Pukaskwa National Park Facts

Pukaskwa National Park Facts
Pukaskwa National Park is a 725 square mile park located in the province of Ontario, in Canada. It is located in the Thunder Bay District of the province, north of the town of Marathon. Pukaskwa National Park is named after Pukaskwa River - which was named after the Ojibwa word "pukasu" which means "cooking the marrow in the bones of animals". The park was created to protect the boreal forests and shoreline of Lake Superior. It has the longest undeveloped Great Lakes shoreline today. The park was established in 1978 and it is governed by Parks Canada.
Interesting Pukaskwa National Park Facts:
In the 1800s as the railway was built through the region north of Lake Superior, logging operations sprang up in the area around what is today designated as Pukaskwa National Park.
The logging industry in the area is gone with only old cabins to provide evidence that it existed.
There is only road into Pukaskwa National Park is via highway 627.
Along the coast of Lake Superior and through Pukaskwa National Park runs the 60km Coastal Hiking Trail. The trail has two suspension bridges. One crosses White River and the other crosses Willow River.
The Coastal Hiking Trail is a portion of the Voyageur Hiking Trail.
There are several backcountry camping sites where hikers can stay overnight in Pukaskwa National Park.
Wildlife that can be seen in Pukaskwa National Park includes moose, peregrine falcons, black bears, wolves, lynxes, as well as a rapidly declining if not already extinct population of woodland caribou in the park.
Rivers that run in Pukaskwa National Park include Pukaskwa River, Cascade River, North Swallow River, Swallow River, White River, and Willow River.
The highest point in Pukaskwa National Park is at 2106 feet - at the peak of Tip Top Mountain.
There are rock structures on the cobblestone beaches of the park called Pukaskwa pits - believed to be a thousand years old and created by the original Aboriginal people living in the area. Nobody is 100% sure what the puts were created for.
Hattie Cove Campground and Day Use Area is located at the entrance to Pukaskwa National Park - via Highway 627.
Activities that visitors to Pukaskwa National Park can experience include day hikes, guided hikes, canoeing and paddling on the Coastal Paddling Route, backcountry camping, spending time at the beach, geocaching, wildlife viewing, fishing, picnicking, cycling, mountain biking, camping, and boating.
Because of the black bears in the park visitors are advised to ensure food is kept in the bear boxes or bear hangs that can be found along the Coastal Hiking Trail for campers to use.
Lake Superior is a cold and deep lake. This makes is easy for people to get hypothermia quickly as the temperature of the lake is only about 4 degrees Celsius all year.
Pukaskwa National Park is Ontario's only true wilderness park (within the National Park system in Canada). The park has three distinct natural ecosystems including boreal forest, Canadian Shield, and the Lake Superior shoreline. There are even some arctic plants found in the park that are usually not seen outside of the arctic region.


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