Little Falls Trail

Sunday, September 23, 2007

A beautiful September day, over 21 C. I dressed too warm for the weather – long pants, long-sleeve shirt, vest and hat. I should have worn shorts and a t-shirt. The trail was wet, but well worth the walk to see Little Falls.

The trail starts at the parking lot of the interpretive centre on the south side of the river. Once you cross the bridge follow the boardwalk along the escarpment, then up the slope and veer left to the parking area. You will have no problem finding the trail-head. Follow this excellent trail about two thirds of the way to the return loop and you will find a trail off to your right. This will take you to Little Falls and return you via the river bank. The trail is very easy to follow and has some good up and downs, particularly at the very end. As I mentioned, it can get wet along the lower parts, so be prepared.  A walking stick will help get you through it.

The falls are very picturesque, be sure to bring your camera. You can do this trail in under an hour for sure, so it’s great for any time of the day.

First Hike At The Cascades

Sunday, October 2, 2005

I took my first real hike in my new boots. They seem to be fine, I just have to remember not to make them too tight. I went to the Cascades at the end of Balsam Street. I’ve lived here all my life and had never been there before. I tried to follow the map once I got started, but misread where one trail started. I took the Forest Trail to the short cut over to the Orange trail. This lead me down to the Blue trail where it meets the Red. This allowed me to follow the river up to the cascades. Today was absolutely beautiful, at least 20 – 23 degrees Celsius, so the place was busier than normal. I didn’t spend a lot of time at the river and headed back on the Yellow trail to the parking lot. Then I redid the Blue – Orange and cut-off trails once more, then back to the car. Lots of families and dogs, the trees are in full autumn colours and lots of leaves where falling. A beautiful day.

Note: The above entry was made in my hiking journal after returning home from the hike. I made no mention of the fact that these trails are easy and enjoyable for all ages. The actual “cascades” are quite beautiful and have great areas for picnicing. Don’t forget to take your camera.

Trails

Here is a list of trails in the Thunder Bay area. If you read the whole article you will find links to most of these trails.

Lakehead Region Conservation Area trails

• Cascades
• Cedar Falls
• Hazelwood Lake
• Hurkett Cove
• Little Trout Bay
• MacKenzie Point
• Mills Block Forest
• Mission Island Marsh
• Neebing – MacIntyre Floodway
• Silver Harbour
• Wishart Forest

Sleeping Giant Provincial Park trails:

• Burma
• Gardner Lake
• Joe Creek
• Kabeyun
• Middlebrun Bay
• Pickerel Lake
• Piney Wood Hills
• Plantain Lane
• Ravine Lake
• Sawbill Lake
• Sawyer Bay
• Sibley Creek
• Sifting Lake
• Talus Lake
• Tee Harbour
• Thunder Bay Bogs
• Twinpine Lake
• Wildlife Habitat

Nipigon Area trails:

• Kama, Upper and Lower
• Lofquist Lake
• Nipigon River Recreation
• Orient Bay Palisades
• Ruby Lake
• Split Rock

 Rural Thunder Bay

• Greenwood Lake
• High Falls and Finger Point
• Kingfisher Lake Outdoor Education Centre
• Little Falls (Kakabeka Falls)
• Middle Falls Lookout
• Mink Mountain
• Mount McRae and Sawdust Lake
• Silver Falls

Urban Thunder Bay

• Centennial Park Bluffs
• Kamview Nordic Centre
• McIntyre River
• Neebing River

 I believe in supporting organizations that help keep trails and nature areas available for our hiking enjoyment. In Thunder Bay they include the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, and the Thunder Bay Hiking Association.

Other important links:

Boreal Forest Organization

 Ontario Parks

Ontario Outdoors

Superior Hiking Trail Association 

Superior Trails

Thunder Bay Field Naturalists

Thunder Bay Nordic Trails

Township of Nipigon

Trails Canada

Trans-Canada Trail

Wherever you live and hike, please support those that keep our trails open. Many of these people are volunteers and avid hikers like you and I.  And remember to leave as small a footprint as possible wherever you go.

Lots To Offer

I live in what is often called The Great White North. This is what the uneducated say. Actually, we have just about the same weather as a third of the USA. Only we don’t have all the people to deal with.

So we have really great springs, summers and falls, and winters that can be both brutal and beautiful at the same time.

What we also have are some incredible hiking trails that are accessible year round. So if you are looking for variety, well kept trails and fabulous scenery, why not visit Northwestern Ontario? As our city slogan says, “Superior by nature”.

Hello world!

Welcome to my little corner of the world. I hope you enjoy my ramblings and opinions. I usually update in the fall and winter months. I find summer too hot and buggy to enjoy and good hike. I enjoy your comments and cannot easily be offended, so please write.