View over Agawa Bay, the Montreal River
and the Trans Canada Highway
|
Website: Ontario Parks or Friends of Lake Superior PP
Map: Friends of Lake Superior PP or Google Maps
Camping Facilities: Backcountry (at Mijinemungshing)
Grade: A+
Stargazing: As expected up north
Thoughts: I feel like Lake Superior Provincial Park is Ontario's hidden gem. Everyone knows about Quetico, Killarney, Algonquin, Temagami, Haliburton, etc. but I don't know if I've ever heard anyone say much about Lake Superior PP. And that is a great oversight. There are very few camping spots in Ontario that can give any camper everything they're looking for. I am willing to wager that Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of those places. To list the most important features:
- Reasonable drive from Toronto (well - 8 hrs, but you can do it in a day)
- Numerous access points to observe the violent beauty of Gitchigumi herself
- Plenty of car camping and interior camping dispersed throughout the park
- Rich in interesting natural and human history (in fact, you can observe the native Canadian relationship with the area through the parks pictographs)
- A variety of hiking trails providing a range of difficulty levels, with rewarding vistas
- Incredibly scenic drive along the Trans Canada highway through the park
There is something for everyone here. And it's bound to provide you with some of the best quality experiences of whatever it is that you seek.
I was able to make a stopover in Lake Superior PP on my way to explore Northern Ontario, ultimately reaching Quetico for a few days of camping. You make your way into Mijinemungshing Lake via a gravel road off the Trans Canada highway, which was in better condition than most of the backcountry access roads I've used in my life. After a 15-20 minute drive, you'll reach a parking lot that's just a couple minutes walk up from the docking point. You can unload at the put-in and drive your car back up to the parking lot. The put-in comes complete with a wooden dock large enough for at least a couple parties to launch simultaneously. As well, the park staff have provided a weathered old pavilion just a few metres from the dock, probably installed ages ago when this park saw a lot more visits from our American neighbours. It has a map, a little information about the history and the ecology of the area, but overall, the content didn't seem to warrant the sturdy structure. Maybe once upon a time it was a shelter for park staff? Or for canoeists looking to embark? Be warned: the stony beach next to the dock is very soft - do not attempt to park on the slope here, you're liable to get stuck (confession: I got stuck).
Mijinemungshing Lake put-in |
While I was waiting for the situation to improve, a car pulled up with a friendly man and woman in their 70s from Northern Michigan, a pair of retired teachers. They came to a similar conclusion as I did, to wait until the winds become a bit more manageable before their leisurely afternoon paddle on the lake. The gentleman had visited this area 20 years before with his late wife and mentioned how impressed he was by the park (which I found surprising, given that they were from Northern Michigan - I had just assumed a similar experience could be found on the other side of the border). He mentioned that the loons on Mijinemungshing Lake would let you to paddle right up next to them, and that the fishing was good here. "But there don't seem to be any loons here now", he said wistfully. He spoke as though he was attempting to recapture the experience of his visit to Lake Superior all those years ago and I really hoped he would be able to.
We both looked out onto Mijinemungshing in silence for a few moments while the wind pressed against our faces. It seemed to evoke memories of his late wife: "Coming back to this lake, you know...it brings everything back". I clumsily said something like "I can imagine", not really knowing what to say to such a profound thought. But it made me think about all the times I had spent with friends and family camping in the outdoors and how they produced deep, vivid memories that can fuse the sentiments you hold towards your traveling partners with the beauty of these places. I think the quality of the memory would be amplified by the majesty of the location, and I guessed that a beautiful spot like Mijinemungshing would provide some visceral memories. It made me briefly wish that I wasn't paddling solo, but later I thought that my time here will give me a fond memory of introspection and solitude that I could always come back to, something that would be valuable in the days when I was daydreaming about the Ontario woods.
Tent pads can turn into above-ground swimming pools
if the rains get heavy
|
I filtered some water, poured a mug of rye and sat by the lake. Mijinemungshing was everything I was after; a good-sized, quiet lake with plenty of interior campsites, just a short distance off of the Trans Canada highway. It's possible to portage deeper into the backcountry from Mijinemungshing, but I just didn't have the time; I was on a mission to see as many of the parks between Toronto and Thunder Bay as possible in the 10 days that I had off and I hoped that what I learned about these places would inform future trips back to Ontario. Indeed, I realised that I would have to come back to Lake Superior another time to explore the many backcountry camping opportunities it provides.
There are tent pads at the sites on Mijinemungshing, in addition to privies, picnic tables and fire pits; all the backcountry comforts that you desire from a provincial park. The water is crystal clear. You can definitely get a sense of wilderness and seclusion, even though my closest neighbour was only 50 metres away. The stargazing is splendid. The effort to get here is minimal, where you can go from the dock to setting up a campsite in less than an hour. Everything a lazy interior camper in search of serenity can ask for. The only thing that left me wanting was the short amount of time I had to spend there.
Loon on Mijinemungshing Lake |
In 1979 I paddled to a wild spot with a friend on Lake Mijin, as we called it for short back then. It was in late spring. At dusk the water mirrored the purple and magenta of the sky like liquid silk. I paddled around after dinner, mesmerized by the scene and the silence. We were all tucked in when the loon chorus started. I will remember it as long as I live. All night the wails, yodels and tremolos echoed across the water and into the surrounding hills. The sound absolutely immersed us in it. I live in northern Michigan and have heard loons many times. But never have I witnessed such an ethereal magical sound as the loons chorusing that night. It was spring. I am sure that that is when they are nesting and I doubt they chorus like that later in the summer. Through the years since, that scene and those sounds have stayed with me. This summer I am returning to Lake Superior Provincial Park. Perhaps I will go out on Lake Mijin again. I have traveled many places in the world. Nowhere else have I found the wild Spirit of the Northland so strong as it is on the Canadian shores of this region. It is my favorite place of all; the Lake Superior Country of the north. Thank you for writing of your experiences.
ReplyDeleteSandy, thanks for sharing your beautiful memory and thoughts. I really hope that you get to stop in at Lake Mijin again and I would love to hear what you think of it after nearly 40 years. And I hope one day I can hear the loons in spring like you did.
DeleteMy wife and I honeymooned at Lake Superior in 2012, and have camped there twice since.
ReplyDeleteWe've only done day trips to Lake Mijine... but it's indeed very special. Aside from the lake, the road to Gargantua Harbour, Old Woman Bay, the Agawa Rock Petroglyphs (which we were finally able to see on our 3rd trip), and the Orphan Lake trip were our favorites. We usually camp lakefront at Agawa Bay.
Well worth the drive from the GTA. Although, you've got me intrigued with your posts on Mississagi Provincial Park!
Hi Honduhmatic,
DeleteI'll have to check out the road to Gargantua Harbour, thanks for the tip. I really hope more people can get out and enjoy Lake Superior PP, it has something for everyone. I have to warn you about the Mississagi, it can be a pain when you book a site that is then usurped by the a backcountry hiker (hikers didn't need to book specific sites back when I was there in 2015).