LOON LAKE SYLVANIA WILDERNESS, UP
CLARK, LOON AND (KIND OF) DEER ISLAND LAKES
DATE PADDLED: May 14th-16, 2021
OTHER ATTENDEES: 6-Decade Best friend Mike Strunk
WEATHER: Nearly perfect conditions with low wind, temps in the 60s, and virtually no bugs
DISTANCE: 3.6 miles
DIFFICULTY: easy to moderate; paddling was easy, 99 rod portage from Clark to Loon challenging but doable.
PRO TIP: The portage to Deer Island is really fucking hard to find. Also, don't fall into the water.
FACTOID: Wilderness Bob told us the portage between Clark and Loon Lakes crosses the Continental Divide. I will take his word for it. (Also: you can see below for more topography info.)
Major lobes and moraines in the Wisconsin/UP area
(Sylvania indicated by a red star)
courtesy Friends of Sylvania
The center of the uplift that led to the formation of the Wisconsin Dome is located in Vilas County in Wisconsin and Gogebic County in Michigan. It represents the divide between three watersheds: Precipitation falling to the north of it flows through the Ontonagon River toward Lake Superior, precipitation falling to the south flows through the Wisconsin River toward the Gulf of Mexico, precipitation falling to the east flows through the Paint River toward Lake Michigan. The town of Watersmeet, about 8 miles east of Sylvania, is located in the area of this divide, hence its name. The highest elevation is, however, a swarm of drumlins to the east of Watersmeet.
[Source: Attig 1985, Peterson 1986; J.W. Attig contributed to this article]
from Friends of Sylvania
Topography of Sylvania