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http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ottawa/recarea/?recid=12331
Anyone have thoughts or advice on Sylvania Wilderness canoeing?
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I personally don't know much about Sylvania other than it exists. However, there are a few people over on bwca.com that know quite a bit about it.
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Thank you. That will help determining if it's worth the long drive home.
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Sylvania is a fun place for a shorter trip, but don't expect the same BWCA experience. It's a great place to take kids or anyone not up for a more rugged trip; the park is small, sandy, and has easy portages. Bass fishing is the focus in most lakes (smallmouth or largemouth, some lakes have a decent mix) and you can't keep either. The crystal clear water on some of the lakes can be challenging to fish on a clear, calm day, but the fishing can also be fast and furious at times if you go with a finesse style. Campsites tend to be farther from the water's edge than in the BWCA, and I miss the flat rock along the water as well. The old growth forest throughout Sylvania is wonderful!
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 1 user thanked bwbrian for this useful post.
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We've been to Sylvania for a 4-day, 3-night trip and we enjoyed it thoroughly. As mentioned above, it's a bit "BWCA Lite" as the portages are shorter, flatter, etc. and there are fire rings and toilet boxes up in the woods, but it's a great place to get away for a few days. Campsites are reserved like hotel rooms. If you want to camp at "X" campsite on "X" lake, you simply make the reservation accordingly. If that particular site is unavailable, you'll know that at the time you're attempting to make a reservation. Another nice aspect to Sylvania is that the shorelines are "clean", which means it is difficult to see a campsite from the water. You may not get the great lake view from the fire ring but it clearly adds to the Wilderness experience. The lakes are small, for the most part, and I think having the campsites set back away from the water's edge is a good thing. There is excellent smallmouth bass fishing in the Sylvania lakes. For several reasons, we didn't fish much on our trip, but I think any angler who goes to Sylvania should try his or her luck at finding some excellent smallie action. One last thought - they are repairing and/or replacing some roads in Sylvania this year, thus making getting into the park difficult. You should call ahead to get the appropriate information for your entrance into the park. Good luck with your trip. I'm hoping to get up there for a weekend trip myself.
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Originally Posted by: bwbrian  Sylvania is a fun place for a shorter trip, but don't expect the same BWCA experience. It's a great place to take kids or anyone not up for a more rugged trip; the park is small, sandy, and has easy portages. Bass fishing is the focus in most lakes (smallmouth or largemouth, some lakes have a decent mix) and you can't keep either. The crystal clear water on some of the lakes can be challenging to fish on a clear, calm day, but the fishing can also be fast and furious at times if you go with a finesse style. Campsites tend to be farther from the water's edge than in the BWCA, and I miss the flat rock along the water as well. The old growth forest throughout Sylvania is wonderful! Inspired me to bring my fins, mask, and snorkel. A sunny, calm day on High Lake allowed for some nice pics underwater before getting out and flipping soft baits toward the log piles. Despite (or because of) the scouting the smallies were mighty tough to bring in!
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