Sylvania Wilderness Backcountry Camping

Very beautiful. There is a natural beach on the southern shore of Clark Lake that is great for swimming. The campsites are beautiful. Be prepared for mosquitoes. Even though it was early August, mosquito head nets were essential to being able to cook and enjoy the early morning and evening hours. In the main part of the day, the mosquitos were AWOL.

Stayed on mountain lake in beaver 1 and 2. The sights had lots of room for tents, plenty of dead wood for fire. Not much privacy between the sights . Also stayed on whitefish. Hard work getting there, but worth it. Peace and quiet, true wilderness feeling. Nice swimming beach,good fishing. Pike 1 and 2 are a hike up from the water but breezy, and sunsets were amazing. Room for tents and easy firewood. The sights were separated so more privacy.

A mini Boundary Waters experience that is easily navigable off a map. Fishing was excellent on Crooked lake. High lake and some of the other deeper lakes were crystal clear with sandy bottoms but less fish. The Sylvania Outfitters is a great place to rent gear, get information, etc. It can seem if it's busy at first near the launch, but even during the busy summer season you encounter few other people.

Had a great visit with perfect weather. Bobcat is a great campsite.

Sylvania Wilderness is an area that is unusual because you can reserve a specific campsite for just your group in a true wilderness area. Many wilderness areas can have several groups in a campsite or they are taken on a first come first served basis. Here you can be sure that you have a specific campsite even if you start late in the day.

The non-portage trails are becoming overgrown in many places, and many blazed trees have fallen down or the paint is fading.

Great family trip.

We had a great time visiting the Sylvania Wilderness. It’s a miniature version of the Boundary Waters, but even more accessible for first time canoe campers.

It was our paddling group's first time in the Sylvania Wilderness and we were pleasantly surprised. Although we traveled during the peak Independence Day holiday week, we were often alone. The distance between campsites was enough to keep our group mostly isolated from others. The trails and portages were well defined and in generally good condition. The in-the-ground fire rings with the swinging grills were great in both windy and wet weather. The campsites were well used but mostly clean with plenty of firewood nearby. The water on most lakes was clean and clear although Crooked Lake was a bit murky and weedy on the southern end. There is a fantastic sandy beach down in the southeastern end of Clark Lake that saved us from 90 degree heat and should not be missed. Fishing was great for the many different species of fish that liked our small spinners and poppers. We saw many types of birds including two smaller eagles in a nest and a swan family of six. The signpost for the Clark to Hay portage entry is missing, but it is where the maps show it. Some of the latrines are not too private, so carrying a small tarp may be useful.

It was great as usual seemed like less people than years past.