Lake One to Snowbank Lake

Very large site, good for multiple Hammocks and tents. Great for a larger group. Massive kitchen, good benches work space. With low water right now super easy landing, been here when it’s be a little harder but large flat rock isn’t bad. Views are a little closed in unless standing on the waters edge. Get your firewood on the shore, the whole island has been picked over. Down side, very close to two other sites so you can hear everything

Nice site. Well worth basecamping. What others have stated is true. It is in the main channel to paddle to lake 4 and Lake Insula. If you dont mind being friendly to fellow canoeist, it's a good spot. First impressions when I arrived I noticed a birch tree with bark removed and cut green branches seemingly built as a fort for the local red squirrel population. Nice kitchen and did catch a mixed bag of fish, no whoppers. Fishing from the island rocks very early morning resulted in fish for early risers. Seemed to be an old campsite to east which had fish jumping off point in deeper waters. Other rock fishing spots to the north west and south side of island from shore. One downside would be bugs due to wind sheltered area. Plus is it wasnt a burn area and has a wooded setting with mature trees. I noticed most canoes that seemed to go by did so at about 1030am - 230pm. We arrived at 1040am to find the campsite available. We left Kiwishiwi lodge and outfitters at 7am. Double Portage. We took our time paddling and were the first through the two short Portages and I was traveling with children . If looking for a campsite on lake 3 I'd plan on being at lake 3 at 1030am. The better sites seemed to be taken by basecampers for a few days at a time and the leftover sites seemed to be filled with camoes over night which stopped for the night late and left early in the morning. There was campsite availability near lake 4 at lake 4 entry all days. Bring a bug tent and you'll enjoy this site. Although among mature trees the only limbs for bear hang tree I found was a tree close to tent pads and twenty yards from the kitchen seating area. Was a dead mature tree amongst the trees adjacent the commonly used tent pads that did worry me. Take note.

This site is excellent, as others have said. Many tent pads softly padded with pine needles, nice fire area, nice big rocks on two sides, and easy trails around the island. Even with reasonably heavy traffic, we did not find it obtrusive. The problem with the site is that it is kind of trashed from overuse.

Good site, pretty sunset. Nice fire area. Just enough space to spread out and good wind block.

The landing is soft and easy. The tent pads are numerous and clear. The kitchen has some of the best seating I've ever seen. What prevents this from being 5-star? All the damage done, so many trees cut down with hatchets, so many names carved into trees. Great sunsets though, but you get a lot of traffic coming through south of the island.

Nice island site on the north side of Three. We stopped in for a snack break during a pretty strong wind from the West. This site is located on the South side of the island, and can be hard to land at with a Westerly wind. There is a small landing on the East side of the point that is the best spot. The camp kitchen is awesome and there are good tent pads scattered around. The entire site is even aged Red and White pine with a nice layer of Cedar underneath. Awesome site. I would stay here.

We stopped here for lunch and checked it out. We could not find a good tent site that didn't have sone slope to it. Very open area with a fantastic view to the south. No trees are close to the kitchen so hanging a tarp would be difficult. A great camp to fish from shore.

decent site, good pine, firepit was welcoming. Spared from the Fires.

Decent enough site on a slope down to the water. There is a good landing, and a pretty decent camp kitchen. This site didn't burn, so it is pretty sheltered yet.

best tentsite is sloping; there is a pretty site , slightly better (?)site 100 ft. to the east, across from the island. rocky landing

We just stopped here for lunch so didn't stay but overall it's a very nice site. Nice and open, so you're going to get lots of wind and sun. It's also at a bottleneck so there will be lots of traffic going past. Other than that, great site.

Big, open site right near the channel from Lake Two. During the summer lots of groups pass right by the front of this site. It does have an awesome landing, decent tent pads, and a great camp kitchen though. Also no issues with the bugs during the season I imagine with the amount of wind through the site (it was 25 degrees this last time I visited, so bugs weren't going to be an issue anyhow.)

Decent landing. Fire grate is mostly exposed. Several nice tent pads. It's a very nice spot but, there are lots of other campsites nearby and being at the bottleneck area - there will almost certainly be very little privacy in this camp. Trails for exploration.

Huge site, open, gets LOTS of wind and sun, minimal shade. Some good tent spots up away from the water, in high traffic spot.

Superb site - open with good tarp trees, plenty of level tent spots, good landings.

Great views, the forest service did a great job saving the site from the fire... burned around it, but from camp you will never know... we had 3 hammocks & one 4 man tent on the site

Very nice site, on a point so there was always a breeze to help with mosquitos. Used the tent site to the east of the fire grate to break soon of the wind off the tent. Roomy with a great view onto the lake from a elavated fire site. There are multiple landings for this site and they are all are rocky with some steep drop offs and varying degress of difficulty. The best landing IMO is off the south shore as soon as you round the point, pull up parallel to it faceing in an east to west direction and step out to the shore side. You will get your feet just slightly wet useing this approach.

Popular site on a popular route. Landing is a sloping rock in front of the site. We were able to squeeze two canoes in - barely. Kitchen would most likely be in the sun most of the time. There are several tent pad options. One was in the sun, but the rest were shaded. A few hammocking options, too. Latrine was close. We did not find any good hanging trees - maybe there are some, but I didn't see any near. We eventually moved on, so we didn't need to find one.

This was an awesome site. Easy access to the water, plenty of good landing areas. The latrine was close (maybe too close with the right wind). There is a ton of space for tents and it is all level. The community gathering area was large, with plenty of seating options. Easy to find trees for bear hangs away from tent sites.

Getting to be over used, landing on the side is small, good lake view from kitchen, faces East-no sunset, back of site heads up hill

Somewhat small site but has level tent pads, southern exposure, good landing, good tarp trees.

decent site, just in the burn. Good tent pads, though.

Nice campsite with easy approach and good fire grate area.

Somewhat elevated and slanted site with heavy use and very exposed to winds from the south and east. Not a lot good tent pad options but we made due. Landing was a bit rocky and difficult as well. Best parts of the site, the views and fishing from the site was good for the small amount of time spent casting from shore.

One of my favorite campsites. I loved to watch people paddle by. Great swimming area as well. You might have a tough time finding a large tent pad. Ate my share of berries and enjoyed the afternoon views from the fireplace.

