Lake Superior Provincial Park

Lake Superior Provincial Park, on the eastern shore of Lake Superior along Highway 17 between Wawa and Sault Ste. Marie, protects 1,550 square kilometres of the most dramatic lake-coast wilderness in Ontario — sheer pink-granite headlands plunging into the cold, deep waters of the world’s largest freshwater lake, remote sand-and-cobble beaches accessible only by boat or multi-day hike, forested river valleys with world-class brook trout streams, and ancient Ojibwe pictographs on cliff faces above the lake.

The park’s coastal landscape is defined by the raw power of Lake Superior — the largest freshwater lake in the world, capable of generating ocean-quality storms with 6-metre waves on an exposed granite coast. The Coastal Trail (the park’s defining hiking route) traverses 65 kilometres of headlands and beaches accessible only on foot, with the Agawa Rock pictographs (one of the finest Ojibwe pictograph sites in Ontario) accessible from a short but exposed trail along the lake base. Highway 17 through the park is considered the most scenically dramatic highway drive in Ontario. Lake Superior Provincial Park is a wilderness of elemental power.

Fall (mid-September through mid-October) is Lake Superior Provincial Park’s most spectacular season — the coho salmon runs peak in the park’s rivers in September and October (the Agawa and Sand rivers are among the finest coho-salmon river-fishing destinations in Ontario); the fall colour (mixed boreal and Great Lakes forest on the headlands and river valleys) peaks in late September; the lake is at its calmest and the pictograph access is most reliable in September. Summer (July through August) is the hiking and brook trout season — the Coastal Trail is fully open and accessible, the rivers hold wild brook trout in the cold pools, and the beach sections of the coast (Sinclair Cove, Katherine Cove) are swimmable in warm summers (Superior’s surface water reaches 15-18°C in the warmest summers in the park’s sheltered coves). Spring (May through June) brings the brook trout to their finest surface-feeding in the rivers.

Lake Superior’s eastern shore has been an Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) homeland for thousands of years — the Agawa Rock pictographs, attributed to the Ojibwe leader Myeengun (Wolf), record a mid-17th-century crossing of Lake Superior in a storm, an extraordinary narrative account painted in ochre on the cliff face. The French voyageur canoe brigades of the 17th-19th centuries paddled the Superior coast as part of the fur trade route between Montreal and the interior; the headlands and river mouths of what is now the park were campsite and portage points on the route. Highway 17 (the Trans-Canada Highway) was completed through the park in the 1960s, opening one of Canada’s most dramatic highway corridors. Lake Superior Provincial Park was established in 1944 — one of Ontario’s earliest large-scale wilderness parks.

Lake Superior Provincial Park exposes the ancient rocks of the Lake Superior basin — primarily Precambrian volcanic and intrusive rocks (the Keweenawan basalts and the older greenstone belts) overlying the Archean Superior Province crust (2.5-3.0 billion years old). The park’s headlands are dominated by the striking pink-to-red Precambrian granite (the Algoman granite) that gives the Lake Superior coast its characteristic colour palette — pink granite, dark green boreal forest, and the blue-grey of the lake. Lake Superior itself is the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area (82,103 square kilometres) and one of the deepest (maximum depth 406 metres) — it was carved by the Laurentide ice sheet exploiting the basin of ancient softer rocks and expanded by repeated glaciations. The lake’s enormous volume (10 percent of the world’s surface fresh water) sustains a cold, nutrient-poor aquatic ecosystem that keeps the park’s rivers cold and clear — the foundation of the brook trout and salmon fishery.

Lake Superior Provincial Park’s coastal and interior wilderness supports a rich boreal wildlife community — moose (present throughout the park; the river valleys and beaver ponds of the interior are the best moose habitat; the Coastal Trail provides consistent moose-viewing opportunities in the river mouths), woodland caribou (one of the last populations in southern Ontario, with small numbers in the park’s northern interior), eastern timber wolf, black bear, river otter, osprey, bald eagle (common along the Superior coast, fishing the river mouths), great blue heron, common loon, and the coho salmon and brook trout that sustain the river-fishing ecosystem. Lake Superior itself supports lake trout and whitefish in its cold depths, sustaining the bald eagle and osprey populations along the coast.

Lake Superior Provincial Park’s ecology is defined by the cold, nutrient-poor influence of Lake Superior — the lake’s enormous thermal mass keeps the coastal climate cool and humid year-round (the lake rarely warms above 15°C on the open coast, creating a maritime microclimate on the park’s exposed headlands), and the lake’s cold, oxygenated water supports the cold-water fish community (brook trout, lake trout, coho salmon, whitefish) in the park’s rivers. The woodland caribou (a nationally threatened species) uses the park’s remote northern interior as one of its last refuges in southern Ontario; protecting the caribou habitat from motorized disturbance and predation pressure is a management priority. The Ojibwe pictograph cliff faces are actively managed for access safety while protecting the cultural resource from vandalism.

