Agawa Bay Campground

Just up the Trans Canada Highway from Sault Ste. Marie, Agawa Bay is the first of 2 campgrounds located in Lake Superior Provincial Park - an amazing provincial park on the north shore of Lake Superior.

While summer is always popular for camping, I happen to think we picked the best time of year to visit, that first time in 2023.

I’m sure that the diverse scenery - and spectacular sunsets! - are amazing any time of year, mind you.

... but the weather was crisp and cool, and with the fall came then potential of seeing the northern lights!

It rained our first night, but on the second night, we were able to catch a glimpse of some green glow... through the clouds.

Anyway, more on that in a bit!

As has been a running theme on this trip, it was a matter of “the weather is supposed to be decent or good the first night, then rain out for the rest of the trip”.

I guess it keeps us on our toes?

So, after setting up at our camp site, we journeyed down to the Awaga Rock Pictographs... where it immediately started pouring.

Nothing like being out in the Northern Ontario wilderness, in the pouring rain!

Anyway, despite the weather, Agawa Bay was a GREAT place to camp and enjoy nature. So much so, that we went back in 2024... and a few times in 2025!

Loads to talk about, so let’s get to it!

Since publishing this review, we’ve been back to Agawa Bay Campground several times! We’ve updated it following those trips, apologies if anything seems disjointed. We ARE talking about more than 6 separate stays now!

The Basics:

Campground Name: Agawa Bay Campground - Lake Superior Provincial Park
Address: PO Box 267 Wawa, ON P0S 1K0
Website: https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/lakesuperior
Price: Ontario Provincial Parks uses a pricing matrix across all their parks. See 2026 Camping Fees for more details.
Reservations: Ontario Parks Reservations
Park Classification: Natural Environment
Season:: May 1, 2026 to October 13, 2026

Logistics

Some information to help you plan your stay at Agawa Bay Campground:

Registration and Check In

For our earlier stays, it was quick and easy to book our reservation online. Check in was quick and easy - once we found where we needed to go.

Our more recent stays were a bit more complicated, as there seems to be more competition for the spots. Fewer available spots, not getting the waterfront ones we’d hoped for, that kind of thing. Plan ahead, this park is getting more and more popular!

As far as check-in goes, getting signed in at the park on our first stay - was a bit of a mess.

As you enter the park, you can go left or right - it tells you camping to the left, so that’s where we went.

The gate house was closed, though, with a sign telling us to check in at the park offices at the visitor centre.

The signage in that area ... wasn’t great. As it turns out, we’d driven right past the visitor center, to the far end of the parking lot from it.

The centre was set back from the parking area, up a little trail.

Once in there, Porter went to the information booth... who then referred him to the gift shop.

Once he finally got up to the cashier, check in was quick and easy, but getting to that point was a bit frustrating.

As a note: This was still the case in 2024, a whole year after our first visit. We passed another RV sitting at the closed gatehouse, reading the sign saying to go to the visitor centre.

You’d think they could redirect traffic at the split point, with a seasonal sign.

June 2026 Update

Last year, a new system came into effect, where we could check in online the morning of our arrival. At the time, we were still required to find a staff member to print a paper permit.

As of June 2026, it looks like they’ve gone a step further - the check in instructions this time said to go directly to our site. I guess that means they’re finally fully paperless!

If you haven’t done the morning check in routine before, it’s just a few short screens to confirm my information, and check a box saying that you will NOT show up before 2 pm.

I guess they’re cracking down on early arrivals, as it seemed pretty adamant!

Maps and Signage

This is a small campground, so - as far as Agawa Bay specifically is concerned - it’s really easy to get around, and only one simple map is needed.

The signage is decent, but once you’ve driven the campground once, you really don’t even need the signs or map - it’s pretty easy to get around.

As for the park map, it’s two sheets of black and white photocopies, stapled together. (Sometimes you can get a colour copy, though we usually end up with the b/w version.)

I liked the campground map being in colour, but the accompanying park overview map can be kind of hard to read - the background colours were too dark/intense, so there wasn’t a ton of contrast between that, and the typed information.

The inner sides of the sheets have hiking trail information on one sheet, and a list of park offenses and fines on the other.

Waste & Water Services

As with most provincial parks, there are no water or sewer hookups in the individual camp sites.

