THE NORTH SHORE & LAKE SUPERIOR PROVINCIAL PARK

THE NORTH SHORE & LAKE SUPERIOR PROVINCIAL PARK
30th September – 3 October

The day we set off from Thunder Bay was a blustery, drizzly fall day, the greens and yellows and the occasional dabs of orange felt damp and muted. Ravens were plentiful and vocal, disturbed, perhaps, by the circling turkey vultures.
After about 100 kms we drove through the remarkable Red Rock area, the distinctly red cliffs rising steeply, edged by the greens and yellows above and below.
We were treated to many breath-taking views of the lake as the highway, at times, gouged its way, the road-cuts exposing the red granite of the Canadian Shield, and wound along the shoreline.
Stopping for lunch at the Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, we donned our hats, gloves and jackets to make the short walk to the falls. Brrrr!
By late afternoon we reached Shreiber where we braved the weather and took a walk around the sleepy town, before hunkering down for the night in the empty campground.
The first of October heralded promises of possible flurries later in the day. Not wanting to have to contend with snow while towing a trailer, the plan for that day became to aim for somewhere close to Sault Sainte Marie, still about 500 km away. From Shreiber the road follows the curves of the shoreline for another 100 km or so before arcing inland east and then south, meeting the lake again at Wawa, thus cutting off a large square nose that extends into the lake.
Once south of Wawa we entered Lake Superior Provincial Park and here we began to see the glorious oranges and reds of the maples along with the yellows of the aspens and birches. There were periodic breaks in the clouds by afternoon and the patchy sunlight added lustre to the marmalade hillsides, the pink granite outcrops and shadowed dark green rivers. Here too mountain ash, which we hadn’t seen since being in the Rockies, grow abundantly, their narrow tapered leaves all gone now till next year, and only the bunches of deep red berries left on grey branches. These will provide winter food, rich in iron and vitamin C, for birds, squirrels and bears.
Toward the southern end of the Provincial Park, to my delight, we came upon the Agawa Bay campground. We were glad to stop driving and spend a couple of nights in this beautiful place.

Lake Superior Provincial Park was another special place for me on our journey.

The campground, lined by a pebbly beach, faces west towards Agawa Bay and the vastness of Lake Superior beyond. Here at last I felt able to stop and be still and fully take in its magnificence. The evening air was cold in the wind, but that didn’t dampen the glow of the sunset or later the moon dropping its sparkles into the waves.

The Visitors Centre had been recently expanded and renovated and the next morning after exploring our options we decided to hike a section of the coastal trail.

Lake Superior is an “international treasure”. It has “the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world and it holds 10% of the Earth’s precious surface fresh water.” It is also the deepest of the Great Lakes and “could hold all the water of the other four, plus three more Lake Eries”. It seemed more like an ocean than a lake to me, with the waves constantly rolling, I found myself looking out into the distance in search of whales or seals. It’s interesting to me that no mammals have evolved to live in this vast expanse of fresh water. The rock pools seem strangely empty of animal life; there are no sea stars or urchins here in the crystal clear water.
Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of several parks and protected areas around the lake, and 11 trails explore the variety of landscapes, “rocky shores, beaches, lakes, and rivers, waterfalls, transition forest, wetlands and rolling hills”. This time we had time for only one day’s hiking, the other trails that take one into the interior will have to wait for another longer stay.
The Coastal Trail is 65 kms in total and to hike the whole length would take 5 or 6 days. We began our walk a short distance north of the main Agawa Bay trailhead at Sinclair Cove. We decided we would walk for 2 hours heading north before turning back.
This trail from all accounts is the most challenging one and certainly it was slow going. Clambering up rocky cliffs took us into the wind, which had the bite of the approaching winter though the day was clear and sunny. We were thankful to find some protection as we dropped down to boulder beaches nestled in coves and lined by red and white pines. I especially loved the patchwork of pink and white granite and black diabase, cobbles rolled round and smooth after centuries of waves lashing against the shore.
I felt the yearning to spend more time in this beautiful wild place. I believe its call reminds me that this type of experience is an essential component of my human life, along with my other more urban involvements.

Our final stretch along the shore of Lake Superior was an easy drive from Agawa Bay to Sault Ste. Marie The colours became increasingly vibrant as we drove south and I wanted to soak in those last views of the lake. It was wow, wow, wow, all the way along.