Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park

A 150 M Deep Canyon With 100 M Cliffs, Formed By Faulting And Glaciation, With Arctic Plants Growing In The Cool Chasm And Two Lookout Platforms Reached By A Short Trail From The Car Park. One Of Northern Ontario'S Most Visited Natural Sights, Near Sleeping Giant And Thunder Bay · Dorion, Ontario

Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park protects a sheer-walled gorge in the uplands of Northern Ontario, roughly 50 km east of Thunder Bay and a short drive off the Trans-Canada Highway near Dorion (confirm distances). The canyon is about 150 m wide and 100 m deep (confirm), cut along a fault in Precambrian diabase and widened by glaciers, and its floor stays so cold that arctic plants survive there, hundreds of kilometres south of their usual range. A level trail of about a kilometre leads from the car park to two steel lookout platforms hanging over the void, with a longer loop along the rim (confirm length). There is no camping and no water access, so most visitors stay an hour or two on the way between Thunder Bay and Nipigon. Bring a warm layer, since the canyon breathes cold air even in summer. The park is open in the warm season only and has no staffed reception, so bring a picnic and check the gate dates first.

Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park, a deep gorge about 50 km east of Thunder Bay off Highway 11/17 near Dorion, with two lookout platforms; coordinates approximate, Dorion, Ontario, Canada

Ouimet Canyon is a seasonal day-use park, generally open from about mid May until mid October, depending on snow on the access road, so confirm dates with Ontario Parks before driving out. Within the season the grounds are usually open from morning until dusk, but staffing is minimal and the vehicle fee may be paid at a self-serve station or online. The lookouts and trail have no winter service, and the gravel access road is not plowed once snow arrives. Fog and low cloud can hide the canyon floor on cool days, so a second visit to the lookouts can be worth planning if the first is grey. Washrooms are basic and may be closed in the shoulder seasons.

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