Kirkwood Lake Campsite #1

Landing

Topography of under-water approach: estimated as shallow rock/rubble (editor: requires more detail).

Impediments to disembarking from and/or unloading a canoe: Some emergent and shallow rock to watch out for, shrubbery along shore at high water.

Topography to tent sites: Considerable rise from the canoe landing to the campsite. (editor: requires more detail).

Canoe landing out of view but to the right (north) of picture down the bank ...

Fig 1: Canoe landing out of view but to the right (north) of picture down the bank. Vista is looking North West. Fig 2: View from campsite looking North. Note deadhead in background. Fig 3: Tenting area, picture is taken looking East. Fig 4: View is looking South taken from campsite, Marsh in background surrounds small creek to Founders Lake. Small channel, home to a number of sunning painted turtles (and Mergansers, barely visible), leads to Lowrance L portage to the east. Fig 4: Firepit and lounging benches/windbreak. View is looking east.

Campsite

Campsite maintenance: regular.

Size of open area: approx. 60' x 30'.

Extent of tree cover 35% canopied.

Degree of levelness Kitchen and tenting area flat.

Tentsite area, looking east ...

Number of level tent sites: Two 2-3 person tents. Hard packed earth, all flat with some roots. Tent, kitchen/cooking areas all at same elevation.

Firepit and lounging benches, looking east

North exposure: Tent and firepit protection from the north ... campsite butts up against young strip of evergreen forest.

Looking north from campsite ... note deadhead in background ...

East exposure: Full eastern protection, thick expansive evergreen forest behind campsite.

South exposure: Good south exposure, nice lounging area at cliff face and along hard ground.

Looking south from campsite, Marsh in background surrounds small creek to Founders Lake. Small channel, home to a number of sunning painted turtles (and mergansers, barely visible), leads to Lowrance L portage to the east. ...

West exposure: Full western exposure, great late morning-afternoon sun. Good sunset view.

General description: A nice compact site, no canopy over firepit area. Ground mostly flat, slightly elevated shelf towards western part of campsite. Mostly base of shield rock and some roots and large boulders on the periphery. Lots of firewood to be had behind tenting area. No fashioned table, fire pit well constructed. Big old white pine rounds for benches provide decent windbreak for stove/fire. Nicely protected from any North and East winds. There's a small rise to access the campsite from the canoe landing, so you have to haul your gear up a bit. Proximity to valley'ed marsh due south of campsite provides wonderful acoustics to the spring peepers' deafening chorus during spring time. The waterfall draining Pardee Lake into Kirkwood at western end of lake can be heard if the wind is right. Otter a happy resident on this small nice lake.

Overall accessibility: Considerable rise to the tentsite (editor: requires more detail).


Thanks to Jeffrey McMurtrie of Jeff'sMap for supplying the base-layer map component by Creative Commons licensing.

Submitted by Stephen Molson .. Visited May, 2008 .. Submission Feb. 4, 2009