One of the most impressive landscapes found North of Lake Superior is the Ouimet Canyon.
If you want to truly appreciate the size and unique nature of this canyon, then you need to visit Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park. It is by no means a large park, but it is conveniently close to Thunder Bay and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.
Ouimet Canyon in Northern Ontario
What makes the day use park so attractive is the towering cliffs of the canyon that can reach as high as 100m. As interesting as that is, it is the fact that at the base of this canyon you’ll find arctic plants growing, which are typically found more than 1000km further north on the shores of Hudson Bay! How crazy is that?
Walking Bridge at Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Be sure to bring a pair of binoculars to get some cool views from the lookouts on the 1km loop trail here, which takes you right up to the edge of the canyon for some fantastic lookout views. There is also a nice boardwalk and bridge along part of the trail. This is a super sensitive area, so as tempting as it may be to think about heading down into the canyon here for a closer look at those arctic plants – it is strictly prohibited. Gotta keep nature pristine for the next visitor, you know!
Boardwalk at Ouimet Canyon
There is a cool rock formation called The Giant here too, keep your eyes out for it if you visit!
The Giant at Ouimet Canyon
A lot of people may never get to visit the Arctic, so this is the next-best thing – an ecosystem that varies from Boreal forest to sub-arctic tundra.
So I was enjoying a quiet morning while looking out over picturesque Rice Lake in Ontario recently, when I noticed a mostly-white caterpillar inching its way towards my hand. It was pretty darn cute and my first thought was to pick it up and show it around to some friends. But then I noticed some longer spikey black hairs.
For some reason I had second thoughts about petting the little thing, as I know some caterpillars are poisonous, and a white poisonous caterpillar had recently become more common in Ontario.
So, I did what anyone does these days – I took a little video of it and posted it on Instagram. Apparently some people think caterpillars are damn scary. Others think they’re quite cute. And new Instagram buddy the_caterpillar_whisperer confirmed he also thought it was a tussock moth caterpillar, which is mostly harmless but may be a bit stingy.
It was nice to meet you my furry little friend. Caterpillars really are pretty cool creatures. I only ever posted one other caterpillar on Instagram, which was a kinda rough and blurry woolly caterpillar picture. But I think I’ll try to get more photos of them in the future. What do you think, are caterpillars cool or creepy?
The Achilles Lake Trail at Fushimi Lake is more of an easy path to a scenic lake view than any sort of adventurous hiking trail.
Achilles Trail at Fushimi Lake
Almost completely flat from start to finish, at only 500m in length (1km round trip) you’ll find many families and campers enjoying this trail at any time of day, because it starts and ends quite close to the campground in the park – only about a 5-minute walk away.
This is the kind of little trail that is perfect for an early morning walk while enjoying your first cup of coffee for the day, or for going on a evening stroll at sunset to see if there is any wildlife hanging out along the shores of Achilles Lake.
Achilles Trail Map
Spruce trees, and small shrubs line the path, which opens up to some rocky clearings along the shore of the lake. There are well-located benches nearby that are perfect for either fishing or just soaking up the views.
If you want a more leisurely fishing experience than heading out on a boat on Fushimi Lake, this is the spot to head to. Spend a bit of time casting a line from the shore and you’ll likely come away with enough fish for dinner, all just a short little walk from your campsite. Doesn’t get much easier than that! Walleye and Northern Pike both being plentiful.
Red Squirrel along the Achilles Trail at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park
Moose and other wildlife such as fox are frequent visitors to Achilles Lake. The easy access makes it perfect for launching a canoe into the lake to do some wildlife spotting. Alternatively, the rocky shoreline also provides some places to explore as well.
A good contrast to the longer, more challenging Fire Tower Trail, the Achilles Lake Trail can be your go-to morning and evening walk in the park. Spend a weekend, or week, camping in Fushimi Lake and chances are pretty great that you’ll come across some moose or loons if you take daily excursions out to Achilles Lake.
Achilles Lake – Bench View
View across Achilles Lake
For people who want to launch their canoe at the lake, there is a small parking area closer to the trailhead so that you don’t have to carry your canoe all the way from the campground. It’s a much quieter, calmer lake than Fushimi (much smaller as well), so definitely a better option for a casual paddle.
