Lake Superior Provincial Park
Encyclopedia
Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial park
s in Ontario
, covering about 1550 square kilometres (598.5 sq mi) along the northeastern shores of Lake Superior
between Wawa
and Sault Ste. Marie
in Algoma District, Northeastern
Ontario
, Canada
. Ontario Highway 17 (at this point part of the Trans-Canada Highway
) now runs through the park, but when the park was originally established in 1944, there was no road access.
, there are pictographs created by the original Ojibwa inhabitants of this region. The figures are painted on the rock with a mixture of powdered hematite and animal fats and are estimated to be 150–400 years old. The records are visual representations of both historical events and legendary figures. Selwyn Dewdney
was the first scholarly figure to discover the pictographs. The first written description of these pictographs appears in a work by Henry Schoolcraft
in 1851.
ing (especially in the interior lakes of the park), camping
and hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, hunting, educational programs, wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Hiking Trails
There are 11 hiking trails located throughout the park and can be accessed from Agawa Bay, Crescent Lake, or Rabbit Blanket Lake campgrounds or off of Highway 17.
The most distinguishing trail is the Coastal Trail which stretches 65 kilometres (40.4 mi) and reveals the beautiful Lake Superior coastline. It is very demanding and can take between 5 and 7 days to complete. The Coastal Trail is part of the long-distance Voyageur Hiking Trail
.
Agawa Bay is also the location of the parks Visitors Centre where information can be obtained about the park and surrounding areas. There are washrooms and a gift shop open to the public from May through September. The Visitors centre has a display area orchestrating the history of the park and the influence that that Lake Superior Park had on the fur trade, the Group of Seven (artists)
and shipwrecks in the region. There are trailer storage opportunities available, but arrangements must be made with senior staff located in the northern part of the park at the park office.
ecoregion
and the Central Canadian Shield forests
region. Its rugged landscape is wooded with a mix of coniferous and deciduous
trees such as pine
, maple
s and birch
. Sugar maple
dominates many forests in the southern two-thirds of the park.
, dominated by exposed rocks or a thin layer of soil over rock.
(Alces alces) population. The best time for viewing moose is in the months of April, May, and June when the spring melt occurs. Other large animals found in the park include:
During the summer months, the park provides habitat for warbler
s and other birds of the northern forests.
Several waterfall
s on these rivers can be seen from the road or reached via hiking
trails.
Provincial park
A provincial park is a park under the management of a provincial or territorial government in Canada.While provincial parks are not the same as national parks, their workings are very similar...
s in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, covering about 1550 square kilometres (598.5 sq mi) along the northeastern shores of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
between Wawa
Wawa, Ontario
Wawa is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within the Algoma District. Formerly known as the township of Michipicoten, the township was officially renamed for its largest and best-known community in 2009....
and Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...
in Algoma District, Northeastern
Northeastern Ontario
Northeastern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and east of Lakes Superior and Huron.Northeastern Ontario consists of the districts of Algoma, Sudbury, Cochrane, Timiskaming, Nipissing and Manitoulin; and the single-tier municipality of Greater...
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Ontario Highway 17 (at this point part of the Trans-Canada Highway
Trans-Canada Highway
The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...
) now runs through the park, but when the park was originally established in 1944, there was no road access.
History
Traces of ancient volcanic activity can be seen in rock outcrops near Red Rock Lake and several other sites. The oldest artifacts found date to approximately 500 BC. At Agawa Rock, near the mouth of the Agawa RiverAgawa River
The Agawa River is a river in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada which empties into Agawa Bay on Lake Superior at the community of Agawa Bay, south of Wawa, Ontario.-History:...
, there are pictographs created by the original Ojibwa inhabitants of this region. The figures are painted on the rock with a mixture of powdered hematite and animal fats and are estimated to be 150–400 years old. The records are visual representations of both historical events and legendary figures. Selwyn Dewdney
Selwyn Dewdney
Selwyn Hanington Dewdney was an author, illustrator, artist, activist and pioneer in both art therapy and pictography.- Early life :...
was the first scholarly figure to discover the pictographs. The first written description of these pictographs appears in a work by Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Schoolcraft
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 discovery of the source of the Mississippi River. He married Jane Johnston, whose parents were Ojibwe and Scots-Irish...
in 1851.
Activities
Recreational activities in the park include canoeCanoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
ing (especially in the interior lakes of the park), camping
Camping
Camping is an outdoor recreational activity. The participants leave urban areas, their home region, or civilization and enjoy nature while spending one or several nights outdoors, usually at a campsite. Camping may involve the use of a tent, caravan, motorhome, cabin, a primitive structure, or no...
and hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, hunting, educational programs, wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.
Hiking Trails
There are 11 hiking trails located throughout the park and can be accessed from Agawa Bay, Crescent Lake, or Rabbit Blanket Lake campgrounds or off of Highway 17.
The most distinguishing trail is the Coastal Trail which stretches 65 kilometres (40.4 mi) and reveals the beautiful Lake Superior coastline. It is very demanding and can take between 5 and 7 days to complete. The Coastal Trail is part of the long-distance Voyageur Hiking Trail
Voyageur Hiking Trail
The Voyageur Hiking Trail is a public hiking trail between Sudbury and Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario, Canada. The name honours the early European fur traders of the region who traveled largely by canoe and were known as 'voyageurs’ and ‘coureurs des bois’ The trail is used by all ages and levels...
.