Good sized site, but very few level tent pads. Land on the south side is easier than the small one on the north side. Raspberries on latrine trail and a good bear hang tree. great view of lake from this elevated site, and good breeze to keep bugs down. great fire pit with a well placed rock for prep. lots of fire wood in burn area behind camp. despite being in burn area, has good shade. GREAT hammock site, lots of options. 3 stars only due to tent pads not being close to level except the lower one on the north end

Small site - nice view of the lake from the fire grate. Small tent sites that are not level. Poor landing

The site has two different landings. On the south side it is a nice gravel landing. The north side is a narrow, deep take-out that was difficult to negotiate. We were able to put a tent right next to the kitchen and one halfway up the latrine trail. We had a third tent on a slight slope. There is a large, flat area next to the north landing, but it could get wet since it is low. The fire didn't touch the campsite itself but came very close. The latrine was put where the burn area begins/ends. There was a nice hanging tree right next to the latrine (the tree got lucky - burn marks around the base but escaped the fire).

exposed site with great view of the sunset, minimal tent pads but good for hammocks

We were expecting long and heavy rain so we made camp early in the day at this site. We ended up staying 3 nights. Amazing sunset views and an easy bag hang. Rocky landing. Kitchen area is very nice. Not too much traffic as most people we saw were far off in the distance continuing on to Lake Four.

It was tough to rate this site. The forest service moved this one since the other two reviews. It now sits on a rock slightly north underneath some massive white pine. This site has an amazing camp kitchen, good landings, and is incredibly beauitful. If the tent pads had been better, this would be an easy 5 star site now. I would stay here. Today we just stopped for lunch. This would be a great site for hammock camping

We ended up here because all other campsites in the area were taken. Stayed one night and moved to a better place. Its windswept and rough with no really good bear tree. But it was good in a pinch.

This site was burnt in the Pagami Creek fire. It is pretty desolate. When it fills back in it has a neat view of Lake 3. Landing isn't very good.

Slightly more difficult landing with the very high water in early 2022, but excellent high-ground site, very good tent pads, very little traffic on this end of Lake Three. The bear tree northeast along the trail in another review is there, but it's an adequate rather than good one, as there's no limb to get it both high enough off the ground, low enough from the branch, and far enough from the tree -- but still better than leaving a food pack on the ground.

Excellent on all accounts. The perfect campsite with lots of space for tents. And a fantastic easy bear tree just down the trail a bit on the northeast side.

Great site! Elevated fire grate with great breeze, sun, and views. Site is positioned on a narrow pass so pretty private even though Lake 3 can be busy. Great fishing around the islands in front. Great sandy canoe landing. Will be checking out this site again!

This island site in the burn area of lake 3 was a pleasant surprise for our group. Has a nice kitchen area and the site has plenty of places to pitch a tents or hammocks as you get away from the kitchen area. Fishing in the area was pretty good but it was pretty much non existent from this site during the day (we went during a may fly hatch) but as soon as the sun started setting the bite was very good. Landings where also nice and we did have people at the nearby sites but wouldn't have known it if we didn't paddle by and see them.

Gem of a site on the quiet side of Lake Three. Might be 4.5 stars, but I rounded up to 5. Landing is really easy, at least in the high water we had. Little sandy area to park one canoe, and a weedy/grassy area to park the other. Kitchen has a nice view; unfortunately, it is of the burn area on the next island over. The best tent pad is on the northwest side of the island, up high. It is rocky and difficult to stake, though. We had to use some rocks to hold it down. The latrine is as hidden as it can be; however, we discovered that it can be seen from certain points on the island. We had good fishing right in front of the kitchen - caught a nice walleye meal right there. Plenty of hammocking trees. It was semi-difficult finding a good hanging tree, but we settled for one by the best tent pad. It was a bit high, but it ended up working well. A potential downside is that the next campsite is very close, but our neighbors were quiet. (I hope we didn't disturb them too much.)

Really nice site. Somehow this little island escaped the burn. Good rocks for viewing stars and for drying. Good bear hanging trees. Lots of tent pad options to spread out. Small gravel landing made loading/unloading a breeze. Nice fire grate and kitchen area. Good trees for tarps.

This site is located on a tiny little island (no bigger than the dot on a McKenzie map), but the site itself is big and spacious. This island escaped burning in Pagami, even though most of the islands north and West of here didn't. We counted 9 tent pads here. The camp kitchen is nice enough, and there is even a large, flat stone next to the kitchen that serves as a table. On an island this small there is nowhere to hide the biff. They did their best and put the biff right next to a huge boulder. A couple trees have recently come down next to it, however. The best landing is on the West side of the island near the grate, and the best tent pads are north and east from there. Only drawback of this site is the proximity to the neighbors. We were just stopping in for a snack, and it was November, so there were no neighbors to be found.

A fair site. Adequate, but I wouldn't necessarily seek it out. Kitchen is average -- nothing remarkable but no complaints. Stayed here 3 nights with a group of 6. Close to decent fishing (though there wasn't much action from shore). The biggest perk is that it offers some seclusion from the otherwise busy canoe highway. Decent amount of breeze coming through the bay will keep the bugs away to some extent.

Nice and secluded, no traffic coming back in this bay. Very easy and gentle sandy landing. Latrine is remarkably far back. Lots of easy trees for hanging food bag.

The previous review is broadly correct. Very private, very heavily wooded, almost no breeze to keep the mosquitos away, absolutely fantastic swimming with a deep dropoff right off the shore. Firewood was the most plentiful I'd seen; there are a couple trails headed further W and NW which let you see Lake Three (and sunsets) and there was more firewood even in late August than could be used in a week. To get maximal tent pad usage you can spread a little further north; there are clearings with soft pine needles that allow for a larger group. We comfortably fit three tents with room for more.

Very private and heavily wooded site. Biggest drawback is bugs. Site is so shaded and protected from all directions there is no breeze to help w/ mosquitoes. They were awful. Firewood is also very sparse. Easy canoe landing and nice rock for swimming off of.

the island burnt in the pagami creek fire but there are several dozen live trees in and around the campsite. we didn't see a single canoe pass the site. fishing was great around the other islands in that part of the lake. we day hiked down to rock of ages. tons of available firewood on the island. there was only one good place for a bear bag and the tree was past its prime; i'll bring a canister if i ever plan to stay here again.

