My cousins and I bushwhacked a camp on Lake Agnes in the BW not too long ago. I have never been in during the busy season, so I didn't know what to expect. I had heard the Moose River North entry was popular, but I had no idea it was going to be THAT popular. It was like a Wal-Mart parking lot up there, tons of cars and tons of people. And here I was, leading my cousins from Tennessee, after promising them a legit wilderness experience...

All of the groups heading towards the exit told us that they had trouble finding sites. Nina Moose was full, Agnes was full, and we were told to expect the same all the way to / on LLC.

Long story short: it was getting late, it was windy, and my cousins were not going to make it any further. The sun was setting and we passed campsite after campsite with no vacancies. I spotted what looked like a campsite from the water, but turned out to be an old site (?) with a fire ring and a big clearing but no latrine. We camped way back in the trees, and pulled the canoes up far into the woods so we couldn't be seen from the lake. At sunrise the next morning, we headed out, and grabbed a designated site just as its occupants were leaving.

There were a few worried groups that passed us the next few afternoons / evenings, saying everything was full from LLC down. We offered to let one group camp with us, but they weren't interested. I bet a lot of people bushwhacked that weekend. The rangers stopped by an hour after we set up at the legit site. We didn't mention the bushwhack but they didn't look like they would have cared too much.

Despite the crowds, we still had a great time. But I didn't expect the bushwhack night. If it's your only option vs. paddling in the dark, and you get back from the water, LNT etc., I don't see the point of issuing a fine. Lower the number of permits first.