Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping

I spent 5 days leisurely paddling and relaxing in Sylvannia. The portages were very spottable and quite navigable. The campsites are well labeled and well maintained. I appreciated the spots of fall color I saw and the opportunity to sling up my hammock and read. Didn't see too many people, and enjoyed the birds.

We arrived during peak autumn color. Spectacular.
The beauty of the lakes and the forests which include old growth hemlocks gave a sense of awe that has served to ground and calm me for more than a week after the trip.

Thank you for the beauty of the campsites and for protecting this pristine wilderness.

My husband and I loved the solitude. Hiking trails gave access to beautiful scenery. We saw eagles and many loons. We were concerned at first because someone had our campsite. They finally found their receipt that showed they were on wrong one. Rather than making them move we just took their spot. All worked out great.

Good camping spot with plenty of room, scenic, convenient to the water but for the second year no lid on the toilette seat.

The Sylvania Wilderness lake canoeing is quite nice, serene, and met our expectations......but in our four days and 6 different lakes we saw very little wildlife, which surprised us. The lake levels were several feet higher than normal so the landings at the campsites and portage accesses were more challenging and sometime muddy or mucky. The portage sites at some of the less traveled lakes were hard to find and several were impossible to find. We wish the portage landings were marked, it would have helped.

This is an amazing place. Beautiful in every respect. My concern is that there is no penalty for reservations that are made but not used, meaning sites sit empty.

Beautiful lakes and woods. Excellent primitive campsites. The cam host was very helpful and friendly.

Sylvania Wilderness is a great place to experience Michigan's Upper Penninsula. There are plenty of options for the more extreme or not so rustic camper and the sites are very well maintained. We've had Loons swim right up to our canoe, a family of deer just walk along side our vehicle, listened to wolves howling, had a mink running back and forth along it's foot trail beneath our feet and always sightings of Bald Eagles and Osprey. The old growth forests and pristine lakes are all you could ask for. It's a don't miss in Michigan.

We enjoyed our three days at Balsam 1. This visit to Sylvania was a bit different because we often returned to the car camping unit where members of our family were staying, but we relished the quiet back in the wilderness. Clark Lake is still high, which meant that there was little beach on the north end and more difficult access to our canoe site.

Unfortunately the road into the visitor center near Clark & Crooked Lakes was still under construction and impassable on Aug. 19, I was told weeks ago by a Forest Service staff person that it was open and construction was completed. Calls to the Forest Service HQ's the last week before our trip were unanswered and our voice mail requests were never returned :( Our camping and backpacking experience was terrific!