Camp area is largely shaded. Easy canoe landing. Likely to have more bugs than other sites given the shade and undergrowth.

If you want to camp on this busy lake this is a nice site - very good landing and swimming area, big, open camp, nice tent pads, good views and rock ledges to sit around on. The kitchen area is over built with rock tables set up. I doubt this will last - when next the usfs folks visit they will hopefully disassemble this as it detracts from the wilderness feel here.

Huge good landing-sandy area, site higher off the water tucked in the trees, good sun rocks, good mix of sun and shade.

Decent site situated perched up on the rock ledge above the lake. This site didn't burn, so it has some nice shade yet.

Decent island campsite with a good canoe landing and access to plenty firewood. There is a neat rock outcropping for sunning or fishing. Tent pads are just "ok". South facing but has a decent breeze to keep the bugs away.

great site with lots of cover, cedar tress all over camp. a handful of tent sites and a cool fire great location

Nice campsite that was missed by the Pagami fire. Depending on water level has a nice ledge for pulling canoes up onto.

This was a great site. Site is just up on a rock ledge with a small slop in one area. Kitchen is pretty good even with a south wind. 3 pretty good level tent pads with the option for a couple more back on the trails away from camp. 3 areas to hang a tarp. Some good trees for hammocks to rest in or sleep in. This site has one of the best bear hanging trees I have seen in a long time back away from camp on the shore line.

Enjoyed the elevated site to catch a little extra breeze to keep the bugs down & cool in the evening. Nice view to the south & west of the lake, along with a nice trail to the point with visibility to the south & east. Enough tree cover to rig a tarp and get a couple hammocks underneath to enjoy the rainfall.

Nice site with a trail to a fishing spot on the point. Had nice southern exposure and adequate trees to rig a tarp to ride out a storm. Landing is several feet below but is nice sloped rock. If you want your canoe more than a couple feet from the water, you'll have to hoist it up over a ledge.

Small site, level tent pads, good tarping. Nice southern exposure with shade.

Four stars for the relative solitude and view. Three stars for everything else. I used a landing on the west side. It was a bit of a hike up to the site. There might be a better one elsewhere, but I didn't look. The kitchen sits high off the water, affording a great view of the lake. There are a couple of tent pads near the kitchen area with a lot more potential ones in the open forest behind the site. Many hammocking options. Access to the Pow Wow Trail.

Great campsite, has room for many tents and/or hammocks. Also, direct access to the Pow Wow trail. Fire ring is high off the lake and often bug free. Only negative is the landing spot is small and not great.

Overall, our family loved this site. We enjoyed the elevation up off the water to help limit bugs for most of the day, the views from the high point overlooking the lake to the south, the fact that you're a ways off the traveled routes on Lake Three for pretty good privacy, and the proximity to the Pow Wow hiking trail which provided opportunities for exploration via land. Depending on your definition of "good" tent pads, how far you're willing to disperse from the fire grate, and how comfortable you and your gear can get on a rock surface, you have many options for setting tents. The undergrowth is minimal to the north up the peninsula - almost feeling like a state park or campground. There is a bit of that feel as well, as you can tell larger groups with less discernment for gathering firewood have been through here. Lastly, with the elevation above the water level, your crew needs to be prepared to work their way up a steep climb to the campsite. We found a secure landing site & storage for canoes on the east side of the campsite, so you'll not need to heft canoes up to high ground.

Water was so high, could not get to the latrine without wading. Wind was howling and due to the water there was little available firewood. Could be a great spot, I had lunch and when the wind died down some I moved on.

Nice rock outcropping for seeing the view. Open campsite layout. Several places to put tents. Two tent pads close to the kitchen. There is another tent pad up a trail on top of a rock with a nice view. However, this one does not have good staking options since it is on a rock.

Well appointed on the north shore of Lake Two. Nice rock outcropping; Pretty good canoe landing; Plenty of easy exploring on foot; Across the lake from the burn area (burn area is visible from this campsite); Good Northern fishing off the rocks, or up in the inlet on the east side of the campsite. Good tree cover toward the rear of the campsite; Easy to erect a tarp or tie up bear proof storage.

Nice big, elevated site. Several good tent pads spread out over site.

Large sunny site. Elevated above the lake and very open for lots of sun and star gazing. Only thing missing is a beach area to make this a 5 star site.

Decent landing - you can park on a little grave/sand space or use one of the smooth rocks in front of the site. The kitchen is open with a good view of the water. Most of the tent pads are down a path back in the woods in a shaded clearing. There are a few hammock-hanging options. We had one tent and one hammock, and both fit nicely in the tent pad area. Nice swimming area. Overall, a nice site, and I am glad that we were able to stay here.

Beautiful site! Landing is ok, great view of lake #2. Multiple tent pads, 2 fire areas, latrine is a little hike and was pretty full. Hard to find trees to hang food, but we made due. Great hammock trees.

We stopped here for lunch and checked it out. Both tent sites are far for being close to level. Kitchen area was small. The landing was nice.

We only base camped on the site next to it. The site is pretty open and not protected from much other than being in the bay. Might be hard with a east or south east wind. Not the best tent pads from what I could tell. Maybe 1-2 good ones with the option for 1 or 2 more. In the 7 days only one group stayed at the site. I would only stay if there was no other options.

We just stopped here for lunch. The hike up from the landing is a little steep but fairly clear. The landing itself is fine although might be a bit small for a larger group. As others have said the site itself clearly got hit hard by the fire but it is starting to grow back. You will still be fairly exposed at this site but that does leave you with a nice view. The toilet is back far enough of the brush that you will have privacy for that at least. There is a small clearing about 1/2 way down the trail to the toilet that you could maybe put a 3-4 person tent if you wanted a bit of shelter (I uploaded a picture of this). Overall not too bad consider what it had been through, but it also wouldn't be my first choice. Hopefully a few more years will help

I think this was probably much nicer before the fire. Spent two nights here..steep hill to get up to the campsite. Camp area is worn and tired. Very few trees for hanging anything. On the bright side it has beautiful views.

Oh so bad. This one burned really hot and there isn't a lot left of the site. The USFS cut it a hole out of the brush, so it is what it is.

