. I'd have to learn how to do it better if planning on a catching more fish. Over all, I'm very happy that we chose a trip to Sylvania as a replacement alternative to our cancelled BWCA trip. I originally named this thread "Sylvania rules?" looking for some guidance on do's and don'ts but I'm tempted to change it to "Sylvania Rules!" because it was awesome and I look forward to going to this park again some day. |
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deerfoot |
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WindChill |
Two of us were in Sylvania 9/19 - 9/24. Spent the week at Eagle 1 on Loon Lake. The site sits up the hill about 50 yards into the woods. It is very sheltered but no bugs. Most of the sites are in pairs. Eagle 2 was about 100 yards through the woods. We could not see our neighbors from our site and only heard them once or twice. I saw a message somewhere that sites share a latrine - ours did not. Our site was well worn - the ground at the tent pad and kitchen area are bare and hard packed. There is spot for one 4-person tent and possibly a 2-person. Fire rings are more like state park rings but are buried flush in the ground. Be prepared to sit on the ground for cooking on the fire. Our site had a small log/rock kitchen area like we see in the BW. We paddled some of the smaller lakes south of Loon. Portages are less obvious than BWCAW - a couple were pretty tough to spot as you approach. Once on the trail they are obvious and well maintained. Fishing was fun but not productive - got a few bass but nothing else. The welcome station was open when we arrived mid afternoon on Sunday. The ranger walked us through things and got our permit filled out. Take the map brochure they offer - it has a bit more / different detail than the one on the website. Showers were not open this season. The ranger said "there's a nice lake out there :-)". I did take a dip in the lake - it was COLD! Also left some wipes in the car for a "sponge bath" at the outhouse when we got back to the parking lot. Overall a really nice alternative to the BW. |
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bottomtothetap |
mjmkjun: "Smartwool knit beanie + wool socks + smartwool bottom and you all will be golden. 1st week of September had folks wearing light jackets until mid-mornings. Especially when it rained that one day. I'm tempted to ask which site(s) you reserved but that's insignificant---unless it's Fox 2 which had zero privacy! ha Staying one night each at Chipmunk, Lynx-1 and Pine-2 Beanie for sleeping: check Sleep-pants: check Sleep-socks: check The beanie is wool but the rest of my sleep wear is comfy cotton. It will never come outside the tent or it's dry bag so I'm not worried about it getting wet--unless some major disaster happens at which time we could paddle out to the car, which in this park will only be an hour or two away. |
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deerfoot |
mjmkjun: "bottomtothetap: "This trip is back on! I leave on the 25th." Now we’re getting to the time of year when I like to go into the north woods. |
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mjmkjun |
Smartwool mentioned because standard wool itches me crazy if I don't underlayer. Wish I could venture out during shoulder seasons like some. Poor/slowed circulation messes with staying reasonably comfortable in those months. I'd love experience the sound and sight of snowfall at a campsite. (not so much the wind-driven ones) |
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mjmkjun |
Hope you share something about your experience there. |
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mirth |
moray: "mirth: "cowdoc: "moray: "cowdoc: "If you're there for a week......what's the rules on parking....and where? (just starting to look into this option) Thanks" |
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bottomtothetap |
mjmkjun: "bottomtothetap: "This trip is back on! I leave on the 25th." Just checked the latest forecast and I like it! We hit the water on Sunday the 26th and exit on Wed the 29th. It's now showing a mix of clouds and sun over those days with minimal chance of rain and light winds. Predicted temps are highs of mid 60's and lows of low-mid 40's. We'll have along extra layers for warmth and, of course, rain gear too. Between that to wear, a warm sleeping bag and a nice fire, we'll be good! I remember a mid-late August trip along the Kawishiwi Triangle once where the temps dipped down one night to 27(!) which we were not prepared for and THAT was not comfortable. We're smarter now and we WILL enjoy. |
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mjmkjun |
bottomtothetap: "This trip is back on! I leave on the 25th." Temps dipping into 30s will make for some crisp mornings. Enjoy! |
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bottomtothetap |
I know that this area is mostly catch and release and regarding bass is absolutely so but we will be spending time on Crooked Lake which has looser regulations and is also said to have a healthy population of panfish so looking to have a meal or two of fish. What is the recommended practice for disposing of fish remains at this park? |
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deerfoot |
mirth: "cowdoc: "moray: "cowdoc: "If you're there for a week......what's the rules on parking....and where? (just starting to look into this option) Thanks" Vehicle permits for parking and entry are daily or seasonal (the seasonal is good for one calendar year). Since I go outside the time frame Sylvania and facilities are “open” (May 15 - September 30), there are no fees or permits required. When I last bought the permit for vehicles a few years ago the daily was $5.00 and the seasonal was $20.00 so I always bought the seasonal because I was there for more than 4 days annually. Also I have the lifetime Senior Nat Parks & Fed Recreational Lands pass which I got as I recall at age 60. This allows you to pay half price on camping fees nation wide. When I got it the one cost was $10.00, now I think it is $80.00. I have used it all over the country, so definitely something to get when you hit your golden years. |
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deerfoot |
SteveF: "Does anyone know if there is cell phone reception. thinking about taking the grandkids up there but they have e-learning. " I have found cell phone reception on the northern half of Clark Lake. |
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bottomtothetap |
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deerfoot |
bottomtothetap: "Alas...rest of group was not interested in Sylvania so won't be going there either and cancelled THAT reservation right after Forest Service cancelled my BWCA one this afternoon. As I learned about Sylvania, became very interested to still go there someday--maybe even yet this season. Good to learn also about the truck stop for showers in Watersmeet. What is the name of this place? " Nordine’s (Hwys 45/2 Watersmeet, MI - 906-358-4717 |
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cowdoc |
moray: "cowdoc: "If you're there for a week......what's the rules on parking....and where? (just starting to look into this option) Thanks" Thank you |
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moray |
cowdoc: "If you're there for a week......what's the rules on parking....and where? (just starting to look into this option) Thanks" If you have a backwoods camping permit parking is free at Clark and Crooked lakes. Day use parking is $5.00 |
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mirth |
cowdoc: "moray: "cowdoc: "If you're there for a week......what's the rules on parking....and where? (just starting to look into this option) Thanks" My last trip to Sylvania was a decade ago, but at the time I thought we had to purchase parking stickers which were basically the cost of 2 days parking? I no longer have the car that would have those stickers on it..... |
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bottomtothetap |
I am not very familiar with this wilderness so my question is, what rules apply to this park? On the research I'm doing they do refer to and urge following of the "rules" but don't really say what they are. I've only been able to find that they're posted at park entrances. It would help in planning to know what you will need to abide by before arriving. What about fires/fire wood? What fishing restrictions apply (special rules for this have been alluded to but again, not specified.)? Who can help me with any links or specifics? Thanks!! |
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Banksiana |
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moray |
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bottomtothetap |
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deerfoot |
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moray |
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deerfoot |
moray: "Does anyone know if the showers at Clark lake are open? Is there any other shower options in the area? I have a long drive when I exit and would sure like not having to smell myself for 8 hours! Try contacting Ottawa NF hdgrs in Watersmeet re the Clark Lake pavilion being open for showers. Otherwise go to the truck stop on the NE corner of Hwys 45/2 and ask about a shower. The last time I used the showers there it was $5.00, but that may have been 6-8 years ago. |
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whyzata |
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mjmkjun |
edit: Google Earth show parking lots fairly well. |