Tatchun Lake Campground has 20 campsites and none of them are a pull through site; there is a boat launch and a cook shelter.
That’s what you’ll find in the campsite guides.
But how much does that really tell you?
I can tell you that those campsites are some of the most untouched campsites I’ve been able to take the family to. The trees are just a few steps away.
In the many times we camped there last summer, there were never more than four or five campsites being used, unless you count the tour group and their dozen matching MEC tents.
If you are looking for a new location to get away from it all, this site fits the bill.
The boat launch is not right at the campground, but down the road a little ways. In fact, the access to the water at the campsite is down a reasonable hill and doesn’t allow much opportunity to tie up a power boat.
This, and the fact that the Nanutuk campsite is just 25 kilometres down the road and is almost custom designed for launching boats and parking them at your campsite, keeps Tatchun Lake Campground almost exclusive to paddle boats over motor boats.
There is a big island across from the boat launch that took us about an hour to get around, even in the old leaky canoe we were in.
The scenery was spectacular and I just loved getting to the other side of the island from the campground and all of the people there.
Speaking to some of the other campers, we found there were numerous opportunities to explore the lake through small channels and around the backsides of the islands.
Something about the isolation from any other people or man-made structures is an experience all its own.
The kids got soaked on that trip as the canoe had taken on a great deal of water. Yet somehow I still got Emily back in the water with me the next morning as the sun was rising.
We were on the water as a family of loons across the way started to wake up and, as much as the serenade during the day is spectacular, the song from the lake through the mist as the sun rose was even better.
The most interesting wildlife we saw at the site was on old fox. It showed up every night on every trip we made. It was a nervous old fox that would disappear at the first sign of any of the campers or their dogs. While it was always around, it never seemed to cause any trouble around the site.
Speaking of wildlife, that lake is crowded with Pike. The folks who chose to paddle out and down the lake came back with stories of the many pike caught and released.
Ben caught his first fish ever, a Pike, from the trail just a few feet from the docks.
We ate that Pike even though the kids aren’t great fans of fish, but it was my son’s first catch and probably the best fish I’ve ever tasted.
PHOTO: TAMMY BEESE