Smaller site with difficult canoe landing area. Fire ring is located right next to the shore line limiting the number of people who can gather around the fire with no wind protection.

I've stayed at over 250 BWCA campsites and this one is in my top 10. Fantastic kitchen set-up, spread out tent sites, great hammock trees and with the low water level we had there was an amazing sand beach. Plenty of room to pull up canoes, go swimming and fish right from camp. Even though it was on an island (that was great to explore by the way) we found plenty of firewood. Only 1 small drawback is that the view from the main area is looking towards the burn out area but this is getting greener every year.

This is one of the best sites on Insula. Firegrate is up against a huge boulder with rocks on both sides for setting things and a nice flat table on on the left side of the grate, plus a bonus flat serving table. Nice big logs in a big rectangle will seat a large group around the fire. Private cove and sandy beach. Great tarping trees. Great hammock trees down by the water. Numerous tent pads. Faces West for great sunset views. View of mix of non-burn and burn could be considered a plus or a minus (since there is view of the burn). Sunrise lights up one section of burn that makes the tall pines turn white.

I'm not sure how anyone could give this less than 5 stars. I've been to the BWCA 20 times and this is the best campground I've seen. A gem.

Fantastic island campsite. Elevated grate, room for a cooking fly and numerous tent pads. Great beach and shallow area to swim. Easy to walk shoreline for exploring and fishing.

This is a really nice spot! We saw a moose at this campsite, too. The fire grate looks like something out of Game of Thrones. Several tent pad options, three were decent.

Was stuck here for a night due to heavy rains and other sites on Insula were taken. Nice beachy area if you have good weather to enjoy it. Lots of downed trees for firewood, but very few places to hang a bear pack (we ended up suspending it over the "ledge" over the beach hoping that would be enough). Also no trees substantial enough for hammocks. There were lots of thorny plants on the way to the latrine and very little privacy at the latrine. Glad that this was the worst spot of our trip!

Quite the nice camp kitchen, lots of sitting room around the site. There are a few really dangerous trees leaning over some of the tent pads, so watch out! Pretty cool island and nice to camp in an unburned site!

A large boulder provides a sheltered landing. The fire grate is elevated and provides a nice overlook of the surrounding area and the ravages of the Pagami fire (this site was untouched by the fire). It's a beautiful site and I would rate it higher except I could only find one 'semi' decent tent pad. There was a cool rock near the fire grate.

LAST SOUTHBOUND SITE BEFORE THE BURN, enough said; spacious site with good trees for bearlines or hammocks

This site is just past the burn zone. The landing is good, the camp area worked well for my party of 2. Decent cover from winds out of the NW. The tent pads are not the best.

Flat site, enough trees survived the fire to provide shade. Good canoe landing.

This site is definitely still open, but it shouldn't be. Gosh it's bad. It burned to an absolute crisp, but the USFS cut a hole out of the jungle for it. The only reason I gave it a 2 is for the gigantic boulder positioned behind the site that now has a broken tree precariously perched on top. It's really cool. Awful site if one had to spend the night.

A nice site with plenty of room to spread out. We liked the open kitchen area that had some privacy but also a nice view of the lake and "The Rock". Weather was cool so bugs were not bad at all even the first day of summer. Nice mature trees here since this is north of the Pigami fire area to the south. About a 5.5 to 6 hour trip for us from the Lake One entry point. Pictographs are a nice three hour paddle to the east. Good hammock options. Wild roses blooming on the way to the latrine, you can't beat that. Only problems are the latrine needs to be replaced (hole in the front) - I emailed the forest service. Also the sitting log by the fire grate is about ready to split in the middle. Didn't see any other logs to replace it with that were in any better shape. There are probably better sites on Insula but this one is just fine.

Decent site. I didn't love it, but there wasn't a lot to dislike. The fishing was great! 2-3 tent pads, firepit was well situated.

Nice campsite with good landing spot, probably best as a spring or fall spot as it looks like it could be buggy at times as it can only get breeze from one angle.

Fantastic 3-night stay...first trip to the BWCA

Elevated, good shade, nice landing, awesome view of The Rock, access to deep water (60') and excellent Walleye and Smallmouth action.

Wonderful site with a nice view of the lake. There is a sandy beach that makes landing canoes very easy and it's great for swimming and lounging. However, did not seem to be great for fishing. We made some upgrades to the kitchen so there are some huge flat rocks to use for preparing food. Other than fishing, only downside of the site is not having a great place to put up hammocks where you can view the lake.

Lots of sand and slugs

Sandy beach site that looks towards "the Rock". Shallow from beach to the back of the campsite, but nice overall

Nice beach site, protected from West/NW winds. Firegrate is tucked behind trees and nicely protected as well should the wind be coming from the South.

Great site for a large group if you want a sandy beach-style site. Great area for hanging hammocks (watch out for the large fallen tree stuck in adjacent trees still). Great swimming area, and a friendly turtle to boot! Plenty of firewood still, even though it appears to sustain heavy traffic. Easy walk down the shore in both direction for some good spots to fish from shore.

Really pretty site! Big sand beach, awesome kitchen area. Biff is back and a little tough to find. Tent pads are pretty great. We only stopped in for lunch, but it would have been a great place to stay.

Very small with lots of undergrowth. Might work for some, but not for our group. We moved on.

This campsite obviously sees a lot of use. It's open and with some tree cover and a variety of tent pads. It's on a pinch point so some traffic passes by here.

Nice landing/beach and good tent pads with tree cover. Knocking a point because it's very exposed to the adjacent site just across the water.

We checked the shore and could not find any signs there was a site here.

Had to make camp here when the wind made it impossible to get out of the burn area. Small area with not much room to move around and no living trees taller than 3'. Pretty desolate, but it had a place to put two tents (side-by-side), a fire grate, and a latrine.

looked at this campsite but turned around, didn't use it; very exposed after the burn

This site has easy access to the water. I larger tent site a smaller one. Kitchen/fire place area is small and hard to get more than a couple of people around it. Had a good area for hanging a rain fly. There was no fishing from shore.

Off the beaten path, nice site. Best landing is on the backside of the peninsula.

