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Further in the park, but maybe more beginner-friendly: Rock (10/19 sites) – Pen (7/16).
FredForest: If you are planning a single night I think you would enjoy time at a camp site more than a portage so I suggest you paddle in to a site (...). You can always paddle to a portage and hike the portage trail for a picnic.
--> According to Fred, I think, this might be a good idea: We paddle to a site at Rock Lake, build up the tent and leave the gear there and after that, portage to Pen and discover the northern part of the lake.
Are motorboats prohibited in the south of Rock Lake or are they allowed on the whole lake?
Do you know a good site at Rock? (maybe on Rose or Jean Island)
When do we have to start, to get a good site? (it´s the Friday oft the Labour-Day-Weekend)
Many, many thanks for your advice and sorry for my weak (especially Canadian-) English
Nicola
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Motorboats are allowed throughout Rock Lake, there's no line they have to stay behind. If you're going in on Rock I would take the short portage to Pen and camp there for more of a backcountry feel.
Hard to say when you "have" to start, I try to start early in the day where possible. The fact that you're going in on the Friday which is still a work day may help a bit.
It occurs to me that although I've been saying the Ragged Lake option has the advantage of being a loop, you could in theory make Pen Lake a loop also, albeit with a longer portage on the way back, if you returned via Night and Galeairy back to Rock. A bit more challenging but you don't need to commit, just go camp on Pen and then decide whether to return the easy way (the same way you came in) or the more ambitious way.
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One thing I’ll add, and people might disagree with me on this, but if you find a site you like on Rock but it’s already taken, feel free to ask if they’re staying the night of heading out. If you get on the water early, since it’s such a short travel time from launch —> campsite, there’s a fair chance you’ll get to a site in the waking hours and while it may look occupied, they may actually be heading out shortly after. If that’s the case you can just wait at a nearby site for them to leave, then paddle over. Or sometimes I’ve had people let me bring my stuff ashore and just hang around until they left.
But if you do this, remember to be respectful, and give people their privacy. In my opinion it’s ok to ask while you’re in your boat and if you see someone nearby the water, but I would never go on shore to ask, and I would never yell out if I don’t physically see someone around (they may be sleeping etc.)
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trippythings wrote:
One thing I’ll add, and people might disagree with me on this, but if you find a site you like on Rock but it’s already taken, feel free to ask if they’re staying the night of heading out. If you get on the water early, since it’s such a short travel time from launch —> campsite, there’s a fair chance you’ll get to a site in the waking hours and while it may look occupied, they may actually be heading out shortly after. If that’s the case you can just wait at a nearby site for them to leave, then paddle over. Or sometimes I’ve had people let me bring my stuff ashore and just hang around until they left.
But if you do this, remember to be respectful, and give people their privacy. In my opinion it’s ok to ask while you’re in your boat and if you see someone nearby the water, but I would never go on shore to ask, and I would never yell out if I don’t physically see someone around (they may be sleeping etc.)
I agree!! I've done this a few times and it has always worked out well.
