Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: September 2021
Sioux Narrows Provincial Park is located on the shores of Lake of the Woods in northwestern Ontario. Lake of the Woods contains over 14,000 islands and has a long shoreline, which means there are plenty of recreational opportunities to be found in and on the water, including swimming, boating, canoeing and fishing.
After spending the afternoon at Caliper Lake Provincial Lake, we arrived at Sioux Narrows just before 5:30p.m. Unfortunately the Park Office was closed for the day.
We drove to the day-use and beach area to check out the shoreline. There’s a nice sandy beach, which looked perfect for swimming. The clouds had finally cleared and the sun was low in the horizon, which casted a nice soft glow on the water.
The trailhead for the Lookout Point Trail (1.5km loop, rated easy) is located just west of the beach. The path winds through the forest and leads to a nice overlook of Lake of the Woods and the surrounding area. The trail is well signed with arrows and ten numbered posts (although some of the numbers have fallen off).
The path is wide, but involves some steep hills and rocky outcrops. But it’s all worth it for the views. Near the lake, the path becomes a bit unclear and branches off in a few different directions. We followed a narrow path that crosses a rocky outcrop to see more of the lake. We eventually came across another trail marker so it all worked out.
Besides the nice views of the lake, the variety of mushrooms that we found through the forest was the other major highlight of the trail.
From the lookout of Lake of the Woods, it’s a short stretch back to the trailhead. We walked through the day-use area again to get to the parking lot. From here it’s a 30 minute drive to Rushing River Provincial Park where we planned to spend the night.
L
My progress on the Ontario Parks Challenge can be found here
That second last mushroom looks like it’s right out of Super Mario Bros! It’s so fascinating how varied the wild mushrooms grow!
It’s too bad the park was closed but it’s nice that you still got to see part of it including the beach.
I’m trying to imagine how it could contain that many islands in the Lake of the Woods. That is a pretty cool stat!
Lastly, the Artist in the Park program (pictured on the sign) sounds very intriguing.
Happy Friday. We made it to the weekend.
This area in northwestern Ontario had the best variety and types of mushrooms that I’ve ever seen. It was such an unexpected surprise and gave us something new to look out for while on the trail. Lake of the Woods is pretty fascinating. You should look it up on Google Maps where you can see all the various islands scattered throughout the lake. The Artist in the Park program does sound neat. It’s a one-day event at the park where Lake of the Woods artists can display and sell their art work at Sioux Narrows Provincial Park.
Hope you’re enjoying your weekend so far. It goes by so quickly sometimes.
Thanks. Very quiet relaxing not a whole lot done kind of weekend and it’s been great. 😆 Wishing the same for you.
Same. We didn’t end up going to Algonquin this weekend. I had some tummy troubles, so we’ve mostly been relaxing and watching Yellowstone (it’s soooo good).
Oh no. I’m sorry you’re having tummy issues too! I’ve heard great things about Yellowstone. On my list to watch one day… and to visit!
We pretty much watched the first season in two days. It’s so good. Yellowstone the place is also amaaaazing. I would go back in a heartbeat.
Great variety of mushrooms here for sure. I have seen some of them in Alberta, but not in such big clumps. Nice hazy sunset views. When we came across Ontario in late September, many of the parks in Manitoba and Ontario were closing up shop for the season. Thanks for sharing. Happy Friday. Allan
We were blown away by the quantity and quality of mushrooms we found in the Lake of the Woods area in Ontario. I just love how they are all so unique. I can see why some of the parks in Northern Ontario close early in the fall as there aren’t too many visitors. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Linda
So wonderful nature forest and beauty of the wild mushrooms are amazing view 🌷🙏👌🌷
Thanks for your lovely comment. The mushrooms in this area of Ontario were incredibly beautiful. It was nice to go for a hike through the forest and try to discover the different types of mushrooms along the way. The overlook of the lake was also another highlight.
Yes, very beautiful photography and lovely scenery also 🙏🌷❤️
Thank you for sharing 🌷🙏❤️🌷
You are too kind. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
Great fungi photos! We are hoping to visit Lake of the Woods at one point. I have a really cool book about it and always wanted to visit.
Some of the best mushrooms I’ve ever seen were in the Lake of the Woods area. It seems like such a beautiful area to explore with all the various islands. It’s a long drive to get to, but it’s worth it.