Park Office
Park Office is located in the northern part of the park at Red Rock Lake. Senior staff, including the Superintendent, can be reached at the Park Office between 9 AM and 4 PM during summer months.Agawa Bay
Agawa Bay has 345 campsites. There are 2 Comfort Stations located in the campground equipped with showers, laundry facilities and flush toilets. There is an amphitheatre located in the campground and presentations by park staff are a common occurrence in the summer months. All the campsites are within walking distance to Lake Superior. There is a premium for campsites located beside the beach. Permits are obtained at the Agawa Bay gatehouse. Firewood and ice is available for purchase at the Agawa Bay gatehouse.Agawa Bay is also the location of the parks Visitors Centre where information can be obtained about the park and surrounding areas. There are washrooms and a gift shop open to the public from May through September. The Visitors centre has a display area orchestrating the history of the park and the influence that that Lake Superior Park had on the fur trade, the Group of Seven (artists)
Group of Seven (artists)
The Group of Seven, sometimes known as the Algonquin school, were a group of Canadian landscape painters from 1920-1933, originally consisting of Franklin Carmichael , Lawren Harris , A. Y. Jackson , Franz Johnston , Arthur Lismer , J. E. H. MacDonald , and Frederick Varley...
and shipwrecks in the region. There are trailer storage opportunities available, but arrangements must be made with senior staff located in the northern part of the park at the park office.
Crescent Lake
Crescent Lake has 46 campsites. There are no Comfort Stations located within the Crescent Lake campground. There are only vault toilets for washrooms. The campground is located approximately 2 kilometres off of Highway 17 and is located beside Crescent Lake. Firewood and ice can be purchased at the Agawa Bay gatehouse. Permits for Crescent Lake are obtained at the Agawa Bay gatehouse.Rabbit Blanket Lake
Rabbit Blanket Lake has 60 campsites. There is one Comfort Station located within the campground equipped with showers, laundry facilities and flush toilets. The campground is located beside Rabbit Blanket Lake. Firewood and ice can be purchased at the Rabbit Blanket gatehouse or the Park Office.Forestry
Due to its size and location, the park lies in both the Eastern forest-boreal transitionEastern forest-boreal transition
The Eastern forest-boreal transition is a temperate broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion of North America, mostly in eastern Canada.-Setting:...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
and the Central Canadian Shield forests
Central Canadian Shield forests
The Central Canadian Shield forests are a taiga ecoregion of Canada.-Setting:This ecoregion consists of rolling hills, lakes, bogs and rocky outcrops covering a large curved swathe on the Canadian Shield from eastern Manitoba and Northern Ontario running southeastwards through Thunder Bay District...
region. Its rugged landscape is wooded with a mix of coniferous and deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
trees such as pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
, maple
Maple
Acer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s and birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
. Sugar maple
Sugar Maple
Acer saccharum is a species of maple native to the hardwood forests of northeastern North America, from Nova Scotia west to southern Ontario, and south to Georgia and Texas...
dominates many forests in the southern two-thirds of the park.
Topography
The predominantly rocky coastline is interrupted by sandy beaches in a few locations. The park is situated within the Great Canadian ShieldCanadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
, dominated by exposed rocks or a thin layer of soil over rock.
Fauna
The park supports a large mooseMoose
The moose or Eurasian elk is the largest extant species in the deer family. Moose are distinguished by the palmate antlers of the males; other members of the family have antlers with a dendritic configuration...
(Alces alces) population. The best time for viewing moose is in the months of April, May, and June when the spring melt occurs. Other large animals found in the park include:
- White-tailed deerWhite-tailed DeerThe white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru...
(Odocoileus virginianus) - Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou)
- Black bearAmerican black bearThe American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
(Ursus americanus) - Grey wolf (Canis lupus)
During the summer months, the park provides habitat for warbler
New World warbler
The New World warblers or wood-warblers are a group of small, often colorful, passerine birds restricted to the New World. They are not related to the Old World warblers or the Australian warblers....
s and other birds of the northern forests.
Lakes and Rivers
In addition to its namesake, the park has numerous smaller lakes in its interior. A number of rivers also flow from the park's interior:- Agawa RiverAgawa RiverThe Agawa River is a river in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada which empties into Agawa Bay on Lake Superior at the community of Agawa Bay, south of Wawa, Ontario.-History:...
- Baldhead RiverBaldhead River (Ontario)The Baldhead River is a river in the Lake Superior drainage basin in Algoma District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located entirely within Lake Superior Provincial Park.-Course:...
- Coldwater RiverColdwater River (Algoma District)The Coldwater River is a river in the Unorganized North Part of Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin, is a tributary of Lake Superior, and its entire course lies within Lake Superior Provincial Park.-Course:...
- Gargantua RiverGargantua RiverThe Gargantua River is a river in the Algoma District of Ontario, Canada which empties into Warp Bay on Lake Superior south of Wawa, Ontario. It flows through Lake Superior Provincial Park....
- Old Woman RiverOld Woman River (Ontario)thumb|right|Old Woman RiverThe Old Woman River is a river in the Algoma District of Ontario, Canada which empties into Old Woman Bay on Lake Superior south of Wawa, Ontario. It flows through Lake Superior Provincial Park....
- Red Rock River
- Sand RiverSand River (Ontario)The Sand River is a river in the Unorganized North Part of Algoma District in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the Great Lakes Basin, is a tributary of Lake Superior, and its entire course lies within Lake Superior Provincial Park.The river is named after the sand bar formed across its mouth...
Several waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s on these rivers can be seen from the road or reached via hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
trails.