Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: Sylvania Wilderness as a backup
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bottomtothetap |
mjmkjun: "I just returned and am happy I experienced Sylvania. It's not over-developed as I feared. The old forest growth was splendid. Spent a night on Fox 2 on southeast corner of Crooked Lake but had no privacy from those camped at Fox 1. Not at the campsite nor at latrine. Ugh! Next time, a lone site for me or one distanced in the pairing. It was busy by the car count in parking lot at Crooked Lake but did not seem so when paddling the lake. The landings at Clark Lake and Crooked Lake are very nicely done with plenty concrete with line-marked parking spaces. Campground hosts, fellow campers, and Rangers are all so nice and accommodating. Clark Lake is catch and release only. Crooked Lake = follow MN DNR fishing regulations. The overall quiet only broken by a small aircraft passing over once or twice or a paddle bumping the gunwales in the distance. Thanks for the report, mjmkjun! In another thread, I had talked about Sylvania as an alternative when our BWCA permit got cancelled. Thought that we wern't going to be able to pull it off but now a trip to Sylvania is back on for the end of Sept. and I'm excited to go! Did you get any kind of a BWCA "feel" in this park? I heard showers are not available after the trip at the park this year due to COVID. Did you figure out some kind of an alternative or just bear with it 'till you got home? Someone mentioned showers at a nearby truck stop... |
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moray |
Ausable: "moray: "Check out time from site is 1:00 " You are correct. My mistake. We paddled out around 11:30.I’m happy no one was rushing us to get off our site. |
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Ausable |
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Ausable |
moray: "Check out time from site is 1:00 " It should be noted that check out time from backcountry campsites is 12 noon, not 1 PM. Check in time for those sites is 1 PM. It was annoying to have to wait for one group to get its act together and leave. |
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mjmkjun |
Rangers were on duty at the entrance station on day 3 out of the 7 days I was at the campground. (Aug 30-Sept 5) Didn't paddle Clark Lake & didn't fish on Crooked during this trip. |
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ockycamper |
Can anyone tell me about this area? Chicago lake? What would the fishing be like? It looks like you drive right to the camp sites, although they are a good deal apart and tent only. thanks |
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TomT |
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ockycamper |
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sedges |
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butthead |
sedges: "Odd, I see no Chicago Lake in Sylvania Wilderness. Also, there are no drive-up campsites in the Sylvania Wilderness Area" There is a medium size multi loop drive in camp area on Clark with access to the large beach, a canoe landing, and the visitor buildings including showers. As it is also a USFS campsite it may not be open, but normally is year around. butthead |
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moray |
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gloriouslatrine |
I am too new to post links, but this is the Chicago Lake Hiawatha dispersed site. https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/273334 |
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naturboy12 |
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mjmkjun |
Showers: The terrain is hilly so that if you are too close to a 'sister' site then an individual could set up a pocket shower away from camp. Let's say--in a nearby gully out of view. Boil up a pot of water + 2 pots of lake water = tepid water to shower. Or pack an extra small tarp. There's a great product called 'No Rinse' for the hair. The stuff is amazing. No more greasy sweaty hair on the pillow/hammock. A BWCA feel? Well........sorta.......kinda. Ya gotta remember I had campsite neighbors closeby--within plain view. Without them, I'd say it's close to a bwca feel but not so much rock & boulders strewn about like the BWCA. At the Crooked Lake landing you'll see houses that were grandfathered (lawsuits) in when the land transitioned. Houses and piers are few and peaceful enough but they are the reason motors are allowed on Crooked Lake. I only saw one motorboat in Crooked during the 7 days I was there. 99.8% kayak & canoe traffic. I believe you/group will enjoy. The closest place for gas is in Watersmeet which is an intersection at US 2 & US 45. Everything else is a considerable drive. Watersmeet has a Roadhouse Grill-Bar (good eats!), grocery store ($$$) adjacent to restaurant, car wash and there's a Krist's convenience store across the side steet. A 16-mile r.t. from the campground. Stock up before you get there. Drinking water spigots in the campground. EDIT: apologies. Loop 3 had the flush toilets/modern restroom. |
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mjmkjun |
Ausable: "moray: "Check out time from site is 1:00 " Correct . I splilled out of my hammock at 8 am and by 9:30 am the two fellas who were to stay that night at Fox 2 had pulled up to the bank and unloaded stuff on the bank then paddled away to go fishing. I wasn't offended by it but thought it was bold of 'em. I broke camp at my normal pace and paddled off by 11:30 am. They didn't say a word to me much less acknowledge I was there. I was up on the hill at the firepit & my hammock set-up. Later, when conversing with the host at the campground I mentioned it and he thought it was rude of those guys. Was it? |