Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park
Reviewed Oct. 11, 2020

Beautiful at peak fall color!

I did a 3 day/2 night hike during peak color, starting at the Lake Superior Trailhead. I was warned the Lake Superior trail was muddy when I checked in, and the ranger was not joking - I was grateful to have trekking poles to help balance on logs, branches, roots and rocks to try to keep my boots as dry as possible in the parts of the trail that were submerged. 

Campsite LS-14 had a lovely location on the lake, but was very muddy/previously submerged with water. It immediately abuts site LS-13. There was a wooden platform to put my tent on, but I had to bolster the corners so that it was big enough for my tent poles to have something to rest on. If I had gotten in before dark, I might have seen the small area near the trail side of the site that had higher, dryer ground. There is supposed to be a bear pole for these sites, but the group at the other site said there wasn't one. In hindsight, I think there probably was, away from the campsites, but since I had a canister, I didn't go looking for it after dark. The Lake Superior trail continued to be muddy until you got close to the Big Carp River mouth.

Campsite BC-8 was a big upgrade - very large site, a little patch of open sky over the fire pit, easy access to the river for water. The big trees provided good shelter from a minor storm and high winds overnight. This site is right alongside the trail, but separated from the cabin and next site by a good distance. The hike out from here up the Big Carp River trail to Lake of the Clouds is a somewhat longer trek with a bit of elevation gain, but nothing too intense in my opinion.

SiteLS-14, BC-8
Month of VisitOctober
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Hilary S., October 11, 2020
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Hilary S., October 11, 2020
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Hilary S., October 11, 2020
  • Review photo of Porcupine Mountains Backcountry Camping — Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park by Hilary S., October 11, 2020