Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: October 2023
Rainbow Falls Provincial Park is located in northern Ontario. It’s named after a series of cascading falls that plunge over several rock ledges from Whitesand Lake. There are two main sections of the park. The Rossport Campground located on the shore of Lake Superior and Whitesand Lake Campground that is significantly larger and contains several hiking trails.
After spending the past couple of days at Neys Provincial Park, it was time for us to pack up and head to the airport in Thunder Bay. On the way we stopped at Rainbow Falls to stretch our legs. The campground had already closed for the season, but the trails were still open. While it was rainy when we left Neys, the miserable weather hadn’t quite made its way here yet as the ground was still dry. We figured we might as well get right to it.
We started with the Whitesand Lake section of Rainbow Falls and made our way towards the most popular trail in the park. The Rainbow Falls Trail (2.2km round trip, rated easy) follows along-side a series of cascades. It is an out and back trail that consists of a series of staircases and boardwalks, with a few detours to get a closer look at the cascades.
The path leads down to a footbridge that crosses the river. The end of the bridge marks the start of the Casque Isles Trail, a 52km multi-day trail along the north shore of Lake Superior. But, if you turn left and go the opposite direction from the Casques Isles Trail, there’s a nice viewpoint of the footbridge. While the fall colours were past their prime, there were still quite a few leaves holding on despite the wind.
We headed back to the parking lot to make our way over to the Superior Trail (2.2km round trip, rated moderate with difficult sections). There are two access points to the trail so you can either hike it as an out and back trail or take the road to return to the parking lot to form a loop. The access point closest to Rainbow Falls first leads through the forest and contains a few small boardwalks and wooden planks.
The path then makes its way up a series of granite ridges, providing some views of Lake Superior and the surrounding area. We made our way down the ridge and back through the forest.
Once we came out to the other access point, we followed the road back. We made a short detour at West Beach to check out Whitesand Lake. It turns out there is another path along the shoreline that also leads back to the parking lot. We decided to take that route instead.
There is one other day hike in the park, the Back Forty / Back 40 Lookout Trail, which is located by East Beach in the day-use area. However, the road leading to the trail head was already gated off for the season.
We then drove to the Rossport Campground, located on the south side of Highway 17, to check it out. It’s a much smaller campground with only 36 sites, most of which are electrical and geared towards RVs and camper vans, but it’s located right on the shore of Lake Superior. The views were nice, but we could really feel the wind coming off across the lake.
We were ready to hit the road again and continue our drive to Thunder Bay.
L
Wow, yet another beautiful park! Ontario is a very beautiful province, I love that Canadian Shield rock, so ancient. 🇨🇦🥰
Northern Ontario, especially along the Lake Superior shoreline, is easily my favourite area in the province. The scenery is spectacular. The Canadian Shield is pretty incredible. It covers much of Ontario, which always makes for some great hiking.
I’ve never been that far north in Ontario. ❤️❤️🇨🇦🇨🇦
It’s definitely worth the long drive. We’d love to take a road trip all around Lake Superior next time.
Do t, start at Port Huron. I love that town and used to launch my boat there. Sarnia Ontario is across the Saint Clair River from Port Huron. ❤️
Sorry, wrong lake! 🤭🤭🤭
Ha! I wouldn’t mind doing a road trip around Lake Huron at some point either though! So good to know!
Thanks! After I posted that comment I thought oops! 😬
It happens to the best of us!
Thunder Bay…..Rainbow Falls….you just don’t get names like that in England! 😂😂. Sounds like yet another fabulous walk, though…with the added bonus that the bad weather hadn’t arrived yet.
Ha! We also have a Balls Falls, Butt Lake and Crotch Lake here in Ontario! Who comes up with this stuff?!
What a trio of names!
There are some even better names in Newfoundland. We camped a few years ago at Dildo Run Provincial Park, located in a place called Virgin Arm.
I no longer know what to say!
Perhaps a visit to Canada should be added to your travel plans!
I think you’re right….
It’s a bit sad to see the parks closing. It starts as early as Labour Day and continues throughout fall, making the visitor feel incongruous. But you managed to take one last glance.