There is a loop just before the camp ground area, containing both the dumping station - 2 platforms, one on either side of a central platform:

Beyond that, there are potable water taps throughout the campground areas.

In theory, anyway - the whole campground was under a boil water advisory on our second trip. So, on the way out of the campground, we had to visit Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground, which was NOT under a boil water order.

This would be a recurring theme - Agawa was under a boil water advisory during our May 2025 and June 2025 stays as well.

The loop closest to the front entry has a garbage center near the front of the loop (further from the lake), the second loop has their garbage center with the comfort station.

Connectivity

Cellphone reception was pretty spotty for us - pretty good in the campground itself, for the most part... but not consistently so.

Anywhere outside of the actual Agawa Bay camp ground had pretty much no cell phone coverage at all, though - and that includes the major trail heads, swimming areas, etc.

Accessibility

Here’s some more information on the accessibility of Agawa Bay Campground:

Barrier-Free Facilities

The comfort stations, amphitheatre, park office, and visitor center are all listed as being barrier-free.

The two comfort stations are *actually* barrier free (Not always the case when parks designate the as such!), with sidewalks to the buildings, a barrier-free washroom stall in the multi-stall washrooms, and a single barrier-free shower in each of them

Oh, and the barrier-free showers were actually barrier free - with an appropriately mounted shower head.

Beyond that, there are some barrier-free outhouses as well - they’re just not marked as such on the map.

Every single one of the vault toilets through the entire campground - including the ones by the amphitheatre - have a barrier-free stall, and a barrier-free approach from at least one direction.

Head up, though: If mobility is an issue, you’ll want to be on the east side of the campground - ie: closer to the highway, than the water.

The paths to the outhouses are all flat, level, and barrier-free from that side.

The paths from the west/lake side of the campground all involve either stairs or a steep trail up to the vault toilets. Most of the campground is kind of split level, with the length running along the highway being vaulted up over the lake side campsites.

Barrier-Free Camping

There are two barrier-free campsites, located in the North Hydro Campground. They’re both next to the comfort station, but both on one side of it - Site 134 is next to the comfort station, and 132 is the site next to it.

They are both electrical sites, with a raised fire pit and wheelchair accessible picnic table.

Neither has an actual path to the comfort station, so you have to go along the road - it’s not awful though.

Anyway, both of these sites have kind of a weird layout, sprawling wider along the road than most.

Each has some area on either side of the “entrance” to the campsite, if that makes sense. As in, you could set up your equipment on one side of the long site, then there’s another open-ish area on the other for a vehicle, dining set up or whatever.

Also of note: The roads in the campground are kind of narrow, and the roads on the second loop of the park are not paved.

Barrier-Free Activities

So far as I can tell - at least based on the multiple trails we’ve done, and what they were rated -none of the trails in this park are suitable for people using any kind of a mobility aid at all.

The two trails that are rated easy (Pinguisibi and Trappers) ARE pretty easy - if you’re able bodied.

They do both involve getting over rocks and roots that require more stability than I’d consider being really advisable for those requiring mobility aids.

That said ... I’ve done some wild stuff while in a boot or needing a cane, and the only one I would do while actively hobbled is the first part of the Pinguisibi / Sand River Falls Trail.

I’d only recommend that if you’re generally fairly mobile, strong/stable, and have good balance, though - there are some inclines and weird root/rock sections you’ll need to navigate over.

I generally wouldn’t recommend a trail like that one for anyone in a boot or using a cane, but it’s my favourite trail anywhere... and I’ve stubbornly done it while booted and using a cane.

... and I’m not a hypocrite, so I’ll just say... you know yourself, and your capabilities. It CAN be done in a boot, but that’s really going to depend on your overall abilities.

I really only ever do the first km - maybe not even that far - and it takes you by the 3 waterfalls, with amazing views of them, and paths right out next to / on them... the whole way.

The payoff for the effort is *amazing*, which is why I push through and do it. That said, if you can’t deal with the rough trail conditions, you can still walk alongside the first set of waterfalls - they’re right across from the parking lot, and the trail there is flat, wide, and well-packed.

At some point - I think between 2024 and 2025 - a Mobi-Mat was installed at the Agawa Bay Beach Campground!

It’s kind of in a weird location - across from the parking lot just before the camping area / for the amphitheatre - but there is an accessible parking spot there.

It only takes you partway onto the beach though - it’ll get you through the dunes area, but dumps you off in sand, well before the actual water.

