Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping

My wife and I had an incredible experience! We spent four nights on Crooked Lake and portaged for day trips to other lakes. We stayed at Squirrel 2, which was a great campsite. Though, due to a fallen tree in the water, the landing for the canoe was a bit tricky to get into. Crooked Lake had a lot of green in it (which inst a bad thing), so if you are looking for the crystal clear water, then Clark Lake, Mountain Lake or some of the other lakes would be better for you. From Squirrel 2, we were really close to the portage to Clark Lake and Mountain Lake wasn't that far either. It was a truly wonderful time in a truly beautiful place.

My first time as a five day canoe trip in the Sylvania Nationall Wilderness was so much more than expected. Everything from reserving campsites, receiving email reminders, to signing in at the entry station was well administrated. The landing was well groomed and maintained. The area is not overbooked and retains a remote wilderness feel. The virgin timber was inspiring! Campsites were clean and uncluttered. Portages were very walkable. I appreciated the campsite identification posts along the shoreline. Locating the firepits and tenting areas away from the shoreline is genius. My canoe trip experience in Sylvania reminded me very much of what a BWCA trip used to be in the 1970s.

Excellent campsite, private, quiet, and easy to access.

favorite place to camp. so amazing

Stayed at both Badger2 and Beaver1 campsites. Both were very nice.

My wife and I usually camp in the much larger wilderness of the BWCAW. We found this to be a pleasant, cross between "roughing it" in the deep woods wilderness, and camping, not far from one's car, in a state park. You can find remote areas for seclusion, but can also just hike pretty good distances, through deep forest, and meet others along the way.

We were dismayed to find out when we got there that only rock bass and lake trout were legal to keep on most lakes, and only on the lakes you were camping on at the time of catching them. That's on us, for not researching the fishing regulations before we came. I had only read "the fishing is great" and hadn't looked any deeper! We had an excellent time anyway, paddling the lakes and enjoying the beautiful and mature forests.