Lake Superior Provincial Park (Wawa)

A wilderness provincial park on the eastern shore of Lake Superior. The Agawa Rock pictographs, Old Woman Bay's cliffs and a chain of waterfalls line the route, with the town of Wawa and its goose statue as the gateway base.

Lake Superior Provincial Park lies on the eastern shore of Lake Superior in northern Ontario and covers about 1,550 km². Highway 17, the Trans-Canada Highway, runs about 80 km through the park. The northern gateway is the town of Wawa, famous for its goose statue; the southern end is about 130 km from Sault Ste. Marie. The park is known for its wild shoreline of granite cliffs, white-sand bays, northern forest and rushing rivers, and the Group of Seven painted here. The main sights, from north to south along the highway, are: in the north, Old Woman Bay and the Nokomis Trail; in the middle, the Orphan Lake Trail, Katherine Cove, Sand River Falls and Gargantua Harbour, which is reached by a gravel road; and in the south, the Agawa Bay visitor centre and campground, the Awausee Trail and the famous Agawa Rock pictographs. Around Wawa are also Magpie High Falls, Silver Falls and the sandy beach of Michipicoten Bay.

The best season is June–September. July and August are warmest but have many black flies and mosquitoes, especially in June. Late September to early October brings red fall colours and is the golden season for driving and hiking. Winters are severely cold and snowy, and most facilities close. Access to the rock ledge at Agawa Rock is prohibited when lake waves are high. A car is required: drive about 2 hours north on Highway 17 from Sault Ste. Marie to Agawa Bay, then another hour to Wawa; from Toronto, the drive is about 9–10 hours. Day-use areas require a vehicle day pass (about CAD 20), and campsites and cabins can be booked on the Ontario Parks website. Base yourself in Wawa for 2–3 days and stop at each sight along the highway. Most of the park has no cell service, so keep an eye on fuel and supplies, and follow bear safety guidelines.

Top sights

• Agawa Rock Pictographs – Red-ochre Ojibwe pictographs on the vertical granite cliffs of the Lake Superior shore, the park's most representative cultural heritage si…
• Old Woman Bay – Rising some 200 metres straight out of Lake Superior, the cliffs here bear a face said to be that of an old woman, making this the most str…
• Katherine Cove – A small lake bay ringed by white sand and rounded granite, with clear water. It is the park's most suitable beach for picnics and wading.
• Sand River Falls – Following the Pinguisibi Trail up the Sand River, a series of cascades rushes over pink rock beds. It is the park's most popular waterfall…
• Orphan Lake Trail – One of the park's most popular short loop hikes, linking a ridge lookout, Orphan Lake, a pebble shore and the Balder Head River waterfall.
• Agawa Bay & Visitor Centre – Home to the park's main campground and visitor centre in the south, with a 3 km sandy beach facing Lake Superior and exhibits on the park's…
• Awausee Trail – A climbing trail in the south of the park. From the summit lookout you can see the full sweep of Agawa Bay and the Agawa River valley.
• Gargantua Harbour – One of the park's most remote bays, with pebble beaches at the end of a gravel road, sunken wrecks and shoreline trails that feel truly wil…
• Wawa Goose – A roughly 8.5-metre steel sculpture of a Canada goose beside Highway 17. It is the symbol of the town of Wawa and a famous photo stop on th…
• Magpie High Falls – A waterfall on the Magpie River a few minutes' drive south of Wawa, where a curtain of water about 23 metres high pours down a rock face an…
• Silver Falls – A multi-tier waterfall on the Michipicoten River, where the water splits into several streams over a dark bedrock. It can be reached on foo…
• Sandy Beach (Michipicoten Bay) – The largest Lake Superior sandy beach near Wawa, with dunes and driftwood. It is good for walks, sunsets and watching the waves on the lake.

Where to eat

• Kinniwabi Pines Restaurant – Wawa's top-rated riverside restaurant, where Lake Superior fish shares the menu with Caribbean-style curries and Jamaic…
• The Viking Restaurant – A home-style diner in downtown Wawa, best known for its hand-battered Lake Superior whitefish fish and chips.
• Best Northern Motel Restaurant – A restaurant beside the highway south of town. It was once known for Polish food, but after a change of ownership it be…