Intermediate or Whittlesey?

[Tom]

So, my brother-in-law and I will be doing the inland water route in June. We have Sat-Thu, which should be plenty of time to meander through, getting in some fishing, and some relaxing. Currently, our plan is to travel via canoe:
Sat: McCargoe or Birch Island. (I've spent many a night at McCargoe, so if Birch looks open when we come in on the V-II, we might paddle out to it, just to have a night there.)
Sun: Lake Ritchie Canoe
Mon: Wood Lake
Tues: Whittlesey
Wed: Chippewa
Thu: Pick up.

The thought was that by picking Whittlesey over Intermediate, that gave us a weather day (hold at Intermediate) in case getting to Wood across Siskiwit is bad.
So, with that said, is Intermediate that much better? Indifferent? Stay an extra day at Wood, and bypass Whittlesey altogether? All thoughts and considerations appreciated.

[Ingo]

Sounds to me like you're thinking right! Take the opportunity to cross Siskiwit while you have it, and hopefully paddle out to Ryan Island too. I haven't stayed at either Intermediate or Whittlesey, but paddling by them Whittlesey looked to be a bit nicer (just a vague general impression). We spent 2 nights at Wood and loved it, although I'll make a point of staying at Whittlesey the next time I get through there. Can't go wrong with any of them, as far as I'm concerned.

I like Birch. If there's weather blowing off the lake from the NW it's a little exposed, like some other lake sites. Also, if you're in the shelter any boats will be at your doorstep, so may not be the most private. The tent site is set back a bit, however. The paddle down McCargoe is very nice, although the extra 2 miles will add to what is already your longest day. But I hate starting the day with a portage, so I'd say do it

[MikeT]

Birch is well worth the paddle. The view towards the entrance of McCargoe is great. You can paddle past the entrance if the conditions are good and beyond Indian Point there is a nice cove to hang out in. It was kind of a thrill to paddle a route I had taken so many times on the Voyageur (like when I first paddled the North Gap). There can be some tricky currents there though. Also, Brady Cove is a nice relaxing paddle. Going back to McCargoe, the wind has a tendancy to go north to south down the cove and it is usually a quick paddle back.

Intermediate is one of three campgrounds I have not stayed at (I will be at zero if this springs trip goes as planned!), but based on location and terrain, I would say it is very similar to Whittlesey which is nice and has a good peaceful wilderness feel to it, but is very limited for activities except fishing (there is Pike and Perch which Intermediate also has).

Wood Lake is one of my favorites as it is centrally located and you get a great view of 2 totally different lakes.

As Ingo said, the big variable is Siskiwit Lake. There are times when it cannot be paddled whereas Intermediate and Whittlesey can be paddled almost anytime.

[Wilderness Junkie]

I have not stayed on Intermediate, but just the fact that Whittelsey has a good walleye population (and I was able to catch many of them) would sway my vote!

Also, I was able to hear the waves crashing on the Lake Superior shoreline from Whittelsey. If that's something that appeals to you, I'm not sure if the same can be said for Intermediate.

[Kevinl]

Hi Tom. You're going to have a lovely trip.

I've only stopped at Intermediate long enough to chill and have lunch, never overnighted there. However, I'm content with that, and would choose Whittlesey over Intermediate every time. I love love love Whittlesey. There's just something about it. Now you've got me thinking I should do this trip this summer too!