BWCA Campsite 1268 on Ensign

This campsite is elevated about eight feet above the water and has excellent views up and down Ensign Lake. The kitchen area is basically in full sun because many of the trees appear to have blown down years ago, so there is not much shade in the main part of camp. That could be good or bad depending on the weather, but on a hot day it would be something to consider. Around the main camp area there are a lot of flat rocks. They are not really useful for tents, but they would be nice for setting up chairs and enjoying the view. The tent pads are a little behind the main campsite. I found two good tent pads in camp, another possible spot near camp, and a couple more possible spots along the trail to the west that connects toward the next campsite. I am calling it two good tent pads and five maximum tent pads. The landing was pretty easy for my solo canoe. It was a rock ledge where I could pull in and parallel park, though a longer canoe might have more trouble fitting the same way. Overall, this is a decent site with great views, but the lack of shade is the main drawback.

More than 10 years after the 99 blow down the campsite was still recovering. Most hard hit there were no aged pines left on the island. The under growth and the the small saplings were prevalent everywhere. The third morning was a hard frost. The lake was in full fall colors and the aspen and poplar were all orange-st yellow. Amazing.

Nice landing with two good (max three) tent pads. A short upward trail from the landing brings you to where the tent pads are hidden from the lake.

Not a great site. I would only use it if nothing else is available (which is why I stayed there) or the weather is bad and you need to get off the water. No large trees for hanging a tarp or a bear bag. Bear bag not as much of a problem given site is on an island. If it rains plan to get soaked. Really terrible canoe landing full of uneven rock. Fire grate is decent and offers a nice southern view of camp. Lots of ticks when we visited. All the ticks are found were reddish wood ticks and not the black deer ticks.