Yes, the huge sandy beach is the defining feature of this site. The kitchen is quite deliberately placed behind a small patch of cedar, but it didn't reduce our enjoyment of the site. There were plenty of places to prepare food, or to sit on. We preferred to sit in our chairs sunk down in the sand on the water's edge. We had the best food bag hang ever back up in the woods a bit. The tent pads were spacious and plentiful, but a little buggy due to the nearby marsh. There were plenty of places to hang hammocks, but the cedars blocked any view. As with other beach-centered sites, expect everything to get gritty. The landing is super easy because of the beach, but scooping water to filter required a short hike past the end of the beach, or a wade out to deeper water. It wasn't as fun as an island site, but was otherwise quite comfortable, so I rounded up on the score.

Amazing beach site with plenty of room for large group. Site has multiple tent pads and hammocking options. Only negatives of the site would be the view from the kitchen is somewhat blocked by a cluster of cedars and you will see a decent amount of traffic pass by throughout the day.

This is a fantastic site with great views of this part of Insula. Landing a canoe is no problem with the sandy beach. The kitchen is protected from any wind by a few red cedar trees. The ample flat tent pads are nicely spread out. Even the toilet is in a nice setting in the woods.

This is a nice beach site with a good view of the sunset. We were passing by and saw it open this day, but we were heading further on. There's plenty of room here for a larger group.

An awesome campsite that was completely ruined for us due to weather. We had heavy rains and high winds most of the time we were here. But this site had some great potential. Lots of sand on the beach, and the water out front is super shallow and very slow slope in the water, you can walk out a long way!

This is a perfect site for a BWCA chill trip. Easy access, great views, spots for hammocks, and barefoot time. The only negative is that it's very shallow around the site. The water was very low in 2021. We could walk almost 50 yards out and it was still only thigh deep. So no BWCA swimming. We LOVED this site!

Great sandy beach with an amazing sunset view over the whole lake.

Beautiful sandy beach with great views across Insula towards the west for sunset. Very long beachfront and water is shallow going out quite a ways. Buggy toward the south end due to swampy area in the woods, but overall not bad. The latrine sits up a pretty good hike up the hill at the north end. If you are wet expect sand to stick to everything.

The most striking feature of this site is the beautiful sandy beach. There are a myriad of possible tent pads throughout the site. However, if you don't like sand, this probably isn't the site for you.

Sand beach, good swimming for kids

We checked this one out when looking for a site. The canoe landing area was rocky but doable. Both tent spots were small but pretty level. No place to hang a rain fly or hammocks.

A fairly decent landing. The Fire grate is very near the water and currently has no shelter. However, there are a couple of decent small tent pads. I believe that once this site (trees) grows up a bit, and provides some shelter/tarp options etc., I will rate it a bit better.

We stayed here for one night on our way to Alice Lake. This is a sandy beach site. The site is small with only a couple good tent sites. Great site for sunsets. We did not fish from site but bay appears to be shallow. The site feels like it could be buggy depending on the time of year.

The landing for this campsite is a nice, shallow, smooth rock and gravel landing, with rock shelves nearby where gear can be unloaded. The main camp area is shaded by a tall white pine, and another white pine frames the landing, so the site has a pleasant pine feel right away. Behind the site there is a lot of spruce. The campsite itself is fairly open and has a pretty good view through a window toward the lake, maybe 30 feet wide, with trees lining the rest of the shoreline. The kitchen and landing area have pine duff from the white pines, while the area behind the kitchen is grassy. I found three good tent pads and five maximum tent pads. A couple of pads are north of the kitchen, one is south of the kitchen, and another possible spot is near the start of the latrine trail. This is a solid, useful campsite with good shade, decent views, and enough tenting for a group.

Open site with a good landing, nice fire area, and good fishing nearby. Follow the trails past the latrine and you'll pop out on the other side of the island.

Nice site. Depending on the wind direction you could get some breeze, but the back is really closed in. We just stopped here for lunch. We would have stayed had it been later in the day.

Great open site with perfect bear bag tree. Latrine is appropriate length from main site. Good canoe landing, but max 2 canoes at a time. There is a path to the back of the island for viewing weather or quick canoe landing if you don't want to paddle around (i.e. lunch break). The only reason the site does not get 5 stars is the mice. Be good about cleaning up all food items and it will be a 5 star site for you.

Big site with beautiful views, sufficient trees to hang a bear bag, a moderately long walk to the latrine, and a nice big kitchen/fireplace area. Probably could only have max 3 canoes at the landing. Good site if you intend on hammocking (lots of thick trees). The only issue were the mice! I have never seen so many mice running around at night! Not our favorite site, not our least favorite site...but good if you have a nice sized group.

There are two different landings for this campsite. The landing out front on the point is a set of gently sloping rocks, and it was not too hard for me to pull up the canoe and get out that way. There is also a narrow sandy inlet around the side where you can pull in and get out, though it is not wide enough to parallel park. The campsite itself is a large grassy area surrounded by spruce trees, about 50 feet across from the water to the back of camp. The kitchen is out near the point and has an excellent view of Thomas Lake. Farther back in the campsite, the grassy area is more protected by spruce trees, and that is where the tent pads are. Everything is basically in the same main camp area. I found two good tent pads and three maximum tent pads. One of the good pads is borderline because it is either small or has some small rocks, but you could fit three tents in the grassy area without too much trouble. When I visited, a spruce had fallen toward the back of camp and was taking up some space, though I imagine it may eventually be cleaned up or used as firewood.

Nice site. Can catch plenty of crawfish and minnows from the land for bait.

The landing for this campsite is on the south side of the site, and it is very easy. There are actually two small sand and fine gravel landing spots, almost like two canoe garage stalls. The campsite itself is very open and sits on a rock ledge about six feet above the water. There is not much cover in the main site. A few small trees may provide some shade, but there are mostly young jack pines and birches around the open area, with spruce farther back behind camp. Since the site faces west, it may get morning shade, but by afternoon I would expect a lot of sun. Much of the campsite is rocky, rooty, and uneven, so tenting is limited. I found one good tent pad and three maximum tent pads. The good pad is a little behind the kitchen but still in the main camp area, and it is on gravel with only a slight slant. Another possible pad is down a trail along the cliffside, but it is lumpy, uneven, and rooty. A third tent could fit somewhere else in the main area if needed. The view from the kitchen is very nice, with a wide look across the lake from the rock ledge.

Awesome sunset views. Amazing night fishing. Elevated campsite on rock formation.

