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.

Quote:


This was about a month ago. Our entry was August 5th and our exit was August 9th.

It was my first time in the BW during summer season, and also my first time not solo. I don't plan on doing either again any time soon.



edit: just in case it sounds like I'm bitching, I'm not. We had a good time despite the unexpected crowds. I'll just be a little more careful with entry point and season selection for the next trip.

Am I correct in my assumption that in Quetico you can camp anywhere you want (or have to?)  On our recent trip into Q we got stuck one night on Rouge Lake, of all places.  I mean, talk about a back water, the Lake is little more than a pond between Jean and the marsh that leads into Sturgeon.  Not exactly the place where you'd expect to find people lining up for camp sites. It only had one site marked on my map and wouldn't you know it, when we got there (in itself an act of desperation) it was taken.  We found a rather stark slab of nearby rock and moss to pitch camp.  It was far from the nicest camp site we stayed at but I must say it was probably the most beautiful dawn I can remember with both the moon and sun in full view and the mist rising.

"Am I correct in my assumption that in Quetico you can camp anywhere you want (or have to?)"


that is correct - at least for the present, unless they "fix" something that isn't broken in the current planning phase for Q

As a noob doing the big loop in quetico I had caught a 3 lb walleye that I had intended to shore lunch. A big family of Canadians paddled by and the Grandpa had a keen interest in the fish. Naturally I offered it to them and they gladly accepted. 3 hours later with a storm brewing I passed them and they insisted I share their site, which I did. They were a very nice family.

The moral of the story? If you intend to camp with others, bring some fish!