Lake Superior Provincial Park holds a significant place in Ontario’s cultural landscape — the Agawa Rock pictographs (one of the most significant Ojibwe cultural sites in the Great Lakes region), the most dramatic highway drive in Ontario (Highway 17 through the park), the Coastal Trail (the finest extended coastal wilderness hike in Ontario), the legendary coho salmon and brook trout rivers, and the elemental power of Lake Superior. The lake itself — the largest, coldest, and most powerful of the Great Lakes — is a force of nature that defines the experience of the park. Gordon Lightfoot’s “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” (the ore carrier sunk by a Superior storm in 1975, with 29 lives lost) captures the lake’s power. The park is a cherished wilderness icon of northern Ontario.

Lake Superior Provincial Park is on Highway 17 (the Trans-Canada Highway) between Wawa (60 kilometres north of the park’s north boundary) and Sault Ste. Marie (90 kilometres south of the park’s south boundary). The park visitor centre is at Agawa Bay, on Highway 17. The park is approximately 8 hours northwest of Toronto (via Hwy 400 north to Hwy 69 north to Hwy 17 west through Sault Ste. Marie). Sault Ste. Marie (90 kilometres south) has full city services. Interior backcountry access (Coastal Trail, interior routes) requires a backcountry permit (Ontario Parks). Road-accessible campgrounds (Agawa Bay, Rabbit Blanket Lake) are book-ahead through Ontario Parks.

Ontario Parks manages Lake Superior Provincial Park. The Agawa Rock pictographs are among Ontario’s most significant cultural sites; the access trail is closed when Lake Superior is rough (significant wave action washes over the trail base — this is a serious hazard; obey all trail closure signs absolutely; people have been swept from the trail by Superior waves). The woodland caribou population is protected from motorized disturbance; no snowmobiles or ATVs in designated caribou habitat. Brook trout fishing: catch-and-release is strongly encouraged in the park’s rivers (especially for river trout over 30 centimetres); follow Ontario fishing regulations scrupulously. Coastal Trail camping: pack out all garbage; campfires in designated rings only; no washing in streams.

Lake Superior is genuinely dangerous — the world’s largest freshwater lake generates ocean-quality storms with waves over 6 metres on exposed coasts; the water temperature (4-8°C on the open coast even in summer) means survival time after capsize is measured in minutes. Sea kayakers must have open-water coastal paddling skills, a marine radio, and the discipline to stay on shore in bad weather (Superior weather can deteriorate in 30 minutes). The Agawa Rock pictograph trail: the trail base is wave-washed in any swell; obey all closure signs; the park has evacuated visitors from the trail by helicopter. Coastal Trail: the headland sections are exposed to Superior weather; carry rain gear and emergency shelter. River crossing in high water on the Coastal Trail can be dangerous in spring runoff.

Backcountry camping permit required for the Coastal Trail and all interior routes (Ontario Parks; book online). Ontario fishing licence required; check Ontario regulations for park-specific size and bag limits (brook trout in provincial park waters have special regulations). Campfires in designated rings only; fire bans apply in dry periods. No motorized vehicles off Highway 17. Agawa Rock pictograph trail: obey all closure signs when Superior is rough (enforced). Dogs on leash on all trails. Carry out all garbage from backcountry campsites. Check Ontario Parks for current fire restrictions and trail conditions before visiting.

Wawa (60 kilometres north — the iconic “Wawa Goose” sculpture; full services; the gateway community for the northern park), Sault Ste. Marie (90 kilometres south — the gateway city with full services, the Agawa Canyon Tour Train — one of the finest fall-colour rail excursions in Canada, the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, and Sault Ste. Marie’s canal locks), Pukaskwa National Park (130 kilometres north of Wawa — Ontario’s only true wilderness national park, with the Coastal Hiking Trail along the Superior north shore), and the Algoma Central Railway Agawa Canyon Tour (departing from Sault Ste. Marie — a stunning fall-colour rail trip through the Algoma highland) define the regional experience.

Time your visit to the park for the second week of September for the convergence of the three finest experiences in a single trip: the coho salmon are running in the Agawa and Sand rivers (hire a local guide or fish the pools below the river-mouth rapids at dawn with a fly rod), the fall colour is at peak on the headlands, and the lake conditions are typically settled enough to access the Agawa Rock pictographs. Drive Highway 17 north from Sault Ste. Marie through the park at sunrise — the pink granite headlands glowing in the morning light with the blue-grey lake below is the finest highway drive in Ontario. For the Coastal Trail, enter at the Agawa Bay southern trailhead and hike northward (the headland climbs are harder going south-to-north but the views open progressively as you move north, saving the finest coastal panoramas for the second half of the hike).