On the Shores of an Inland Sea

MAP This park protects 155,000 hectares (380,000 acres) of Lake Superior shoreline. Originally, the park was accessible only by water; now the Trans-Canada highway passes through the park. However, the best ways to see the park are still by canoe or by foot.

The Algoma Central Railway runs along the east edge of the park along the Agawa River, which rushes down to the lake through waterfalls and rapids. Eco Traveler Magazine picked this as one of the top ten scenic train rides in North America. At Agawa Rock, near the mouth of the Agawa river are ancient pictographs on incredibly ancient rocks.

Geology

rock The age of the local rocks is measured in billions of years. The glaciers, however, have laid a heavy hand on this landscape. Near Old Women Bay, as you move away from the lake, you encounter a series of earlier cobblestone shorelines left high and dry as the land rebounded after the withdrawal of the massive glacial ice sheets. There are also rock flows laid down by ancient volcanoes a billion years ago.

Most of the coast is rocky here, except where streams have laid down sandy beaches near their mouths. The storms of Lake Superior have blasted away at these shores, leaving a rugged shoreline strewn with rock fragments and exposing the ancient bedrock of the continent.

See also Algonquin Park geography.

Plant Life

Like Algonquin Park, Lake Superior Park contains a mix of northern forests and more southern species such as sugar maple. The lake also keeps the temperature here relatively cool year round, so some arctic plants still remain from the era of the glaciers. You can also find bogs and fens. This rich variety of habitats results in the presence of hundreds of species of plants within the park's borders.

Hiking Trails

Friends of Lake Superior Provincial Park

Niijkiwenhwag- Friends of Lake Superior Park
c/o Lake Superior Provincial Park
P.O. Box 267
Wawa, Ontario
P0S 1K0

A new National Marine Conservation Area (NMRA) has been proposed on the north shore of Lake Superior. Other NMRAs include:

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