Overnight Backpacking at Porcupine Mountains State Wilderness Area (Site BC-7)

Headed westward on the Big Carp Trail and down the escarpment!

As much as I like coming here in the fall to enjoy the colors, it’s still just as scenic when it’s all green.

Enjoying a small campfire at my site (BC-7).

Best part of staying at BC-7 was being right on the banks of the river, able to soak my sore feet in the cold water after hiking the ten miles to get here.

The Big Carp River.

Site BC-7 sits just above the river from the largest waterfall in the entire park (Shining Cloud Falls). It’s also adjacent to a nice canyon that keeps the area fairly shaded.

Just some love for my custom internal frame backpack and fanny pack, both made by a company based in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Chicken Tramper Ultralight Gear).

I prefer the Big Carp River (BC) Trail over the Escarpment (ES) Trail. It may have less views of a lake, but it also has a lot less people!

Easily my favorite stretch of trail in their entire park.

You won’t find any passerby hikers in this picture - they’re probably all over by that tiny little lake (Lake of the Clouds) in the background!

The Porcupine Mountains are my favorite place to enjoy being outside. Period. Views like this are why.

Campsite mise en place.

Hawk Vittles dehydrated backpacking dinners are solid and their single size portion is more than enough for one adult. I tried the Sweet Italian Peppers, Sausage, Onions and Pasta.

This was my most ambitious solo hike to date (10 miles down on the first day and the same ten miles back up the escarpment the second day) so the campfire was a short & small one.

The river’s water level was low enough for me to skip across the exposed rocks and walk across from bank to bank.

I might have seen two or three groups of backpackers walk past my site in the daytime hours, and other than that, I had this section of trail all to myself.

Many people regard BC-7 as one of if not their number one favorite campsite, and between the seclusion and the access to the river, it’s now become one of my favorites, too.

I started using a Zpacks Duplex this season and love it. The symmetrical design consistently pitches well (unlike the Altaplex I had the season prior) & it’s a palace for 1 person!