Beyond that, the sand at Agawa Bay beach is loose and rocky, and it can be really difficult to walk on.

Also of note: There are two different styles of beach / all-terrain wheelchair on display at the Visitor Center, that you can borrow.

Pets

There is an off-leash dog beach at the north end of the campground - kind of halfway between the campsites, and the visitor center.

It can be accessed via a trail at the visitor center, or via a (walking) road from the campground.

Aside from that, dogs have to be leashed everywhere else in the park.

They’re not allowed on the Agawa Pictograph trail, but ARE allowed on the rest of the trails.

Parking

There’s a fair amount of parking at most of the campsites, the comfort stations, and also at the Visitor Centre.

In addition to those, there are also a few small parking areas throughout the campground, for additional vehicles, and each trailhead / attraction throughout the park tends to have a decent sized parking lot.

Miscellaneous

A couple random subjects to address:

Night Sky Viewing

Agawa Bay is in an area of very low light pollution, but is almost directly west-facing from the beach. It’s great for sky watching, but you’ll need to look north on the beach if you’re looking for the Northern Lights.

We saw Aurora Borealis activity a few times during our second stay, but it wasn’t under the best conditions - just before sunrise, an almost-full moon, and a fair amount of cloud cover.

The first time was OK (above), but we got a STUNNING show the morning we left. No activity on the third stay, though!

Next time around, I think we’ll be heading to Katherine Cove - there are some nice northern-facing views from the south side of that beach.

Also of note: During our June 2026 visit, we saw that Lake Superior Park had a bit of a Northern Lights information display on the billboard just inside the Visitor Centre.

There was an info sheet on how to photograph them with a digital SLR camera, a sheet with basic info on the lights, and a photo with an arrow “dial” that could be moved to point at either low, moderate, high, very high, and excellent, along with a kp index reading and predicted peak time for that kp. Nice!

If you’re interested in possibly seeing the northern lights, check out our posts: Aurora Hunting, How to Photograph the Northern Lights, Can I See the Northern Lights Tonight?, and Where to See Northern Lights in Ontario.

Frater Road

During the past couple of stays at Agawa Bay, we’ve made a point of driving partway up Frater Rd. It’s located just outside the campground, on the other side of the highway.

It’s the road to the Towab Trail head, which we wanted to check out, that first time. We ended up seeing a hawk and an American Woodcock on the road, so now it’s become kind of a birding stop for us.

We would go as far as that trailhead and turn around - the road was VERY rough after that, and we weren’t able to brave it in our old Acura.

We bought a small SUV in 2026 - at least in part to be able to explore roads like this (and Gargantua!), so we were finally able to answer our burning question about what’s further down that road.

In case you’re as nosy as we are... the road continues another 3.5 km or so, going uphill the whole way. It gets even more rough in some places, but eventually takes you to a lake that isn’t shown on the park map.

We think it’s Frater Lake. Anyway, very soon after that, you come to Frater House, right next to the railroad line.

We were SHOCKED to see anything that far out, but it seems to be related to the railroad - Google says it was for housing railroad workers. Anyway, it was private land beyond there, so we turned back.

All told, it was about 7 km from the highway to the railway, with an elevation gain of 262 metres from lowest point (the highway) to the high point (near the end).

We definitely wouldn’t recommend driving that road in anything with clearance lower than an SUV, and all-wheel drive would also be a good idea.

Also: By the time we got to the trail tracks, our transmission was hot enough to smell it. Something to keep in mind!

Campground Amenities & Info

Here’s some basic information on the amenities at Lake Superior Provincial Park, and the Agawa Bay Campground:

Creature Comforts

There are two comfort stations in Agawa Bay campground, one in each loop of campsites - both with hot showers, clean bathrooms with flush toilets, and laundry facilities.

They’re pretty much exactly the same - each has 2 multi-stall washrooms, with a single wheelchair accessible stall and a sharps disposal container in each.

There are 3 regular showers and a single barrier-free shower in each, as well as a laundry room.

Each laundry room has one washer and one dryer, as well as a small vending machine that sells little boxes Tide, Bounce, and Color-Safe Bleach for $1 each.

As for the laundry machines, they were each $2/load (Loonies only)... usually.

For some reason, the washing machine in the north laundry station was flashing $1.25 during our June 2026 visit - and that’s what it actually accepted.

