Website:	www.ontarioparks.ca

 

Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is part of the southern boreal forest. Its hot, dry climate, thin soils and proximity to the prairies, combine to form a unique mix of boreal and western vegetation.

This northern wilderness “where nature still rules” is so remote that canoe trippers and sport fishing enthusiasts can penetrate its interior and reach its backcountry campsites and outpost lodges only by water or by air.  

Home to one of the largest herds of woodland caribou south of Hudson Bay, this weathered Arctic watershed, once travelled by fur traders, promises ancient pictographs, howling wolves under starry skies, soaring eagles, solitude and adventure.

Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is an outstanding example of the Canadian Shield.  Scraped clean by glaciers, the landscape is characterized by elongated lake systems, sudden changes in elevation, erratic drainage patterns, thin soils and massive bedrock outcrops. 

You will find some of Ontario's oldest rocks, at more than 2.5 billion years old.  Located in the Arctic watershed, the park's two principle rivers, the Bloodvein in the north and the Gammon in the south, flow westerly into Lake Winnipeg and eventually to Hudson Bay.

Plants and Wildlife

Upland forests of fire-dependent jack pine and black spruce, and mixed upland forests of jack pine, black spruce, trembling aspen, white birch, and balsam fir dominate the landscape.  

Upland bedrock barrens, lowland forests of black spruce and larch, wetland thickets and meadows, bogs and heaths are also found.  More than 400 plants are found here, of which four prairie species and 12 boreal species are considered to be provincially rare.

The park's animals reflect a boreal forest and western influences.  Typical boreal species include woodland caribou, moose, black bear, beaver, otter, muskrat, mink, martin, fisher, weasel, lynx, fox and timber wolf.  

Green frogs, snapping and painted turtles and some 100 species of birds including bald eagles, osprey, terns, pelicans and great blue herons are also found here.  

The resident woodland caribou herd and a colony of prairie Franklin's ground squirrels are provincially significant.  Woodland Caribou is also noted for its high quality walleye, northern pike and lake trout fishery.

Camping

Woodland Caribou offers 1,000 backcountry campsites for the wilderness adventurer.
Leave not a trace of your passage.  Every bit of debris, every scar is an affront to the natural landscape. Camp at known campsites and use existing fire rings, or better yet, gas stoves.  

Structures such as lean-tos, tables, and benches are not allowed to be constructed at campsites or anywhere else in the park interior.  Make sure to practice a pack-in/pack-out, no trace camping philosophy.

With approximately 1,000 paddlers using the park each year, the solitude and serenity you seek is guaranteed.  Many have described the Woodland Caribou experience to what Quetico was like 30-40 years ago. 

 If you choose to come in September, be it to enjoy the quiet explosion of colour around you or to hear the moose calling you may very well be the only one in the park.