BIG BATEAU SYLVANIA WILDERNESS, UP
CLARK, LOON, FLORENCE AND BIG BATEAU LAKES
DATE PADDLED: June 2nd, 2021
OTHER ATTENDEES: Portage Leader Bob Lundquist
WEATHER: Low wind and temps around 75F; sunny on Loon and Clark; overcast on Florence and Big Bateau
DISTANCE: approximately 6.5-7 miles
DIFFICULTY: Challenging journey with two long lakes and a total of six portages, many of which are sparsely used and largely uncleared.
PRO TIP: Bring bug spray and an advanced sense of direction.
YOU DON'T SEE THAT EVERY DAY: Florence Lake is a small, mosquito-laden hell that serves a purpose by providing the last leap to Big Bateau. But to see two Trumpeter Swans fly directly overhead while squawking across the lake? You don't see that every day.
FACTOID: I have been going to Sylvania since 1997 and this was my first (but definitely not last) trip to Big Bateau.
The only private cabin in all of Sylvania Wilderness technically resides in Wisconsin on the far south shore of Big Bateau. If the current owner is reading this, I'm interested!