Oh I know. I get why places in northern Ontario close so early as there really isn’t that many visitors. I’m surprised some of the campgrounds close so early in southern Ontario though. And I’m sure more parks could even open for day-use on weekends later in the fall and even in the winter as the demand is clearly there. Seems like a missed opportunity.
I always love a good waterfall trail and these did not disappoint! Looks like it’s well maintained too.
Oh, absolutely! And Rainbow Falls provided some nice little teasers along the way with all those cascades before leading to the main falls.
It is so interesting to learn of your adventurous experiences in these beautiful places. Gratitude for your sharing them like this!!
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. I’m glad we managed to squeeze in a visit to northern Ontario as it was nice to experience it in the fall. It was very quiet and peaceful.
Such gorgeous photos of that beautiful area, Linda. Thanks for taking us along – I can almost smell that fresh air. It’s too bad that the parks close so early but it’s also true that the weather can begin to become unpredictable, even in October.
You are too kind. There’s just something about northern Ontario that keeps calling us back. You’re right about the weather. It can be real rough along the Lake Superior shoreline with the wind! That being said, it would be neat to see what this area looks like in the winter. Some of the parks closer to Thunder Bay stay open year-round and even have a few heated cabins. So we’ll definitely be back at some point to check those out.
A lovely visit to Rainbow Falls, Linda! If time permits, I’d like to visit this next summer we head up to Thunder Bay. I love the hint of autumn in the landscape and I can only imagine how spectacular it looks at peak fall colours!
Hope you three enjoyed your first Family Day together this weekend. 😊
It’s funny because we’ve been talking about doing another Northern Ontario road trip as well. We’ll probably wait another couple of years as we want to take advantage of M flying for free until she’s two! Rainbow Falls is another great spot to add to your itinerary, even if it’s just to take a quick break and hike to the falls. We’ve done this hike before in the summer, but it was neat to see how different the forest looked in the fall. It’s my favourite time of the year after all.
Such a beautiful area, especially in autumn. The mix of leaves, water and shield rock is spectacular. Good call on stopping here Linda. Have a nice evening. Allan
For sure. It’s always nice to break up a long (or even short) drive too to stretch our legs and enjoy the scenery, especially when it’s not raining. Hope you had a wonderful weekend. Linda
Wonderful photos, looks a very peaceful and relaxing place to have some rest
out the city, enjoying fresh and healthy air. Thank’s for share Linda.
Have a lovely week.
Elvira
Thanks for your lovely comment. One of the best things about visiting so late in the fall was that we had the trails all to ourselves. It’s always nice to get some fresh air and to spend time in nature. Cheers. Linda
Thats great. It’s always a pleasure visit your blog, thank’s for share
your experience Linda .
Fresh air and spend time in nature is a bless. Have a wonderful week.
Cheers. Elvira
You are too kind. I couldn’t agree more. Being in nature is my happy place. Take care.
Exactly nature is therapeutic and a wonderful place. Good for health.
Keep well too.
Oh absolutely! All the more reason to get outdoors more often! Have a wonderful weekend!
What a beautiful park! I actually don’t think I’ve ever heard of it. Will definitely add it to my list if one day I have the chance to go to Thunder Bay.
The drive to Thunder Bay is a fantastic road trip. The scenery is beautiful, especially along the Lake Superior shoreline, and there are a lot of parks along the way. We’ve done this trip a few times and are planning to return to Thunder Bay in a few years.
Looks like a gorgeous area. I’m guessing these trails are quite busy in the nice weather?
The area along the northern shore of Lake Superior is incredibly scenic. There’s a bunch of provincial parks here, which makes for an awesome road trip. Since it’s a long drive from the city, the campgrounds and trails aren’t actually too busy, even during the summer, which is really nice.
So beautiful post 🌹👍🌝 wonderful nature and gorgeous waterfall 😍
Mother nature’s love and blessings showered on this amazing Provincial Park 🏞️
Thank you for sharing this lovely photos and graceful wishes dear friend ❤️🙏
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. It’s always nice to spend time in nature. Even though the weather wasn’t the greatest, the trails were peaceful and quiet.
