We visited three provincial parks along the top of Lake Superior in Ontario that highlight the area’s natural beauty.
From The Grand Portage (post here) we made our way up through Thunder Bay and stopped at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. The most popular hike here is to Sea Lion Rock which juts out into the lake. Several points along the easy trail offer pretty views of the rugged shoreline, making it easy to forget that this is isn’t an ocean, it’s Lake Superior.
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Our second stop was Ouimet Canyon. This steep canyon is about 330 feet deep and about 490 feet wide. What makes it unique is its microclimate which supports rare arctic-alpine plants at the bottom of the canyon. These species would typically only be found further north. The walk, however, is along the canyon’s edge to two main lookout points. Given our relatively foggy day, I didn’t come away with a huge appreciation for the unique vegetation deep within the canyon.
Skirting the downtown of Nipigon, our third stop was Rainbow Falls Provincial Park. This elevated boardwalk trail is dotted with viewpoints of the rushing waterfalls that tumble over smooth, ancient rock formations as they flow into Whitesand Lake. The park includes both Whitesand Lake and portions of Lake Superior. Whitesand Lake is a tranquil spot that when warm enough looks great for swimming, paddling, fishing, or relaxing on the beach.
In less than 200 miles of travel around the top of Lake Superior, we saw Northern-California-like rocky coastline, a sheer canyon, tiered waterfalls, and sandy beaches made for swimming. We were truly surprised by the variety of landscapes in this area.
