Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: September 2021
Rainbow Falls Provincial Park is situated on the rugged shore of Lake Superior. It features several hiking trails that range in length and difficulty that are reputed to provide panoramic views of the surrounding area. Rainbow Falls also offers a variety of water-based recreational activities like fishing, canoeing and swimming on either Whitesand Lake or Lake Superior.
After spending the morning at Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park, we drove to Rainbow Falls. Along the way we made a few detours. We first stopped at the Nipigon Lookout Tower to check out the views, find a Moments of Algoma art installation and eat some lunch. The tower involves climbing up 65 steps and from the top it provides panoramic views of Lake Helen and the Nipigon River.
We then drove to Wardrope Park in Rossport to check out another Moments of Algoma installation, which provided some fun facts about the Group of Seven painters. In their later visits to the Algoma region, Lawren Harris and A.Y. Jackson decided to explore more of Lake Superior’s northern shore, which led them to Rossport.
By the time we arrived at Rainbow Falls, it was late in the afternoon. We were eager to stretch our legs.
We hiked along the Rainbow Falls Trail (2.2km round trip, rated moderate) after which the park was named. Rainbow Falls is part of a river that flows from Whitesand Lake to Lake Superior. The trail is an out and back trail that follows along a boardwalk. Along the way there are a few great viewpoints of the cascading falls and a series of interpretive plaques that provide some interesting information about the natural features found near the trail.
The trail follows the falls to a footbridge and then crosses to the far side of the river. At the end of the bridge, there’s a sign for the Nature Trail, which is really the start of the Casque Isles Trail, a 52km hike that leads to a few of the smaller communities along the shore of Lake Superior, including Terrace Bay, Schreiber and Rossport.
At the Nature Trail sign, we first turned left as there’s a nice viewpoint overlooking the bridge.
We then followed part of the Casque Isles Trail to the first lookout. The terrain was rocky and it’s a steady slog uphill, but we were rewarded with a nice view of the surrounding area.
We turned around and walked back the way we came. Once we returned to the trailhead, we walked along the shore of Whitesand Lake to admire the views. We then hopped back in the car and drove to Neys Provincial Park where we planned to spend the next two nights.
But we had one last detour to make in Terrace Bay at the Terrace Bay Lighthouse to check out another Moments of Algoma installation. Since the lighthouse was open, we climbed to the top to check out the views of Lake Superior and Slate Islands.
We hopped back in the car one last time and continued our drive to Neys.
L
My progress on the Ontario Parks Challenge can be found here
Some of this looks very familiar. We stopped in Nipigon, drove across the new bridge and stopped at a restaurant in Rossport for a delightful lunch with a lake view. Rainbow Falls Park looks worth a stop. Have a great weekend. Allan
Glad to hear that this brought back memories from your road trip across Canada. The stretch along Lake Superior is is easily the most scenic drive in Ontario. And there are also lots of fabulous hiking options along the way. Rainbow Falls is located right off the main highway, so it was a convenient detour to stretch our legs and soak in the scenery. Enjoy your weekend as well. Linda
So amazing photography and inspired the views 🌷🙏👌the falls so beautiful 😍🙏
Wonderful travels 🌝👏
Thanks for your kind words. Rainbow Falls was a lovely park to spend a few hours to explore the trails and enjoy the scenery. It was also an added bonus that we had such beautiful weather.
Looks like a really nice park. I love the Moments of Algoma installations!
The Moments of Algoma installations are such a great way to highlight the Group of Seven and their connection with the area. We went on a bit of a scavenger hunt to try to find as many as we could on our drive back along Lake Superior. Unfortunately the Agawa Canyon Train Tour was closed when we visited so we’re still missing a few.
I had to go check on Google where on earth were these parks. Lake Superior is just huuuuge. Thanks for sharing these posts and photos of that amazing region so far away from where I live!
Lake Superior really is superior to all the other Great Lakes. The drive along this stretch of our road trip was easily the most scenic. There are also lots of great viewpoints and hiking trails along the way. I’d love to take a road trip around the entire lake someday. Thanks for reading. Linda
So many beautiful views, wow!! I had no idea that Ontario has so many beautiful parks! ❤️🇨🇦
No kidding! It’s pretty amazing just how many provincial parks there are in Ontario. The ones in Northern Ontario, especially near Lake Superior and Thunder Bay were among some of my favourites. The scenery is stunning, the campgrounds are typically smaller, and the trails are much less crowded.
Less crowded is always better!
That’s true no matter where you go and what you do!
Very pretty!
The area around Lake Superior was the most scenic part of our road trip. It’s always great to make a few detours and pit stops along the way to break up the drive and stretch our legs.
It all looks so scenic in the lovely weather. The lookout tower art installation fits the landscape well and the views from it are stunning. Another great post Linda.
