CROOKED LAKE SYLVANIA WILDERNESS, UP
CROOKED, MOUNTAIN, EAST & WEST BEAR, KERR, HIGH LAKES
DATES PADDLED: May 19th-22nd, 2022
OTHER ATTENDEES: 6-Decade Best friend Mike Strunk
WEATHER: Rainy and chilly conditions at times, windy; temps in the 50s-60s with lows in the 30s, and virtually no bugs
DISTANCE:
DIFFICULTY: easy to moderate; paddling was easy except for paddle out into a NE wind; two 90 rod portages on loop challenging but doable.
PRO TIP: Make sure to use The Buddy System for EZ Reel Retrieval.
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