Sylvania Wilderness planning
Sylvania itineraries
Four day-by-day plans built from the mapped portage lengths and the numbered campsites — with the carry distance for each travel day calculated, not guessed.
Plan with verified data
Sylvania trip tools
Carry distances below are summed from the portage lengths printed on the published Ottawa National Forest wilderness map. A double carry means walking each portage three times, so plan on roughly triple the listed walking. Campsites must be reserved for the specific lake you intend to sleep on — check availability before committing to any plan here.
2 days · Beginner-friendly
Weekend paddle-in
The lowest-commitment way to sleep inside the old growth. One reserved site, one short carry, and you are out by mid-morning on day two.
| Day | Water | Carry (rods / mi) | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Clark Lake → Loon Lake | 99 / 0.31 | Pick up the permit in Watersmeet, launch at the Clark Lake landing in the early afternoon, cross under the hemlock shoreline and carry into Loon. Make camp early enough to swim or fish the evening shallows. |
| Day 2 | Loon Lake → Clark Lake | 99 / 0.31 | Paddle out on the calm morning water. Wind builds on Clark by late morning, so an early start is the difference between a pleasant crossing and a grind. |
Bail-out: You are never more than one carry from the Clark Lake landing.
Campsites on this route: Clark Lake (11) · Loon Lake (7)
4 days · Intermediate
Classic four-day chain
Three different lakes, three reserved sites, short carries between them. The trip most parties should book first.
| Day | Water | Carry (rods / mi) | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Clark Lake → Loon Lake | 99 / 0.31 | Afternoon launch and the first carry. Camp on Loon. |
| Day 2 | Loon Lake → Deer Island Lake | 92 / 0.29 | A short travel day. Fish the morning, move at midday, and spend the afternoon exploring the Deer Island shoreline. |
| Day 3 | Deer Island Lake → Cub Lake → Big Bateau Lake | 86 / 0.27 | Two carries, the second of them trivial. Big Bateau is the quiet end of the chain and worth a full evening. |
| Day 4 | Big Bateau Lake → Florence Lake → Loon Lake → Clark Lake | 211 / 0.66 | The long day out. Start at first light; this is more portage distance than any other day on the route. |
Bail-out: Reverse the chain toward Clark at any point — every lake on this route connects back through Loon.
Campsites on this route: Clark Lake (11) · Loon Lake (7) · Deer Island Lake (0) · Cub Lake (0) · Big Bateau Lake (0) · Florence Lake (0)
7 days · Intermediate
Slow week in the hemlocks
Base-camp two or three nights at a time and reach the corners on day paddles. The fishing-and-bushcraft version rather than a mileage trip.
| Day | Water | Carry (rods / mi) | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days 1–2 | Clark Lake → Loon Lake | 99 / 0.31 | Settle in on Loon for two nights. Day-paddle the Clark Lake old-growth shoreline with an empty boat. |
| Days 3–4 | Loon Lake → Deer Island Lake | 92 / 0.29 | Move to Deer Island for two nights and fish the drop-offs morning and evening. |
| Day 5 | Deer Island Lake → Cub Lake → Big Bateau Lake | 86 / 0.27 | Cross to Big Bateau. The Cub–Big Bateau carry is the shortest on the map. |
| Day 6 | Big Bateau Lake → Florence Lake | 34 / 0.11 | A short reposition that sets up an easier exit, or a lay day if the weather is good. |
| Day 7 | Florence Lake → Loon Lake → Clark Lake | 177 / 0.55 | Out to the landing. Budget a full morning. |
Bail-out: Each base camp sits within a day of the Clark landing if weather or injury forces an early exit.
Campsites on this route: Clark Lake (11) · Loon Lake (7) · Deer Island Lake (0) · Cub Lake (0) · Big Bateau Lake (0) · Florence Lake (0)
3 days · Expert only — conditions dependent
November cold-water circuit
Near-freezing water, shore ice, short daylight and almost nobody else out there. Treat this as a cold-water expedition with hard turn-around rules, not a shoulder-season paddle.
| Day | Water | Carry (rods / mi) | Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Crooked Lake → Mountain Lake | 13 / 0.04 | Launch from the Crooked Lake side. Hug the lee shore, keep the crossing short, and be in camp with two hours of daylight to spare. |
| Day 2 | Mountain Lake → Crooked Lake → High Lake | 35 / 0.11 | A conservative loop. Reverse or shorten it the moment wind, ice or forecast says so. |
| Day 3 | High Lake → Crooked Lake | 22 / 0.07 | Out early. Freeze-thaw makes the portage landings slick and the shoreline ice shelf unreliable. |
Bail-out: Every night of this plan is within one short carry of Crooked Lake and the road access.
Campsites on this route: Crooked Lake (13) · Mountain Lake (8) · High Lake (2)
Build your own instead
The route builder will calculate the shortest mapped carry between any two lakes in the chain, and the campsite guide lists every numbered site with its reservation link.