Thanks for your kind words. We certainly had fabulous weather for being outdoors. It was fun to go on a scavenger hunt for all those Moments of Algoma art installations and to learn more about the famous Group of Seven painters. Rainbow Falls was also very scenic and a great place to go for a hike and stretch our legs. Thanks for reading and commenting.
What gorgeous view for a relaxing day in the sunshine! I love that you managed to find a waterfall, a lookout aaand lake views within such a short hike. Rainbow Falls has all the ingredients for a fabulous park!
There are a few trails at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park, but I figure you can’t go wrong with visiting the waterfall for which the park and trail were named after. It was a short hike, but it featured lots of great views along the way. It also sounds like a sweet spot to camp, especially since one of the campgrounds is right along the shores of Lake Superior. Next time.
Hey I like that suspension bridge, let alone the cool hike around the young river. Varied interests on that walk by the look of it.
The scenic viewpoint of the bridge is actually not part of the trail and the turnoff for it isn’t marked on the map. I read about it in advance and I’m glad we decided to check it out since we didn’t have to venture far and the overlook was beautiful.
Great post and so many amazing photos, Linda 🙂 The Nipigon Lookout Tower is such a fun and fantastic feature and so are the splendid views from it including the cargo train. I still remember driving from Calgary to Vancouver and seeing for the first time railcars carrying cargo containers in pairs, one atop the other – I was in awe 🙂
Thanks for your kind words and lovely comment. It’s always good to break up the drive on a long road trip. The Nipigon Lookout Tower was a lovely spot to eat some lunch and check out the views of the surrounding area. And talk about perfect timing to reach the top of the tower just in time to see the train come through. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Linda
You had much better weather for this part of your trip. It was a very cloudy rainy day when we stopped at Nipigon Tower. Mggie
Even though we had a bit of a rainy start to our road trip, I’m glad we ended with such fabulous weather. The stretch along Lake Superior was easily the most scenic part of the drive. That’s too bad that you had overcast and rain as you were driving through this area. The hiking here is incredible, but much tougher and less fun to do in the pouring rain.
Moments of Algoma; what a neat art installation! I’m definitely going to research that a bit further to find out more. Your images from the towers and viewpoints are so lovely.
Thanks so much. The Moments of Algoma installations are such a great way to connect the landscape with art. I have such a newfound appreciation of the Group of Seven painters and it was fun learning more about their history, their artwork, and where they drew their inspiration from in Northern Ontario.
What a beautiful day you had and wonderful scenery. Rainbow Halls and Terrace Bay were on our itinerary for the Roadtrip we ended up not taking last summer so I am thankful for your update. Such a wonderful part of our province.
I’m looking very forward to your recap of Neys – also on our wishlist last summer! 😊
I am such a fan of Lake Superior and all the various provincial parks in the area. Rainbow Falls is a great spot to spend the afternoon. There’s a few shorter hiking trails, but we only had time for one, so I figure you can’t go wrong with hiking the trail to the falls for which the park is named after.
Neys is hands down one of my favourites. I would love to return this summer, except it’s such a far drive to get to, even when flying into Thunder Bay.
Our only experience with Neys was on our drive home from Thunder Bay in 2020. We stopped at the registration Centre to pick up a crest. 😆 I wish we had stayed longer now that I’ve read up more about it but we were in such a rush. I think this summer is not gonna happen for us but maybe 2023! 🙏
There just never seems to be enough time! Even though we’ve been to Northern Ontario three times now, I feel like there is still so much left to be discovered. There were so many parks that we visited that I wish we could have stayed just a bit longer or camped there overnight. I can’t wait to retire. I’ve been trying to convince K that we should buy a campervan and just tour through all the provincial parks for an entire year.
We’ve looked into campervan rentals. Might be a way to ease K into it instead of full on purchase. Good luck with the pitch. I can live vicariously through you both!
I like the idea of trying it out before buying. I think if we ever visit Alaska or somewhere in the territories that a campervan would be ideal. I’d be too terrified to sleep in a tent with all the wildlife around.
That would be awesome. A good friend rented a camper van for a solo trip to Yukon last fall and it looked amazing.
That sounds like an incredible experience!! I heard the bug situation there is brutal, so it’s probably a good thing your friend went in the fall. I would be too terrified to travel to the Yukon alone. I’d be too worried about the bears and being stranded somewhere remote. I am terrible with navigation.
The thought of heads alone would terrify me. But the prospect of seeing the Northern Lights would certainly be an incentive. I never would’ve thought you were bad at navigation! 😆
I didn’t even think about the Northern Lights, but the Yukon would be pretty amazing for seeing them. I bet their winters are freeeeezing. And speaking of winter, best of luck with this snow storm that’s coming our way on Thursday. I’m not looking forward to all the rain and then snow. It’s going to be a mess.
