Sylvania Wilderness — Attraction in Watersmeet Township

We wanted to explore a new place to hike that would give access to lakes and the colors of fall. Sylvania did not disappoint. We went on a cooler fall day, mostly cloudy. As of October 1, the check in center appears to be closed. It is normally a daily fee area of $5 but there are no envelopes anywhere to be found so I’m not sure what to make if that.

There is a campground with one loop open at this point sites 1-13 and numerous backpacking campsites along the many miles of trails. Right now these are first come first serve but are by reservation only during peak season.

For hiking, I recommend downloading a map as the trails are not marked all that clearly but leads to a wilderness feel. I recommend driving past the check in station down a short drive and you will come to a split. To the left a short ways down is parking at one of the trailheads that leads to miles of trails and backpacking sites. The campground is to the right. Taking a left or right and driving as far as one can go will lead to boat launches on either end. I believe there is a beach past the campground at Clark Lake. From what I could tell, Crooked Lake is only taking drop in boats like kayaks and canoes due to invasive species concerns. We had a great time exploring it woods, taking detours to see several lakes abs we plan to be back next summer...

For anyone who's into hiking vast stretches of pristine forest, Sylvania competes with the Porkies as the best I've seen in Michigan. Much of the hike around Clark Lake is through old growth Hemlock--Sugar Maple--Yellow Birch forest, which is always an awesome experience. This forest contains the largest Yellow Birch that I've seen, a few of which must be 3-4 feet in diameter

What makes Sylvania even more special, one area in which it surpasses the Porkies, is in its collection of White Pines on the eastern shore of Clark Lake. Several of these must be at least 150 feet tall. They certainly rivaled those in Hartwick Pines, but have the added benefit of being part of a long hike through old growth rather than just a small remnant section.

Only drawback is that for some reason, they couldn't give change for a 20 on the $5 entrance fee and only took cash or check. But a hike here is easily worth $20 if that's all you have--just offer to pay the next three people's entrance...

This is a beautiful place to canoe and camp, but if you bring a dog make sure you keep them leashed at all times. I had a trip to canoe camp for 3 nights 8/16 through 8/19. At our first campsite - Osprey 2 on Loon Lake - we had set up camp and noticed we hadn't seen our dog (a 22 lb. beagle mix) in awhile so went looking for her. We found her being carried off by a wolf. After being chased the wolf dropped our dog. We paddled out and took her to a 24 hour vet south of Wausau, WI. She was very lucky and will live after many stiches. Make sure you keep you dog leashed and with you at all times if you...