It’s now about 4 hours closer to us if we go through the states, but still pretty far!
It’s nice to have that option now to take a shortcut through the states! I think the next time we visit Northern Ontario we’ll probably fly into Thunder Bay.
More crazy mushrooms! I grew up in Winnipeg so have been to Lake of the Woods many times. Lovely pictures of the lake. Maggie
Lake of the Woods looks like such a beautiful area to explore with all the various islands. Some of the best mushrooms I’ve ever seen were at the provincial parks in the Lake of the Woods area. I would love to return in the summer someday to do some swimming in canoeing in the lake. Take care. Linda
I love those mushrooms! I don’t think I have ever seen one like the middle one before
For such a short trail there were so many mushrooms that we came across while hiking through the forest. I love how they come in such different shapes, sizes and colours and how each one is so unique. I love eating mushrooms, but would definitely not try to eat the ones I found in the wild.
I love cooking wild mushrooms in butter though (but I buy them from a store)
Mmmm sounds delicious. Ever since I’ve become vegetarian I’ve enjoyed mushrooms so much more. They are so flavourful. I also buy mine from the store or farmers market in the summer.
Farmer’s Markets are amazing sources! I also love how certain countries have traditions around mushroom gathering. One of my French cousins is a pharmacist and she’s trained in mushroom identification. People in France take their mushrooms to the pharmacist after collecting them
Agreed. It’s a great way to get fresh food and support local businesses. I had no idea people took mushroom identification and collection so seriously! They are super delicious though.
They do in France at least. Although, want to hear how French teenage boys get in trouble?
Of course! Do tell!
I had a French teacher at Le Cordon Bleu, who said that when he and his friend were 14, they went out collecting mushrooms, but they didn’t take them to the pharmacist for identification. They cooked them up and ate them on a sort of a dare. They were both fine though. I don’t think it was as dangerous as it sounds because French kids do this every year with their parents, so they get this insight early on
Glad to hear that nothing bad happened to them. I have a sensitive stomach to begin with, so I would not have taken that risk. But then again, I don’t study mushrooms, so wouldn’t even know whether something was edible or not!!
More great mushroom photos Linda, just a pity the park was closed.
Thanks for your kind words. Even though the park office was closed, we were still able to visit the day-use area and check out the trails. Stumbling upon the mushroom was such an unexpected surprise.
Amazing! I love mushrooms! Thanks for share Linda.
Have a wonderful time!
Elvira
Mushrooms are so delightful and delicious. They were the real highlight of the trail and it was nice to see such a variety. Thanks for reading. Linda
Yes they are delighful and delicious, exactly was amazing. Thanks Linda for share.
Have a wonderful time!
Elvira
I’ve heard a little about Lake of the Woods. It would be great to see a lake with 14,000 islands. The park takes advantage of some awesome views.
It’s too bad we couldn’t have spend more time in the Lake of the Woods area as it’s really beautiful. It would be neat to canoe through here and explore some of the various islands. At least we managed to visit a couple of provincial parks along the shore, which provided some lovely hiking trails and views of the lake.
Wow – those are wonderful photos, Linda! This park is definitely on my must-see list. Looks so beautiful.
Thanks for your lovely comment. Sioux Narrows and the Lake of the Woods area is such a hidden gem. I could have easily stayed for another day or two, but there just never seems to be enough time.
The Lake of the Woods contains 14 thousand islands? – it sounds like an amazing place for canoeing, fishing & camping and I’d say you have to experience this lake in person to really understand how magnificent it is. The views of the lake are so beautiful and so is the sunset. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva
It’s neat to look up Lake of the Woods on Google Maps and see all the specs of green for all the various islands. It’s such a beautiful area and I wish we could have spent more time in and on the water. It does sound like an awesome place for water-based recreational activities. Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Linda
It’s intriguing to know that the Lake of the Woods has almost as many islands as the entire length of Indonesia! Although the latter, of course, includes some of the world’s biggest islands. But still, that number for a lake is impressive. That mushroom in the second last photo does look like something straight out of Mario Bros, as pointed out by AB.