I am awful with navigation and often rely on my husband to pay attention and figure out directions. I do all the trip planning and then turn it over to him to handle driving and navigating!
That sounds like a wonderful arrangement you have with K! 😊
Oh God, more snow and rain. Should be a fun weekend of hiking. 😆
The roads should be fine by Saturday morning, but the trails might be a bit dodgy. We just booked our accommodations last night and I was surprised that there was zero availability for anything in Huntsville or the surrounding area. I guess a lot of people have a similar idea and are either going to Arrowhead or Algonquin. Maybe this rain and snow might deter them??
I saw that Arrowhead reached capacity at 8 am, yes AM, last weekend. If you’re planning on going, you should book a day pass in advance. Good luck and have a great time!
That’s crazy. I made sure to book our day-use permit for Algonquin five days in advance right when the reservation window opened at 7a.m. Too bad we didn’t do the same for our accommodations! Oh well, I’m just happy that we’re getting away this weekend to enjoy the snow. Best of luck shovelling this morning. I wonder whether today will be a snow day.
Good thing you got the permit! Enjoy your get away this weekend! We’re taking it it easy but will be doing a nature hike on Monday. It’s beautiful out. 🙂
Exactly, that’s the most important part! We’re hoping to head out early this morning, but I’m a bit concerned with this snow squall warning. It looks fierce outside with the wind and all this blowing snow. Enjoy your long weekend as well.
The wind sounded mighty fierce earlier this morning but seems to have died down! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 Enjoy your long weekend!
The drive to Algonquin was terrible with all the blowing snow. It took us just over 5 hours to get here. We saw a few accidents and had to make a detour as part of the highway was blocked off. By the time we got to Algonquin, it wasn’t very windy anymore. It wasn’t very busy either. Thankfully we still had a few hours of daylight left and managed to squeeze in one hike for the day.
Sorry that the drive sucked! But I’m glad you both were kept safe and squeeze in a hike. Enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Thanks! Yesterday was a bit blustery, but the drive back home wasn’t nearly as bad. There was some congestion near Toronto though. I guess this is just a preview for what the weekends will be like in the summer!
Wow! Amazing, beautiful, awesome place! love the bridge. Thanks for share Linda.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Elvira
Thanks for your kind words and for commenting. The Rainbow Falls Trail was an excellent way to see the falls up close and to enjoy the scenery around us. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
I am impressed by the infrastructure (bridges , towers…) of Canada’s State Parks.
It’s pretty amazing to think of how much upkeep some of these parks must deal with around trail maintenance, adding proper signage, and for trails that contain wooden boardwalks, steps or bridges. It’s much appreciated as it creates for such such a great experience and hiking adventure.
Such gorgeous scenery, Linda, and your photos are terrific. I love Lawren Harris in particular, but the Group of Seven in general had some rather wonderful material work with.
Weirdly enough, this comment for you initially went to Allan as WP was doing some strange things yesterday. He let me know and I’ve copied to you. I hope you get it this time!
The drive around Lake Superior was the most scenic part of our road trip. I can easily see why the Group of Seven drew inspiration from this area. It was pretty neat to learn more about their history through the Moments of Algoma signs. P.S. Lawren Harris is my favourite from the Group of Seven as well.
The comment section in WP Reader has been acting up on me too. I have to type out a comment in word and then copy and paste it over in the comments section. Otherwise whenever I type the letter “l”, it likes/unlikes the post and the letter “k” moves to a different post altogether. It’s so strange.
I really am appreciating how your Parks combine natural beauty and scenery with man-made structures like the lookouts and lighthouses. I think the mix of both is ideal, and makes for an interesting and educational day out.
For sure. It’s nice to have these man made structures like boardwalks and bridges, otherwise these areas would be inaccessible to us hikers. I’ve also come to appreciate the storyboards and interpretive panels along the trail to learn more about the history of the area, how the park was created or named, and about the types of plants along the trail. It’s a great way to educate visitors. Agreed, it’s all about having the right balance.
you’re right, it is a balance. Even out here in Alberta, past industry makes it possible for us to recreate so easily. Logging roads put into the valleys 100 years ago are now our roads to access hikes and climbs. Even a few old mine sites (coal and gypsum) provide easy access to mountains that would otherwise we unattainable.
It’s pretty amazing to think how the infrastructure from the past, like old logging roads, is still being used today. Nowadays not much is done by our government to help improve trail access (or even creating more provincial parks). I guess there are bigger priorities like housing development.
Absolutely. Plus, when we have a natural disaster (like the 2013 floods here) that take out infrastructure, very little of it gets puts back. So 40 years of parks construction gets wiped out in one week of flooding, and that’s it. Gone. Plus, nothing new is done either because bridges have to be rebuilt, etc. It’s depressing because the population isn’t slowing down any. There is SO much pressure on the parks, and no parks mean the ones we have get trashed.
