Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping

Wonderful experience but realize that the Deer tent sites are quite removed from the water and very high up a hill.

Put in on Crooked lake at 5pm and made it to the site in time to set up camp and make dinner.

Sylvania is a true treasure. We have a lovely family canoe camping trip and it was my wife's first time on a canoe trip and it was the perfect combination of challenge, new experiences, and wilderness. Also - great fishing!

My favorite getaway place in the UP. Beautiful forests,clear lakes, and nice campsites.

The portages are not marked but easy to spot. The campsites are in excellent condition. The portage trails are well maintained. After one or two portages it truly becomes a wilderness experience.

Bathhouse at the day use area is closed. It is ridiculous that the out houses are the only thing open. I also received a warning citation for parking my motorhome In the same spot it’s been parked when I visit for over 20 years. Excuse was given that people complained Yet the parking lot was half empty and had plenty of places to park. I found this to be offensive. I paid my fees and was enjoying the wilderness and then returned to have a warning about where I parked. When I spoke to the officer he told me to park in the day use area and hike out to the boat launch. Since it’s a day use area that really makes no sense. Small things like that give people a negative experience.

It was our first time visiting Sylvania Wilderness to fish or stay. It was also our first time backpacking in a remote location, so we brought more than we should have. I mention it because the portage from Mountain Lake to East Bear Lake was more than we thought it was going to be. My father at 64, and out of shape, managed it but not by a ton. The campsite is off the lake further than I would have thought and on top of a ridge.

The fishing was great! We caught a couple Perch and 10 Hand Sized Bluegill and Sunfish to eat one night. We also caught close to 90 bass in 4 days most between 14" and 16". However, we had a gust front come through with 65 mph winds at 10pm our first night, (scary in a tent) and then another front with 30 mph winds our third afternoon. We were ecstatic to have caught so many fish in spite of the weather and know that wouldn't have happened in the LP. Biggest bass was 19,5 and 4 lb Largemouth.

I recommend Sylvania but only DEER-2 if you're moderately in shape and a smarter packer than we were before we went out.

The bay where Badger 1 and 2 are located is shallow and filled with weeds and algae. There's no swimming or readily accessible water. We had to paddle out over 100 yards to retrieve water. There shouldn't be campsites there.

Some of the best camping in a old growth woods

Many of the lakes were clear and great for canoeing. Some of the campsites could have better portages/access for getting to them. But overall, the campsites were clean and well kept. I would encourage anyone to check out this beautiful wilderness. I love the sounds of the loons in the morning. What a great alarm clock to wake up to!