The landing at this campsite is a little awkward. There is a raised rock shelf that is just high enough to make getting out of the canoe onto shore uncomfortable. If you are willing to step into the water and unload from there, it would not be bad, but dry-footing directly onto shore is awkward. Once the canoes are out of the water, there is a small place to store them. The campsite itself is a long grassy strip on top of a rock shelf, raised about four or five feet above the water. The fire grate sits near the edge, close to the lake, with a large grassy area behind it. The grassy area is about 75 feet long along shore and about 40 feet deep, so there is plenty of space. I found three good tent pads and four maximum tent pads. The pads may be a little lumpy because the grass itself is lumpy, but they should still work. The site is exposed and does not have much shade, so it is a pretty basic open grassy campsite.

I agree the landing is bad and that this site is exposed. We camped here on a very nice day and the breeze was great for keeping the bugs at bay. The view to the east at sunset is pretty cool.

Large area for tents, etc. site not very suitable for hammocks. Very poor landing area for canoes.

Nice site, not beat down... water on both sides... tent pads right on the water

Good kitchen area, tent pads, grassy area, poor landing area (had to lift canoes up rocky ledge to store for night). Nice shade but marginal wind protection.

This is a very small, sheltered, protected campsite. The landing is on the south side of the peninsula and is narrow, a little brushy, and slightly awkward, but once I landed, I could pull the canoe up fairly easily. The path from the landing is long and wide enough to store a canoe off to the side. The campsite itself is surrounded by brush and trees on all sides. In the main campsite area there is one large jack pine, along with a few spruce trees and a couple of red pines, but the big jack pine is the main tree feature. There is not much to the site beyond the fire grate, and there was no seating around it. The entire main camp area is roughly a 30-foot circle. There are two possible tent pads, one good and one not as good, so I would call it one good tent pad and two maximum tent pads. This is a no-frills site that would work if needed, but it is compact and very sheltered.

Good site: out of the way - not much traffic other than folks looking for a site. Stayed here 2 nights because it was so busy. Nice spot for fishing and swimming near the landing.

This is a huge, sprawling campsite. The landing is easy, with several places where I could pull up along smooth, flat rock, get out, and unload. The kitchen sits out on a rock point, and the entire campsite spreads across that point with trails going in several directions. Jack pines line parts of the shore, but they do not block much of the view, so the site has excellent views all around. Behind the kitchen, scattered cedar trees provide shade for many of the tent pads. I found five good tent pads and seven maximum tent pads. Several of the pads are large, flat areas back among the cedars, and there are also a couple of possible places for tents closer to the kitchen. The nearby cliffs are easy to explore from camp as well. This is an excellent site for a larger group because it has space, shade, flat tent pads, and great views.

very nice open, slightly tiered site, tent pads found at all levels, we were there early and my brother caught a laker off the rock near the landing, which is easy and sheltered. very nice sunset view from the kitchen. hiked around a bit but didn't get to the other site. we got another laker trolling by the north point of the camp side of the island. there is a reef east of the island towards the portage to Alice and another laker. The trout were all near the surface, ice was out late.

Great site with a western view. Nice level sleeping pad. Swimming just north of the site in the black sandy beach.

Best site we've stayed at in the BW. Huge site with a trail that goes up to a cliff overlooking Thomas. We wished we had more time to stay more than one night. Caught a decent-sized Northern casting from shore.

This is a nice campsite shaded by big white pines. The bay and landing are shallow, and the landing was very easy. I was able to pull up to shallow rock shelves and flat rocks and get out without any trouble, so landing canoes here should be simple. The fire grate sits a few feet above the water and has a nice view of the lake. The surrounding white pines are the best part of the site because they provide shade for the kitchen area and cover the campsite in pine duff. I found three good tent pads and would call it four maximum tent pads. There are probably other places where tents could squeeze in, and there should be plenty of hammock options as well. Behind the campsite there are a lot of dead and downed trees, which creates a strong contrast with the main campsite area under the white pines. The main access is on the north side of the peninsula, but there is also a trail to the south side, where the landing is much smaller and harder to find.

Tracks with previous reviews. The kitchen seating was pretty much gone during my stay. There were several logs cut next to site that could be used for normal seating configuration. Shaded in front but had a sunny area behind kitchen. Plenty of firewood due to blowdown at rear of site. Some walking trails with limited access to bay at rear of site. The latrine was quite exposed here and close to tent areas. Landing was average. Enjoyed a couple of nights here and would return.

Great "hidden" site in small bay. Plenty of space for tents and/or hammocks. Good kitchen area with a beautiful view of the lake.

Open campsite with lots of pine needles and nice landing area. There is good seating around the fire as well as ample shallow areas on the rocks. The campsite sits in a nice bay protected from the open lake and wind.

This campsite is tucked back in a quiet bay with no campsites especially close by, so it should feel fairly private. The site sits in a pine grove with a lot of red and white pines, and the ground is covered in pine duff, giving it a classic Boundary Waters feel. The landing is a narrow sandy-gravel area. It is shallow, so getting in and out is pretty easy, though it is not wide enough to parallel park the canoe. The kitchen is raised about eight feet above the water and has a decent, somewhat screened view of the lake through trees along the shoreline. The main tenting area is down a trail under large red and white pines. It is a very large, mostly flat area, but only one spot there is truly good; the rest have some slant, roots, or unevenness. There is another good tent pad in the main camp area, giving the site two good tent pads and five maximum tent pads. I really liked the big pine grove and the overall feel of this site, especially if you only need a couple of tents.

Stopped to stretch our legs after a long time fishing for Lake Trout. Decent site back in the small bay, with a good landing, nice kitchen, and flat area for a couple of tents. Didn't stay overnight, but got some pictures.

The landing for this campsite is hidden behind a big boulder on a small bump in the bay, so the boulder is the best landmark to look for. The campsite itself is surrounded by giant white pines, which usually means a great campsite, but this one is much smaller and brushier than I expected. The site is basically a small clearing, about 30 feet by 20 feet, covered in pine duff and surrounded by brush. The white pines make it scenic, and for a solo camper this would actually be an appealing little spot, but it would be tight for a group. The latrine is not far from camp and is in view of much of the campsite. There is one good tent pad, though there are branches about five feet above it, so a taller tent may brush them. A second tent could fit somewhere, but most of the remaining ground is slanted. I would call it one good tent pad and two maximum tent pads. This is a small, scenic site that works better for a solo camper or very small group than for a larger party.

