Ouimet Canyon

Overview

A canyon that you are restricted from going down into.  A canyon that you can only hike less than a half mile along its edge.  But the size and beauty of this canyon is such that it simply must be acknowledged in the Summitpost canyon catalog.   No user of SP will regret visiting this special place if in Canada’s western Ontario, even if they cannot fully explore it.

It is a special place not only because of its beautiful statement of rock, but also because its depths harbor sub-arctic plants that grow naturally only in climes 1000 kilometers (620 miles) further north.  The retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age left behind these ‘orphan’ plant communities that can still exist within the sheltering canyon walls.  Because of this, travel into the canyon itself is not allowed except by consent of the park.

Getting There

Ouimet Canyon is in a remote part of western Ontario, north of Lake Superior.  But it is very accessible off the Trans-Canada highway.  Turn onto Ouimet Canyon Road (well signed) from the Trans-Canadian Highway about 71 Kilometers Northeast of Thunder Bay, or 41 kilometers southwest of Nipigon.  Take this well signed and well graded gravel road 12 kilometers until its end at a small parking lot and trailhead.

Red Tape

$5 Canadian to park

Route

The wooded trail leads to a beautiful bridge over a small stream, them loops to 2 large overlook platforms that view the stunning canyon. The gorge is 100 meters (330 ft) deep, 150 meters (490 ft) wide and 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) long, protected as part of Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park.

The pictures speak for themselves.

The geology that created the canyon is interesting.  A billion years ago, magma deep under the earth swelled up without erupting above ground, but flowed horizontally between rock layers, forming a vast table (or sill) of hard diabase rock.  When the upper layers eroded away, the rock tableland remained.  Ice Age water flows or intrusive ice is believed to have spread the rock apart, forming the canyon.

The canyon walls are laced with vertical joints that keep the rock walls perpendicular to the canyon floor.  This also contributed to the famous pinnacle within the canyon. 

Nearby Eagle Canyon

This whole area is referred to as Canyon Country in the local travel sites, and there is an option to more deeply explore a canyon similar to Ouimet nearby.  If you travel a few miles back from Ouimet Canyon on the road you came in on you can reach Eagle Canyon, where privately owned Eagle Canyon Adventures (well signed) has been creating a nice small trail system within the canyon.  But in reality, the big highlights are the two huge suspension bridges (300 feet and 600 feet respectively) across the canyon.  A very fun experience after Ouimet Canyon.

External Links

Eagle Canyon Adventures

Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park