The issue is that natural disasters seem to be more frequent these days with climate change.
Our parks have seen a huge increase in visitors during the pandemic. It’s great that more people want to camp and spend time in nature, but I worry about what impact this will have on the environment. There is noticeably more trash on the trails. Instead of building new parks or expanding existing ones, there’s a push to just cram in more campsites, which means more noise. It’s just going to get worse as there’s a push to bring in more and more people to Ontario without growing our existing facilities, infrastructures and green spaces.
We’re having a similar issue with the area where we live and how to add more housing. Unfortunately the only way to do it is by paving over farmland and conservation areas that have been protected for decades. One of the things Canada has that many other countries don’t is our pristine wilderness. I just wish we could do more to celebrate and protect it.
A hike that includes a bridge to cross is my kind of hike! I love bridges. 😊
Same! Bridges are so much fun to photograph I love how each one is unique. A suspension bridges can also add a bit of a thrill when crossing.
I lived my first three years in a town with a suspension bridge. It was super sketchy and I have never forgotten how terrified I was of it. It has now been replaced by a much sturdier suspension bridge. Dan and I went there a couple of years ago to check it out. I loved it! Suspension bridges (when not made of chicken wire and wobbly old boards) are amazing!
Agreed! That bridge does sound dodgy and I wouldn’t want to cross in high winds. I’m never a fan of when a bridge or tower sways back and forth. I guess you weren’t the only one that had serious doubts about that bridge if they ended up replacing it!
It was very old and when they had a couple of years of major floods and high water the original bridge was destroyed so they had to.
That would do it. It sounds like the replacement bridge is much safer and sturdier.
Hi Linda, I like that view of the footbridge and also the lighthouse at the end. It’s so interesting that lighthouses are very different from one another. This one looks kind of modern!
I’m such a fan of lighthouses. I love how even though they are typically white and red, each one has such a unique design, shape and size. The lighthouse at Terrace Bay was very picturesque and it was fun to be able to climb our way to the top to get a view of the surrounding area.
Oh that cargo train and tower are amazing 🙂
It was neat to watch the train pass by from the top of the lookout tower. Talk about about great timing. It was also a lovely spot to stop for a picnic and just enough our surroundings. That’s one of the things I really enjoyed about our road trips was that we were able to discover some of these smaller places along the highway to break up the drive.
That’s a very strange looking lighthouse, I’ve never seen one like that! Thank you for the interesting guide!
I love how even though lighthouses are usually white and red, they come in such unique shapes, sizes and designs. It was a real treat that it was open and we could climb up to the top.
Yes! Lighthouses always seem so warm and quaint, like the one in the Aquaman movie.
And they are always so much fun to photograph!!
What a lovely view from the lookout tower! I really enjoyed your hike along the Rainbow Falls Trail – beautiful views and the waterfall is the perfect picture representing nature ☺️. And I always love seeing a lighthouse somewhere on a trail – thanks for showing it!
We’ve driven by the lookout tower a couple of times the previous summer and I’m glad we finally stopped to check it out. It’s a short climb to the top, but the views were lovely. Rainbow Falls was another great detour. The views of the cascading falls just kept getting better and better. I’m such a fan of lighthouses so naturally I couldn’t resist pulling over to check it out. As you can probably tell, I really enjoy making plenty of stops along a road trip. Thanks for reading. Linda
Read and see the photos that you serve. Makes me jealous of your beautiful journey. As your blog address wanders. The content really makes me wander.
Thanks for your kind words and for following along on our adventures. We had a wonderful time during our road trip across Northern Ontario and it was such a scenic drive, especially along Lake Superior. The scenery was just breathtaking.
The Nipigon Tower is very unique. Imagine standing on it then looking at the beautiful lake. I feel free. Thanks for sharing friends.
It’s a short climb to the top of the Nipigon Tower and the views of the surrounding area are fantastic. It was also a lovely spot to stop for lunch and taking advantage of the nice weather. Thanks for reading.
Thanks the area looks beautiful though I am sure the winter scenery is quite a bit different. When I first saw the tower I though of a high dive design! The lighthouse is constructed of what type of wood?
It’s amazing how the landscape can look so different through the seasons. I would love to return to Northern Ontario in the winter as I bet it’s great for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The Nipigon Lookout Tower was a lovely place to enjoy our surroundings and eat some lunch. I’m not sure what type of wood the Terrace Bay Lighthouse is made of. It looks beautiful though and it was such a treal that it was open and we could climb to the top.
Exciting water cascades . Fun, fun, hiking.
I can see why the park was named after Rainbow Falls. The trail itself was fantastic and provided lots of great viewpoints and different angles of the falls.