We did not stay here, but got out to check it our. It is a small site with minimal sitting logs. Very closed in with bushes, not many accessible bigger trees. Rocks in front of landing make it necessary to paddle in parallel to the landing. After that getting out to the site is easy. Latrine is encroached by rose bushes. One or 2 tent pads, but there would not be much area to spread out or walk around.

Scenic site on a point, elevated a bit above the water. As mentioned, nice rocks out from of the site. If the wind is coming from the north or east, the fire grate is a bit exposed. In calmer weather, a really nice site.

Very nice campsite. Have to get gear up a slope to the campsite, but it's not a big deal. Great views from the point. Fun rocks near the shore for the kids to play on.

Agree with descriptions. Great canoe "garage" between the rocks. I left my hatchet there! I hope someone got some use out of it.

pretty site, good access for canoes & hammock hanging trees; small beach nearby for swimming

Nice site. A couple good tent pads big enough for a 4 man tent. Nice landing. Good tarp trees. Cought a couple Northern off the point from shore. Fire pit sits back enough off water that the wind is not bad.

This campsite is wooded and sheltered on all sides. The landing is pretty good, with a smooth sloping rock where I was able to pull up alongside and unload my gear. The slope is just enough that it could be slippery, especially when wet, so I would be careful there. There is enough canoe storage down by the landing, and that area could also work as a small front porch where you could look out at the lake or maybe set up a chair, tent, or hammock. From the landing, you walk up a few built-in steps to the kitchen, which sits about 10 feet above the lake but is set well back in the woods. The site is surrounded mostly by spruce, with some birch, one white pine closer to the landing, and a jack pine mixed in. It would be a good sheltered site if you needed protection from wind or weather. The best tent pad is down a short trail behind the kitchen. It is level, though a little rocky, and should work fine with a sleeping pad. There is another smaller tent pad in the main camp area that is okay, and a third possible spot near the start of the latrine trail that is rocky and lumpy but usable if needed.

This site has better tent sites than that one just to the north and is well isolated from the other sites on the lake. Good hammock options. West facing provided a sufficient breeze to keep off the bugs and enjoy the sunset. Good set-up around the campfire and sufficient firewood. We didn't do well with fishing but was likely our capabilities. Nice day trip through Frazier and the chain of lakes to the NE.

Though it appears dark and densely forested from the water, this site has plenty going for it. A few nice tent pads and a comfortable camp kitchen stay sheltered from the weather and neighbors.

This campsite is a large open space on top of a rock hill. Most of the campsite sits on a rock ledge about four feet above the lower area, and the kitchen is probably about 10 feet above the water with an excellent view of this end of Thomas Lake. The best landing is tucked back in the corner of the bay, where there is a small gravel area and plenty of room for canoe storage. From there, it is a short climb up to the kitchen. Down below the hill, on the side opposite the landing, there is a grassy area where most of the tents would go. There are two good tent pads there, and a third tent could probably fit in that same area if needed. There is also another grassy spot behind the kitchen, but it is a little rocky and rooty, so I would not call it a good pad. There are a couple of red pines and a big white pine near the tent pad area, while the kitchen area has mostly spruce and some brush. This site has great views and should get enough breeze to help keep bugs down.

Landing is on the east side of the big rock out front. Better site for tents than hammocks but its manageable. Very sheltered from anything but a south east or south breeze, great place to watch a sunset and the amenities were all as they should be.

Decent site, open and fewer trees for hammocks. Spent 1 night here and moved on.

Nice big site that is up over the water with a stone entrance.

Nice landing area and a wide open grassy area for multiple tents on a lower level. The upper level has the fire grate and another tent pad option back in the woods.

The landing for this site is a smooth rock. It is pretty narrow, but as long as the water is calm, you can parallel park the canoe and get out. The campsite sits on a four-foot ledge above the landing, so you do have to climb or clamber up a bit to reach the main site. The campsite itself is simple: basically a circular grassy clearing about 40 feet across. There was no log seating around the fire grate when I visited, though a downed birch in camp could probably be turned into seating pretty easily. I found two good tent pads and four maximum tent pads. The pads are grassy, but the grass grows in clumps, so they may be a little lumpy. That might smooth out with use, but it is something to keep in mind. The trees around camp are mostly spruce, with one red pine and one jack pine mixed in, and it gets brushy behind the campsite. This is a serviceable site, but there are better campsites on Thomas.

steep lakeshore landing for canoes, lumpy tentsite

The landing at this campsite is difficult. It's a long, sloping rock ledge with no obvious place to comfortably get canoes in and out. I ended up getting pretty wet unloading gear, and there's only a narrow spot where you can pull a canoe up. Otherwise, you're lifting it onto a ledge that's uncomfortably high above the water. Once up at the campsite, I noticed right away that the ground is very rocky and rooty. I found two tent pads that were usable, but neither was great. You could probably make space for up to four tents if you really needed to, but it would take some compromises. The site itself isn't terrible, but between the poor landing and the lack of good tent pads, it's not one I'd choose unless options were limited.

Easy landing. Flat site with a long point to cast off. Nice fire grate with trees available for a tarp. Two nice pads and a short walk to the box. Lake trout caught just off shore.

There is not much to this campsite. The landing is the best part of the site. It is a flat rock, and I was able to parallel park the canoe and get out with no problem. The fire grate is just sitting at the top of a little rise, and there is a decent view of the bay, but the site itself is very small and rarely used. There are a couple of large dead trees down in the water next to the site, very little shade, and a lot of dead trees and brush around camp, with spruce farther back. The actual campsite is basically a 15-foot-diameter circle at the top of the rise from the landing. I did not find any good tent pads. You might be able to squeeze one tent in, but it would definitely be on a slant. This is a rarely used site with a decent landing and view, but I would not want to stay here unless I had no better option.

