Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping

We had a great experience here at the Slyvania wilderness. This time we stayed at Bobcat on High lake. Bobcat is a really nice campsite.

Pros - flat camp with good spots to hand tents, and a clothesline.
- open, there is even some sun that will shine on this site.
- canoe landing, easy to get in and out of the canoe for prompt to paddling sessions.
- short paddle to campsite, took us ~45 minutes from launch to unloading at our site.
- clear water.
- access to other lakes,
- fishing was fantastic,
-pretty islands.

Cons-
- Short paddle and short portage brings day trippers (only had 1 group of 5 boats the whole week though), we had one family who ignored the island rule. We had to talk them to them once they harassed the loons. They were slightly combative, but after reiterating they were breaking the rules backed down and left.

- Little Pigs BBQ doesn’t deliver to the site. ;-)

Overall - I would return to this site. High lake is my second favorite lake to camp on in the Slyvania. Bobcat is the better site on the lake.
Also. Go to Little Pigs BBQ in Watersmeet, it is this really cute BBQ place that has great ribs and pulled pork and even better owners.

We have been visiting Sylvania Wilderness for 11 yrs and keep coming back because of the protected lakes, quietness and to witness the wildlife. Hope other visitors will respect and protect this fragile environment.

This is a beautiful wilderness area that is well worth visiting. Some downsides: most of the campsites are located well away from the water and deep in the woods where the insects are terrible and cross breezes are reduced. Campsites are for the most part clustered together in pairs, which means that privacy is an issue even in this remote and difficult to access region. In addition, most of the portages are poorly marked and very difficult to find.

The wilderness is very beautiful and I am grateful to have spent several days there. However, the park is really not set up for backpackers. Trails were poorly marked and maintained. We got lost several times because we missed turns. Also, the signs for campsites were situated in the water, facing outward, so canoers could read them, but not hikers. I would go back to do a canoe trip, but wouldn't really recommend it for backpacking unless signage and trail maintenance are improved. Still, a beautiful area.

The paddling was beautiful. We saw more loons and bald eagles than we did people. Such a beautiful place!

Beautiful old growth forest. Those giant yellow birches are worth the trip alone. Don’t even get me started on this hemlocks, oh boy! The lakes have great fishing. I also got to listen to the loons at night, and saw a couple river otters as well. Don’t compare it to the BWCAW, this is it’s own special little thing.

Beautiful country and tremendous fishing!

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!

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.

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.