9/25/2026 Friday. Arrived at the Clark Lake boat launch around 8:00 pm and didn't feel comfortable canoeing to my Cedar 2 reservation due to the quickly disappearing daylight. Drove to Imp Lake Campground and stayed at site #6 (I think) on the water. Very nice site.
9/26/2026. Launched canoe at Clark Lake around 11:00 am. Initially paddled to an occupied Squirrel 1. After talking a few minutes to the nice couple there, I realized my mistake of going to the campsites I circled on my map in the order they appear geographically, instead of following my reservations. I don't know what I was thinking. Finally paddledto my correct reserved siteBear 1. Steep walk up to campsite, especially the final 10 feet however, for those final steps, there is a "switchback" to the right when you're almost to the top of the hill which reduces the incline and is more manageable for a tired canoer carrying way too much gear.
9/27/2026. Paddled to Coyote campsite on West Bear Lake. Set up camp and explored the lake after dinner. Back at camp when the sun was almost gone, I heard footsteps and voices (a man and a woman) coming up from the water and very near my site but couldn't see anyone due to the foliage and low light. Hearing others walking and talking was startling since I occupied the only site. Then I thought maybe like me, on my first day, they had gotten the wrong site. Turns out I think they walked to the "thunderbox" bc they passed back through and back to the water about 15 min later.
9/28/2026. Paddled to Squirrel 1 on Crooked Lake on the correct date this time. Probably my favorite site of this trip. There were campers at Squirrel 2 but couldn't see them due to the foliage, etc. Plus, Squirrel 1 sits a little higher than Squirrel 2. By this 3rd day, I'm getting the hang of portaging, finding the portages, and finding the campsites and can relax a little. Made popcorn after dinner which was a treat.
9/29/2026. Paddled back to Clark Lake boat launch and loaded up.
All in all it was a great first trip! Thank you to everyone on this site who left pictures and descriptions of the portages as this information was invaluable to me as a first timer. I am 56 yo F who found the portages not difficult and very pleasant. They were not rocky, very manageable with trail runner shoes, and easy to find from the water. I learned I really need to pare down my gear as three carries for each portage ended up being a lot. And one time I left my eyeglasses on a rock at the beginning of the portage so I had to return a 4th time! The longer portages, like one from Clark Lake to Crooked Lake, I treated like a mini backpacking walk through the woods. Fall colors were peaking, the weather was sunny and warm each day, and there were very few insects. When planning and researching this trip, I thought I would take a lot of photos to post to "pay it forward" for other newbies like me. But this ended up not being the case. I was enjoying so much being on the water and taking in all the scenery, I didn't want to take myself out of the moment by digging out my phone.
Notes for other beginners like me:
1) Sylvania Wilderness is in Central Time Zone; 2) The USDA topo map isokay. I felt it lacked in topo shore outline details and ended up using my Garmin watch GPS navigator a couple times to ensure I was in the correct general area; 3) This is a gentle and forgiving area for first timers and highly recommend giving it a try if you're on the fence about doing it; 4) You probably need less gear than you think.
30-minutes out from Sylvania Wilderness Area on arrival day. Ended up staying at Imp Lake Campground that night.
Imp Lake Campground morning of 9/26/2026
Right after launching at Clark Lake on day 1.
Squirrel 1
