Sudbury 
The best part about a large wilderness area like Northern Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park is the variety of recreational opportunities! Quetico Provincial Park covers a massive stretch of untouched natural beauty, which continues into Minnesota as the Superior National Forest.
© Destination Ontario
Within Quetico, there are opportunities for front-country fun, where you can stick to the main roads, campgrounds, and main trails or lakes. Plus, the expansive backcountry part of Quetico lends canoers seemingly endless route options, more hiking and camping, and unique winter adventures.
Experience Quetico’s Dark Skies
With the two closest cities, Kenora and Thunder Bay, each over 100km from Quetico, there is very little light pollution to disrupt a night of stargazing. Plus, Quetico holds an International Dark Sky Preserve designation. The experience is easily enjoyed from the beaches and shores of French Lake, or your campsite.
Hiking Quetico Provincial Park
The majority of Quetico’s hiking trails are considered strenuous or moderate. However, the first trail to greet you within the park gates, the Pickerel River Trail, is also one of the simplest. Plus, this hike is barrier-free to allow easier access for those with disabilities or strollers. After the boardwalk, the trail continues for 1.6km as the Pickerel Point Trail.
- Take on the park’s more challenging hikes for an epic view and scenery reward! The French Falls Trail is a total of 5km with a few sections of climbing. The trail starts as the French Portage trail, which can begin at Windigoostigwan Lake for a shorter trek, or at the Information Pavilion for a longer trek. The French Falls Trail also connects with the Camp 111 Trail, a 4.2km route along the forested banks of the French River.
- The Whiskey Jack and Pines Trails combine to create 12.5km of out-and-back trail. These more moderate hikes take you through diverse forest scenery as it follows the Pickerel River to Pickerel Lake.
- Use Quetico’s Teaching Trail to hike between the day use area, and the two main campgrounds.
Endless Canoeing Adventures
The Quetico backcountry and wilderness are free of roads and vehicle traffic of any kind outside of the campgrounds. This expansive area is truly pristine with canoeing and kayaking as some of the best ways to explore Quetico.
- French Lake is the perfect place for a day of paddling, especially for those staying at the front country sites. This is also an entry point for one of dozens of portage routes within the park.
- The many other paddle routes in the park, including the suggested routes, take 4-8 days to complete and require backcountry experience!
- The park offers kayak and SUP rentals from spring to fall which are available at the Dawson Trail Campground.
Birding & Wildlife Viewing
Begin a birding or wildlife viewing adventure at the Dawson Trail Heritage Pavilion. Part of the Pavilion acts as a museum to showcase Quetico’s nearly 100-year old history while the second part, the John B. Ridley Research Library, offers a wealth of info on the park’s lakes, rivers, geology, wildlife, and birds.
- Throughout the year, over 200 types of birds will fly through Quetico Provincial Park. Visitors are likely to see birds of prey who often nest in the park, or one of the other 100 types of birds that nest here. During dusk or dawn, keep your eyes and ears open for the owls.
- The lake shores are perfect places to watch for wildlife, especially in the remote shoreline areas. Among the smaller critters you could see might be otters, beavers, or muskrat. And among the larger could be moose or black bears.
Winter Adventures at Quetico
Whether for a day trip or a winter camping trip, the park’s trails offer a great deal of winter fun within the snowy wilderness. The park maintains 15km of groomed cross-country ski trails, which snowshoers may share as well. Snowshoers have options around the campgrounds, too!
© Destination Ontario
Dogsledding is permitted on these trails, and in the backcountry areas (with proper permits), which means skijoring is also allowed! Lastly, French Lake in Quetico Provincial Park is a popular ice fishing destination with great access to trout.
Year-round Camping & Glamping at Quetico
The Quetico Wilderness between the highway and U.S. border includes some of Canada’s most pristine wilderness areas. Within this expansive wilderness are over 2,000 backcountry campsites!
- However, if the backcountry sounds too adventurous, the park also offers front country sites on the shores of French Lake and the edge of the wilderness areas. The French Lake camping area includes over 100 sites, some of which offer electrical hook-ups.
- Take in the wilderness scenery from the comfort of the park’s rustic cabin rentals. These, plus front and backcountry camping, are available year-round at Quetico Provincial Park.
Planning your Trip – Quetico Provincial Park
© Destination Ontario
What: A northwestern Ontario park which borders the U.S. and covers over 460,000ha of remote and rugged Canadian wilderness. Quetico Provincial Park offers options for both front-country and back-country recreation.
The park boasts over 2,000 lakes, many of which are interconnected, creating dozens of portage routes and excellent opportunities for canoeing or kayaking. Quetico offers several types of year-round camping, is a Dark Sky Preserve, and has great wildlife viewing.
Location and how to get there: 165km west of Thunder Bay via ON-11
43km east of Atikokan via ON-11
Best time to go: open year-round
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