If you’re not familiar with the great nature and wilderness of our northern Ontario Parks, Fushimi Lake Provincial Park is just northwest of Hearst, which is about 6 hours north of Sault St. Marie, 7 hours north of Sudbury or 11 hours north of Toronto.
Canoe Rentals are available
Many interesting flowers and mushrooms are found along the trail to Achilles Lake
One of the more remote provincial parks in Ontario that you can drive to, Fushimi Lake Provincial Park is home to a couple of impressive hiking trails.
While fishing attracts most people to this park in Northern Ontario, hiking and camping are equally rewarding with potential wildlife sightings, including iconic Canadian creatures like moose and loons.
Fire Tower Trail – Windswept Trees
Hiking the Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake
This is the more challenging of two main hiking trails at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park.
For the most part, it is an easy trail, which skirts along the shore of Lake Fushimi for a good portion of the trail. There are plenty of places to stop and look for wildlife or admire the views at the lake, or even go for a swim near the start and end of this trail.
Some marsh areas are found along the portions of the trail as well, where you may hear, or spot smaller animals such as frogs, squirrels and turtles. Depending on the time of year you’re hiking, be sure to be prepared for plenty of mosquitos and annoying horse flies.
Starting the Fushimi Lake Fire Tower Trail
Red Squirrel – Hiking at Fushimi Lake
Fire Tower Trail – Do you know what kind of Butterfly this is?
The park says to allow yourself 4 hours for hiking his trail. As with most Ontario Parks, this is a generous time allotment, as even with a handful of stops along the way, you can hike this trail in a bit over 3 hours. If you do decide to take a lengthy break for a picnic lunch up at the Fire Tower, or to go for a swim, then sure it could be a 4 hour adventure.
One thing that stood out while hiking this trail was the sheer number, and variety, of mushrooms along the trail. Fungus, fungus everywhere! They added a bit of colour to the landscape, along with the red squirrels that were extra chatty along this trail.
Expect lots of mushrooms and fungus along the Fire Tower Trail
Lots of Black Spruce and Balsam Fir trees make up the majority of trees and vegetation you’ll be walking through on this trail, from start to finish.
The Old Cabin
One of the ‘highlights’ on the trail is the old cabin that was used in the past when the Fire Tower was operational. Both were built in the 1930s. Not knowing what to expect before arriving at this part of the trail, I was expecting a nice, restored cabin that could serve as an emergency refuge even today. But, as you can see from the photos it’s barely a real highlight anymore.
The ruined old cabin, won’t sleep here tonight…
At first, I wasn’t even sure if this was the cabin mentioned in the park brochure and hiking trail map, because it was in such terrible ruins, barely recognizable. But sure enough, this was it. With some imagination, you could picture it in better days. The official trail brochure helps bring the history to life a little more, but for the average hiker, it’s a bit of a disappointment.
Would I call this a highlight of the trail? Not really. It was more of a let down than anything. But, still interesting as it does bring to life some of the history of the area.
Some parts of the Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park can get a bit rough
Good Spot for a Lunch / Snack Break
From the cabin area, you have a choice. The trail here has begun to wind inland, and beyond the cabin you’re going to start climbing up to the Fire Tower. Alternatively, you can take a break and head down a side trail to a beach and picnic area.
The picnic / beach area was somewhat overgrown when I visited and wasn’t the most appealing spot for a swim, but was a decent spot to stop for a picnic lunch or short break to fuel up before heading to the top.
Lake view, plenty of decent picnic spots along this trail
Heart-Pumping Incline
Up until the Cabin, the trail is easy and mostly flat. But as you go past the cabin and the trail turns inland, it also begins to climb. Part of the trail beyond the cabin has a decent incline to it, which can get the heart pumping if you’re hiking at any type of speed.
Typical scenery along the Fire Tower Trail
As you’d expect from a trail with a Fire Tower, the tower needs to be located somewhere with a great 360 degree vantage point of the surrounding forest. That means it is atop the hill that you’re now climbing.
If you’re climbing with kids, there will probably be a few “are we there yet” type of moments, but after some sweating it out, you’ll catch a glimpse of the tower in the distance.
At first sighting, it is a bit deceptive, as you still have a fair distance to cover before actually reaching the tower. Still, nothing motivates you better than seeing the end of the trail, or in this case, the highlight of the trail.
The Fire Tower at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park!