What a beautiful park to stretch your legs! Lake Superior, boardwalks, waterfalls, it seems to have all the gorgeousness one hopes to see when walking park trails. ❤️
Oh absolutely. And the best part was that because it was during the offseason, we had the park all to ourselves.
W 🤗 W!!
The scenery along the Lake Superior shoreline is breathtaking, especially during the fall when the leaves are changing colour.
Incredible photos! I love the walkways! Cher
Thanks for your kind words and for leaving a comment. I’m such a fan of boardwalks too. I find I can pay more attention to my surroundings when I don’t have to worry as much about tripping over some rocks or roots.
I completely understand your sentiment about not having to worry about tripping over some rocks or roots! Cher xoxoxo
Love the views of Lake Superior with the granite slabs on the ground. Typical northern Ontario scene. Maggie
You bet. In my opinion, Lake Superior is the most scenic area in Ontario. It’s a far drive to get here from the city, but it being out of the way is also part of its charm as it means not having to deal with the crowds. It’s just us and nature.
Another beautiful,park and especially so with the autumnal tints showing through. It’s always a pleasure to follow a trail to a waterfall isn’t it!
For sure. There’s always something so comforting and peaceful about being by the water. It was a bit blustery outside, but I’m glad we managed to see the last of the fall colours before all the leaves fell.
This looks like a fabulous hiking area, and I love the all the waterfalls and the lake! I also love all the forest views with the trees, the air must be so fresh there!!!
The air was a bit crisp and cool, which was perfect for hiking. I could have done without the wind though. I’m actually surprised at how many trees still had leaves considering how blustery it was.
Oh I just want to step in to every photo – wow!! So beautiful 🙂
With a name like Rainbow Falls, you know it’s going to be good. Glad it lived up to its expectations despite the dreary weather.
The hiking looks enchanting and serene.
The nice thing about hitting up the trails during the offseason is that we had them all to ourselves. It was very peaceful. Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Linda
Yes, I am a big fan of doing things during the offseason.
Same. The weather can be a bit hit or miss during the offseason, but I’ll take crappy weather over the crowds any day.
Yeah, makes sense.
No idea why but over half the photos would not open. So I left reader and came onto your site and the same thing. I am on my main computer and not my phone. WordPress has become weird and wonky these days.
You did say that most of the leaves were past their prime but it seemed like there was still a lot of green and yellow in the few photos I did see. Bernie
That’s so strange about how so many of my pictures aren’t loading for you. Oh the joys of trying to troubleshoot with WordPress. They seem fine on my devices. Hopefully this means the issue has fixed itself?
Given how windy it was, I was surprised there were still so many leaves on the trees. I’m sure they didn’t least long though as the wind can be pretty fierce by Lake Superior.
I always love wooden stairways through the forest and footbridges over rivers. What a beautiful area to enjoy on a fall day 🙂
Same! It’s a great way to explore an area that might have otherwise been inaccessible or too challenging to get to. I’m glad we managed to catch the end of the fall display of colours.
A lovely autumn walk! Perhaps the autumn colours are past their prime, but these trails are exceptionally pretty and exude tranquility. Ontario really looks like a beautiful province.
The fall is my favourite season for hiking. The weather is cooler, there are no bugs, the trails are quieter and the leaves changing colour creates such a beautiful display. The Lake Superior shoreline is gorgeous and is extremely underrated. It’s a far drive (or short flight) to get here from the city, but it’s worth it to escape the crowds and be surrounded by nature and such beautiful views. Thanks for reading. Linda
I always admire the trail maintenance at the Canadian parks you hike and photography – the boardwalks and well-groomed paths. The fall colors are lovely.
Oh I know. The trails are also well signed too. I was a bit surprised given how some of these northern and more remote parks don’t get too many visitors.
Beautiful Park in Ontario and we visited there too.Anita
The Lake Superior shoreline is easily my favourite area in Ontario. Glad you managed to make it up this way and check out some of the parks, including Rainbow Falls.
Thanks 👍
Don’t you just love a good boardwalk and lovely cascades. Such lovely scenery and wonderful views of Lake Superior.
You bet. There’s always something so soothing about listening to the sound of running water. It was a short trail with fantastic views that just kept getting better and better.