Ontario Parks - Northwestern Wilderness

If you’re looking for a piece of Ontario wilderness to escape to, you need not look any further than Northwestern Ontario. This corner of the Province can boast to having four of Ontario’s eight wilderness parks.

Wilderness parks are large areas left to nature where visitors travel primarily on foot or by canoe. Offering little if any facilities for visitors, these areas provide the solitude and challenge of an undisturbed, natural setting.

For many, three of these provincial parks - Quetico, Wabakimi and Woodland Caribou may be familiar through articles in paddling and nature magazines. But for avid paddlers, there is nothing comparable to first hand experience.

Canoe Tripping of International Acclaim
Quetico Provincial Park established in 1913 can claim to be the oldest of these three parks. Classified as a wilderness park in 1973 it has a loyal following of paddlers sharing experiences through family generations. At the same time its reputation as a wilderness retreat of international acclaim for backcountry canoe tripping continues to attract newcomers and fulfill lifelong dreams.

With 475,819 hectares of peaceful northern landscape preserved in Quetico its beauty and historic character have been left virtually untouched. The park’s tangled network of 600 plus lakes once formed water routes travelled by Ojibway and fur traders. Now it is primarily the destination of experienced canoeists seeking solitude and rare glimpses of wildlife by cascading waterfalls, glassy lakes and endless forests. Renowned for its rugged beauty, Quetico provides numerous canoe route options. There are no roads, no logging and park regulations help preserve its natural and remote splendor.

Located on the Canada - U.S. border, approximately 160 kilometres west of the City of Thunder Bay near the Town of Atikokan, canoeists can enter the park at one of six points. The Dawson Trail Campground adjacent to Highway 11 on the park’s north side offers full service car camping opportunities and is a great place to start and end wilderness trips in comfort.

Quetico visitors are encouraged to phone (807) 597-2735 for valuable trip planning information. Due to Quetico’s popularity advance reservations are required.

Designed for Reflection and Solitude
Wabakimi Provincial Park is pure northern grandeur - dense boreal forest and Canadian Shield. Originally established in 1983, Wabakimi was expanded almost sixfold in 1997, bringing it to its current size of 892,061 hectares. It is now the second largest park in the Ontario Parks system and is larger than Prince Edward Island.

This park, established to protect earth science features and the threatened habitat of woodland caribou, also provides remote tourism opportunities and backcountry recreation activities. Granitic bedrock is pervasive throughout the Wabakimi area with shallow lake basins and a gentle rolling terrain of exposed rock ridges. These smooth sloping bedrock outcrops often provide ideal canoe campsites.

An estimated 300 woodland caribou trek the lichen rich forests of Wabakimi. Their survival strategy is apparently based on a pattern of dispersion, with individuals living and travelling alone or in small groups. If fortunate during your trip, you may be able to observe a caribou along a river shoreline or swimming across a lake.

Wilderness paddling through Wabakimi affords the rare pleasure of excellent fishing in a near pristine setting. Many outfitters offer fly-in fishing adventures that feature great walleye and northern pike catch. You can choose to camp out or stay at a remote lodge. With only 30,000 visitors a year, the park offers lots of room for peace and quiet, reflection and solitude.

Most visitors to Wabakimi begin their adventure in either Savant Lake or Armstrong, north of Thunder Bay. The park is accessible by floatplane, train (VIA Rail) or canoe. Innovative canoe trips can be arranged by combining transportation methods (e.g. train in/fly out) or by arranging a vehicle shuttle service with an area outfitter.

Where Nature Still Rules
Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is located 170 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, 120 kilometres north of Kenora and a few kilometres west of the Town of Red Lake, along the Ontario-Manitoba border.

Easily accessible by road, aircraft and canoe, Woodland Caribou offers over 2,000 kilometres of connecting lakes and rivers to chose from. Wilderness adventurers can plan unique circuits through this 450,000-hectare park and relax on one of numerous backcountry campsites.

Located in the Arctic watershed, the park's two principal river systems, the Bloodvein in the north (designated as a Canadian Heritage River) and the Gammon in the south flow westerly into Lake Winnipeg and eventually into Hudson Bay. The rugged Canadian Shield landscape is a mix of elongated lakes, sudden changes in elevation, and massive bedrock outcrops, carved out by glaciers during the ice age. During paddling season, a warm dry climate prevails.

One of the largest herds of woodland caribou south of Hudson Bay inhabits this northern Ontario wilderness, from which the park has derived its name. The area is also rich in cultural history, with evidence of early occupancy by humans preserved in pictographs, or rock paintings, and archeological sites. Much later, fur traders paddled the Bloodvein River and established trading posts. Today, experienced canoe trippers and sport fishing enthusiasts enter this remote park, paddling or by flying into camps or lodges. Reservations are not required here. This is a place where nature still rules.

WITH OPEN WATER SEASON quickly approaching, its time to start planning this season’s paddling adventures to Quetico, Wabakimi and Woodland Caribou Provincial Parks. Remember that we’re Nearby and Natural!

Ontario Parks Campsite Reservations
1-888-ONT-PARK (1-888-668-7275)

Ontario Parks Information
1-800-ONTARIO

Quetico Provincial Park information: (807) 597-2735

Wabakimi Provincial Park information (807) 475-1634

Woodland Caribou Provincial Park information (807) 727-1329
or email: WoodlandCaribou@mnr.gov.on.ca

Contributed by: Barb Rees, Natural Heritage Education/Marketing Specialist, Northwest Zone Provincial Parks, Thunder Bay