Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park is just off Hwy 17, about 20 minutes east of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. The signage states the Ouimet is managed by Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. It is a day use only park and has two short hiking trails. The first is around a marsh area. The second is why you drove here. The road leading up to the parking lot is a long steep climb with one sharp turn near the top. You would need a strong engine to pull a trailer up that hill. Fortunately, there is a designated parking lot at the bottom of the hill for dropping your trailer before driving further. We left our trailer at our campsite in Sleeping Giant as we were staying one more day.
The drive in takes you through a birch tree forest. Birch trees from sapling to old line both sides of the road. The weather here has been cool. This morning it was 5C on the thermometer. During the drive over at 11 am it climbed to a balmy 8C. No wonder the trees have barely sprouted leaves. It is good for slowing the arrival of the black flies. The gatehouse at the start of the canyon trail was closed but there is a box to drop your $2.00 entry fee. There are picnic tables and “vault” toilets ( fancy name for an upgraded outhouse) near the gatehouse. Prior to starting the hike we ate our picnic lunch, in the car again as it was cool and breezy. There was only one other car in the lot, Minnesota plate, so we knew there wouldn’t be a crowd.
The canyon trail is about 1 km and it takes you to 2 lookout platforms which provide spectacular views. The trail is designed and maintained for wheelchair access. The gatehouse even has loaner wheelchairs. There is a long downward sloping boardwalk instead of stairs that leads to a wood and steel suspension bridge. The overhead arches of the bridge are made up of laminated steam bent lumber. It’s a work of art. The canyon walls are about 100 metres high and go straight down to a rock strewn base. The height of the walls combined with the narrow width of the canyon keep the canyon floor from receiving much sunlight. As a result, ice that forms under the moss rarely melts. The next closest place to see the plants that grow on the canyon floor is about 1000 km north in the sub-arctic area of Hudson Bay. Hiking to the canyon floor is prohibited to protect the plant life.
The canyon is about 3 km long. Looking left of the lookout you can’t see the end. Looking to the right you can see the canyon end and open up to a view to the distant hills. The boulders at the bottom are apparently up to 10 metres in diameter. The time spent at the park isn’t long. It seems odd to leave after what seemed so soon, but how long can you look at a canyon? This one? For a longer time. We both decided that if we ever drive this way again we’re stopping for another look. I think I would stop by every time I drove by. Check out our photos and videos.