.All Trips / Eastern Canada / North America / Ontario

Ouimet Canyon, Ontario

07 03 Ouimet Canyon (36)

Situated about an hour outside the city of Thunder Bay on the Lake Superior’s north shore is a natural wonder you’d never suspect was there if you didn’t know about it.  This is where you’ll find Ouimet Canyon, one of Ontario’s many Provincial Park.   

You’ll need to do a short 1 km hike to get to the canyon from the parking lot.  The trail is partially smooth dirt, partially a boardwalk and overall is accessible to all.  It’s important to stay on the trails because the canyon is hidden by dense forest and you wouldn’t want to accidently step into the gorge.  The walk is easy and lovely and takes you to two viewing platforms from which you get panoramic views of the canyon (as you can see from the photos attached.

Here are some details: Ouimet Canyon is 100 metres (330 ft) deep, 150 metres (490 ft) wide, and 2,000 metres (2.0 km; 1.2 mi) long.  Geologists believe that Ouimet canyon was created 1,000,000 years ago when glaciers moved across northern Canada.  The canyon itself contains rare alpine flowers and arctic plants normally found much farther north.  The canyon was named after the former railway station of Ouimet, which was named for the Canadian Minister of Public Works from 1892 to 1896, Joseph-Aldric Ouimet.   

The park is a day-use park only with no camping facilities.  It is closed during the winter, but opens from mid-May through mid-October. Bathrooms, picnic tables and a small souvenir shop (seasonal hours) are located adjacent to the parking lot.

(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)

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