Sylvania Wilderness Paddle

Paddle Sylvania from Crooked Lake to High Lake. Meet at the Crooked Lake boat landing at 10:30 a.m August 21
Hello out there - Boy are we lucky to live in Wisconsin with the Upper Peninsula just next door. Both are blessed with lots of paddling water in beautiful environments. So we need to get out there and enjoy the water while it is still "soft". It won't be that long before "hard" water will return and our boats will be hung to dry for yet another paddling season in 2026. That being said, let's go paddling in the U.P. If you're not familiar with the Sylvania Wilderness Area near Watersmeet, MI., here is a very brief description. Sylvania is a pristine northern wilderness of 21,000 acres of virgin forest and glacier-scoured lakes and ponds located in the Ottawa National Forest. It contains close to 40 lakes and ponds with transparent crystal clear water so that on a sunny windless day you can see bass swimming slowly among the drowned branches of ancient cedar 20 to 30 feet deep. High Lake is 77 acres with a depth of 90 feet, and at times with the right conditions of the Sun, can appear turquoise in color. Almost a spiritual experience. It was for me the first time I saw it. No shuttle needed. PFD's are required for all NPT paddle events . Bring water, lunch and wear appropriate footwear and clothes for the portage and weather. There is a vehicle admission fee, I believe $5.00 or if you have a senior recreation card pass there is no fee required. Make sure to bring it along and display it in your vehicle. Important: No metal or glass food or beverage containers, including foam containers can be taken into the wilderness area where we are going. Directions from Eagle River: Travel north on Hwy 45 to Watersmeet, MI. Turn left at the intersection of Hwy 45 and Hwy 2 and travel west for app. 5 miles and turn left on Thousand Island Rd. Travel several miles (app 2 or 3 miles) down and you'll see the Sylvania Wilderness entrance sign and turn left into the Entrance Station area. From the entrance station follow the signs to the boat landing/parking lot. Turn left for the Crooked Lake put-in. New for 2025 - A donation of $5.00 per event is requested for non-NPT members which can be paid at the event. Membership for NPT is $10.00/year. To become a NPT member go to NorthernPaddleTrail.org and click on membership. Please contact Jay if you have any questions. We hope you can join us on this NPT adventure.