Reaching the Fire Tower
There are very few old Fire Towers still standing in Ontario. Once a critical, widespread network across a large portion of the province, todays modern world doesn’t really have a need for having people stand watch in these towers, peering out across the trees in search of forest fires.
While this fire tower is abandoned and not in use anymore, it is maintained enough to be a real highlight for the hike. Just know that it you are not allowed to climb the tower. There are warning signs reminding you that it is dangerous, as well as illegal.
Fire Tower – Looking Up
It is tempting to want to see the view from “up there”, but gazing up at the tower from the clearing below is as high as you’re allowed to go. There are mossy rock outcrops and plenty of areas to stop and rest while you catch your breath after the hill climb.
The Fire Tower makes for a nice backdrop for some photos as well, before you continue on your hiking trail and begin the return path back to the start.
The return hike is easier (downhill) and a bit uninspiring as it follows the same path you took to get here. It would be nice for this trail to be a loop, instead of a single track, linear path, but even so it is worth spending a morning of afternoon to explore.
Rays of Sunshine atop the hill on the Fire Tower Trail
Overall roundtrip distance of the trail is about 7km (3.5km each way). Allow yourself 3 hours to enjoy the trail and surrounding nature. The suggested 4 hour hiking time is a bit much, unless you stop at the beach for a swim or lunch.
While this is the most challenging and longest trail in the park, If you’re more keen to spot wildlife or relax on the shores of a lake, I found the short Achilles Lake trail to be more enjoyable.
Expect lots of birds to be around while hiking this trail in Fushimi Lake PP
More vegetation from the Fire Tower Trail at Fushimi Lake
Visiting Ontario provincial parks during off-peak times is one of my favourite ways to get the best experiences from our natural wonders across the province.
Sandbanks Provincial Park in Ontario
In autumn, after the summer crowds have left, but parks are still open, there is a peacefulness, and quietness to our parks. You can often wander the trails in solitude and feel that you have the park to yourself.
As trees begin to change colour and lose their leaves, it makes it easier to spot creatures in the forest, or if you visit a park along migration routes, you may catch a glimpse of some migratory birds.
Canadian Geese at Sandbanks Provincial Park
I’ve been to Sandbanks Provincial Park more than once, as it’s conveniently located in Prince Edward County, just a couple of hours away from where I live. It’s also right on Lake Ontario, so it has a few beautiful beaches to explore, which makes up for the overall lack of challenging trails in the park. (There are 10km of trails, which are all still great, but relatively easy and short!)
Taking advantage of an unseasonably warm October day, we were off to Sandbanks to enjoy some sunshine and sand. The park was quiet, you could hear the rustling of the leaves in the trees, the distant honking of geese (instead of cars) and climbing the big sand dune was extra fun, as there were no other footprints in the sand. If you haven’t been to Sandbanks, well it is home to some of the best sand dunes in Ontario!
Climbing Sand Dunes at Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County
One of the most interesting things I kept coming across, that I hadn’t slowed down to notice on a previous visit, was the perfectly circular patterns that plant were leaving in the sand.
Being blown around by the breeze off of the lake, grasses were creating miniature versions of what my imagination started calling crop circles. But in this case, they were sand circles. Just one of those wonders of nature. I’ve heard that nature doesn’t draw in straight lines or perfect circles before, but I’d have to argue against that now.
Sandbanks Provincial Park is Empty in October…
Being October, it was a little cooler along the beach, but the beauty of that was that it was deserted. Sure, I wasn’t planning to swim, but it was perfect for a run and a walk. Plus there were interesting animal tracks all along the beach, which had me wondering what creatures had explored this beach the night before, or earlier that day.
There was a large flock of geese hanging out off shore as well, seemingly getting ready to fly further south, and we also came across a huge gathering of ladybugs (ladybirds?) on the sand. There were thousands of them! Enough to make an area of the beach appear darker to the eyes, and make us curious as to what it was. It actually became a challenge not to step on any of them as we got closer and realized what it was. Strangely none of them were flying around, just walking on the sand. Perhaps because it was too windy for them!
The strange, but cool, sand circles at Sandbanks
Caterpillars, geese, ladybugs and more made for a fun autumn day at Sand Dunes Provincial Park. While the park was actually still open to camping, it seemed almost completely deserted. We saw a few other people on the beach (literally, three!) and a family arrived just as we were leaving. Definitely not the usual weekend experience at the park, but one I’d happily repeat any weekend.