That’s crazy. Lake of the Woods is a pretty big lake, but many of the islands are teeny tiny. We only explored a small portion of it, but I would love to return someday as it’s quite beautiful. There were so many mushrooms in this area when we visited. I love how each one is just so unique. Agreed, the second mushroom does look a bit like it belongs in Super Mario. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Linda
Excellent photos of mushrooms ! Beautiful place ! Well shared 😊💕😁
Thanks for your kind words and lovely comment. Mushrooms are so fascinating. I can’t believe how many we saw during such a short hike through the forest.
Yes they are looking cute☺💕
Beautiful photos as always. We seem to have more wild mushrooms growing around here than ever before. I keep finding new patches in our yard every summer. I try to get rid of them before Kat finds them as she will eat them all.
We found quite a few mushrooms growing on our lawn last summer too. Apparently it’s a good sign of a healthy lawn and that there’s a lot of organic material in the soil.
I did not know that!
I thought mushrooms on our lawn was a bad thing so I started to do some research on how to remove them. But it turns out that they are usually a sign of healthy soil and they cause no harm to the grass. We ended up just leaving them alone. I’ll be curious to see whether they return next year.
I don’t care in our front yard. Kat can’t get out there. In the back she will eat anything and I wouldn’t know a good mushroom from a bad, so they all get pulled.
Good call. I wouldn’t trust myself to be able to identify whether a mushroom is safe to eat or not. Better to be safe than sorry.
Nice to share the nature, once again. I love Mushrooms 🍄. Beautifully captured photos of mushrooms n lake.
Thanks for your kind words. It’s always nice to spend time in nature. Lake of the Woods is such a lovely area and I was surprised at how many mushrooms we found during our short hike through the forest. It gave us something different to focus on and it was a great excuse to slow down and pay more attention to where we were walking.
You are fortunate enough. Stay blessed.
Thanks. You as well. Hope you had a nice weekend.
I’ve become slightly obsessed with mushrooms lately and looked for them every time I went out for a walk this fall. That yellow one with the polka dots is poisonous – I found one almost exactly like it and my friend and I looked it up! So pretty though 🙂 I like those other ones too – the big ones look inverted!
Mushrooms are so fascinating. It’s amazing how many different ones we saw while hiking through the forest. It’s funny how it’s always the bright coloured ones that are poisonous. I love mushrooms, but would never trust my ability to be able to identify the non toxic ones.
I know I was thinking the same thing. Some of these colorful ones look like cake and candy!
No kidding! It doesn’t help that I also love the taste of mushrooms!!
Haha – I’m the opposite – don’t like eating them. I do enjoy finding them outside, though!
I do enjoy a mushroom scavenger hunt myself. I’ve been thinking about getting a book on mushroom identification.
Oh a mushroom field guide – I like it!
We’ve gotten a lot of use out of a tree identification guide that we picked up last year. We just leave it in our car so that way after a hike we can look up any interesting trees while it’s fresh in our minds. I just put an order in for the mushroom guide. It’s always nice to add some education with our exercise!
I might have to get a book on mushrooms. Maybe the library has one!
The library is such a great resource. I bet you visit often given all the reading and book reviews that you do!
Ah, yes, I do! You may not know that I’m a librarian – I work at the greatest library 3 days a week. I get a lot of book ideas there!
It sounds like you landed your dream job. What a perfect fit 🙂
It’s pretty great!
Lovely mushroom photos, it’s always the little things that make walks special 🙂
For sure. The mushrooms were a good reminder for us to slow down and look more closely at our surroundings. They were an unexpected surprise on our hike and they turned out to be the highlight of our visit.
Beauty Sun glow and water reflection. The mushrooms are so exciting to see. Never saw one in person. Thanks for the adventure.
The sun was just starting to set and it casted such a lovely glow through the forest and on the water. I was surprised that there were so many mushrooms along the trail. It was the perfect reminder for us to slow down, watch our step, and look more closely at our surroundings. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment. Linda
Oh, I must have missed this post earlier … and so glad I saw it now! The view of the sun over the lake is just spectacular and how amazing to see so many different mushrooms!
We arrived at Sioux Narrows at a great time to enjoy the sun as it was starting to set. I can’t believe how many mushrooms we spotted through the forest on such a short hike too. Talk about a trail with some great views.
The mushroom photos are excellent! Quite a variety. Dreamy sun photos over the water.
Thanks for your kind words. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount and variety of mushrooms that we found through the forest in this part of Ontario. The sun was very pretty and it seems like we arrived at the park at a great time to watch it start to set.