Pukaskwa National Park

Pukaskwa protects around eighteen hundred square kilometres of Lake Superior shore, the largest undeveloped stretch on the lake, with granite headlands, cobble beaches and boreal forest. The Coastal Hiking Trail runs about sixty kilometres south from Hattie Cove and takes six to nine days, with no resupply and a reputation as one of the harder routes in Ontario; most visitors instead walk the Southern Headland trail and the White River suspension bridge, which hangs twenty-three metres above Chigamiwinigum Falls. Pukaskwa Pits, stone structures built on the cobble beaches by Anishinaabe people, are found along the shore and their purpose is not settled.

What you actually see

• The suspension bridge - a footbridge twenty-three metres above the White River falls.
• The Coastal Trail - sixty kilometres of demanding shore route.
• The Pukaskwa Pits - stone structures on cobble beaches of uncertain purpose.
• The Superior shore - the largest undeveloped stretch on the lake.

When to go

July to September; Superior stays cold all year and hypothermia is a real risk on the water. The park largely closes in winter. Blackflies are severe in June.

Honest expectations

The Coastal Trail is a serious multi-day route with no exits and slow rescue. Lake Superior is cold enough to be dangerous year-round. Services are minimal and Marathon is the nearest town.

Nearby

Lake Superior Provincial Park lies southeast; Marathon is the gateway.