There are a couple of landing options at this campsite, and both are smooth, gently sloping rocks. The water is shallow, so getting in and out is not too bad. The kitchen has a great open view of the lake with no trees blocking the view. The big feature of the site is a large pine tree off to the side of the kitchen. Unfortunately, it is not close enough to shade the fire grate for most of the day, though you could sit underneath it for shade, and it does provide pine duff over much of the campsite. The kitchen itself will likely be in the sun from morning into early afternoon. The tent pads are back behind the site down a short trail. I found one good tent pad and three maximum tent pads. The best one is in a small clearing among spruce trees. Trails go left and right from there to other possible tent spots, but those are uneven and have roots and rocks. Around the kitchen there is brush with a couple of small spruce trees, aside from the side with the large pine. This is a decent site with a strong view, but the tenting is limited.

Should have been 3, not 2 stars!!

Ok site overall, landing is decent with a good landing and ok tent sites. Nice kitchen with a flat rock for pans/stoves. Good view of Thomas lake. Fishing was poor, but I've always had a tough time on Thomas, so that wasn't a shock.

Elite camp site. More open now with less brush and undergrowth than some of the older photos on this site show. Beautiful little beach makes for a perfect landing spot for our three canoes. We were here late June and it was crawling with painted turtles, both on the beach and higher up, that were laying their eggs. We did our best to stay out of their way and then put circles of rocks around the spots where we knew the eggs were. It was very cool. Site also has great elevation with stone steps up from the beach to the spacious kitchen area. I've made 15 trips to the BWCA and this is one of the ten best sites I've ever been to.

A really nice campsite with a raised kitchen overlooking a sandy beach landing. Good views south and east. You'd be hard pressed to find a nicer spot.

This campsite is really great for a large group. The sand beach and landing is wonderful, the stairs up to the main site is unique, there are multiple tent pads that have different unique features, and TONS of great trees for hammocks. The rock overlook is a great place to watch the sunrise, look at the stars, or enjoy a drink/smoke with friends/family. There is a raspberry bush right in camp behind the kitchen, and there is more back behind the site if you're willing to look for them. There is a decent amount of traffic, but essentially none that comes directly in front of the campsite. The site provides easy access to Cattyman falls and Jordan narrows, which offers great fishing, cliff jumping and animal sightings. We didn't catch anything from our site, but was probably due to weather. The overlook is essentially a giant wall adjacent to the landing flats of the campsite. If this site is open, take it. You will not regret it.

Lovely sprawling multi-level site with many tent pads and areas to set up tarps. Lovely coffee rock to view lake that is separate from the rest of the campsite area.

Beautiful sandy beach landing that has a neat stone staircase that leads up to a spacious elevated site. Lots of room for every purpose here. Plenty of downed wood back behind camp and good shore fishing spots. Not really any good tarp options near the fire grate and there will likely be a good amount of traffic paddling by.

This was among the kid's campsites. Nice sandy beach. Plenty of room. Lots of rocks to explore

Beautiful site. Sandy beach, great views. We stayed here 2 nights after putting in at Snowbank. Spent a day with easy access to fish and photo Jordan Narrows. We tented up on the rock and had limited opportunities to stake out the tent but still found it was the best spot. Added some pics of our time here

Nice site on a stunning little lake. The sand beach landing is outstanding and offers a great place to swim and cool down. Site could use more shade and is blocked from most breezes has great elevated views and ample space. Quite a bit of visible traffic as groups cross from the Jordan portage into Ima.

What more can I say that hasn't already been said? Great site. Before we left we watched a couple foxes moving about 50 yards or so down the shoreline. Really great spot right by the lake where we were able to set up our mosquito tents and tarp.

This is the best site I have been to. Very large and very popular. Sandy beach!

The landing was sandy and would make a good swimming area. There were several tent pads, but I don't recall exactly how many. The kitchen has a good view of the lake. The campsite is nice and on the main travel route, so it is pretty popular.

Great northern views of the lake, good landing with an area to store canoes. Tents need to be very close together.

Nice views, rocky area that sits above the water allows for nice seating. Good landing and area to stow canoes. Not very good branches for bear bag, many trees down around the campsite.

Caught nice walleye in the mouth of the inlet into the rock formation. Rained on us that day/night. Decent cover up on campsite. Nice overlook of the lake.

Buggy, even in September, pockets of space, kitchen and tent pads close together, somewhat sloped

The landing was nice. There was a small grassy area by the kitchen. The only issue I had with the site was that the latrine was visible from the kitchen.

Great site with good kitchen and gravel swimming and canoe landing area. Plenty of room for tents, and I hung my hammock on the large trees down by the shore. There was a strong south wind and we were well protected in camp back here. Interestingly enough, like elkninja, we has a loud party group on the site directly north. It didn't bother us too much but the older couple on the northern beach site were very unhappy when we saw them on the portage the next morning. There's a cool beaver skeleton perched up on a rock in the bay to the southeast of the site.

We enjoyed the solitude of not seeing others although we heard plenty from the group to the north. Fishing was fine from shore. Our two tents fit just fine. We watched the sun set from the point and a beaver slapped his tail at us over a dozen times as we sat there. The only caution...the latrine trail had several downed trees you had to walk under and a few looked like they could fall at any time.

Bit of a climb to the camp from shore and the pullout was just ok. Good kitchen with only one really good tent site but multiple options if you have more. Plenty of trees for tarps/hammocks. Best feature of this site is the seclusion, very private on a busy lake. That alone makes up for any of the other possible problems.

Busy area and tough spot to get. South end of the lake around a little point. Good spot for swimming. Private other than hopefuls. Nice fire area, good trees for hammocks and tarps.

Great campsite secluded fromt eh rest of the lake. Nice canoe landing and fire grate area with a large stone ideal for preparing meals. Fishing was a little slow but were still able to land two nice walleye and a couple large Northern pike.

A secluded campsite on a busy lake. We didn't see anyone come down to this end of the lake over a 4th of July weekend. The swimming area is decent. There are a few places for tent pads. You don't have a scenic view of the lake from this campsite, but the seclusion made up for it for us.

Secluded site with a nice gravel landing/swimming area, big enough for at least 3 canoes, great views of the south end of the lake. East exposure great for watching the sunrise. The latrine is secluded from the camp. And if you're there at the right time of year the place is loaded with blueberries.

We didn't get to stay here as there was another group using the site when we paddled by, but we did get a nice view of the site. It's fairly open and situated on a nice rocky point a little ways above the water. It looked a lot nicer than the site we stayed at, but, like I said, we didn't get out of the canoe.