Anyway, the comfort station in the south loop also has a garbage / recycling area next to it.

They all looked to be relatively new, and in decent condition. Each one has a wheelchair accessible stall, but the buildings themselves are only barrier-free from the east side (the road going along the highway, rather than the length that goes along the lake).

Park Store

The park store is located in the Visitor Centre, selling clothing items, books, snacks, grilling tools, souvenirs, firewood, etc.

It felt a bit more upscale than some of the other campground stores we’ve seen, with artwork, bougie little bath items, etc.

Note: As of June 2026, the Park Store is open 8 am - 7 pm, 7 days a week.

Visitor Centre

The visitor center has displays highlighting the area’s geography, nature, and cultural history.

We hadn’t really realized the scope of it, prior to our June 2026 visit. Porter had always been the one to go in and check it out, he took a photo of the entry way, and thought that was IT.

We finally went in together and saw the actual displays, which are available down a hall leading away from that main entry area.

We were shocked at how expansive the displays were - full-on museum quality, in a big, open space. The building does NOT look that big, from the outside!

Anyway, all kinds of things to look at and learn about! There’s also a door out to a deck just outside, which was beautiful - just really rainy at the time!

Lots of information on bears, how to deal with a bear encounter, how to AVOID a bear encounter, a skeleton, and a cute hand-drawn diagram of how to set up a bear hang.

Love it!

Day Use Area

There are 3 main day use areas in the park for picnicking or use as rest stops: Sand River (Next to waterfalls!), Katherine Cove (A beach area), and Old Woman Bay (also a beach area).

Sand River Falls and Katherine Cove are about 15 minutes north of Agawa Bay Campground, while Old Woman Bay is about 40 minutes north.

I think all of the picnic tables we saw were out in the open, I didn’t see any picnic shelters during our stay.

I have a ton of information about each of them - along with photos - in my Lake Superior Provincial Park post.

Note: You will need a vehicle permit to park in these areas.

Rentals

Canoe rentals are available at the gate house for Agawa Bay, and also at Rabbit Blanket Lake, and the Park Office for Mijinemungshing Lake.

The canoes in Agawa Bay Campground are located near the amphitheatre, fairly close to the water

There are also 2 all-terrain beach wheelchairs available to borrow.

For the kids, the park now offers rentals of 3 different Discovery Kits. Well, they call them rental, but they also say they're free - I'd assume there's a deposit.

Anyway, the 3 kits are an Explorer Kit (with a bucket, dip net, and "other exploration materials", an Art in the Park kid (with watercolour and other art supplies), and a Night Sky kit, with a red light head lamp, Ojibwe Sky Star Map constellation guide, and a planisphere.

These are all available at the Visitor Centre.

Campsite Details

Agawa Campground has plenty of options for camping, whether you want electrical or not.

Almost ¾ of the campsites in Agawa Bay campground are non electrical, though.

Most are at least fairly spacious sites, with some large sites nestled in.

The southern loop is a radio free campground, with a variety of types of sites.

I’m sure some of those lakeside tent camp grounds get some wild weather, but on the other hand... what a VIEW they have! Especially when it comes to the beautiful sunsets, right across from them!

While we could hear the highway traffic, it was mostly drowned out by our A/C and heater.

Outside, the sound from the highway is quite loud.

If you’re tent camping and will be bothered by the noise, try to camp as close to the water as possible, to at least put some space - and campers - between you and the highway.

Our first site - 114 - was a nice spot, right across from the water. Kind of narrow to get into, but absolutely worth it for that view!

Backcountry Camping

There are almost 200 backcountry campsites in Lake Superior Provincial Park, divided into over 70 zones.

Some backcountry sites have fire pits, some have access to box privies, and some even have a picnic table or food locker.

While some sites are available on a first come, first served basis, it’s recommended that you book your site / interior camping permit ahead of time.

Entertainment and Activity

While the campground itself is small, the park is HUGE. There’s a lot to see and do within the boundaries of Lake Superior Provincial Park!

Hiking

Whether you’re up for a relatively short hike, full day trips, or long trips spanning multiple days, there are plenty of options when it comes to hiking trails - 11 main trails, specifically, adding up to over 130 km of trail!

The park map we got when we registered was good about laying out the info for the various trails, the distance from the campground, and their ratings.

Trail Ratings

When it comes to ratings, that’s decided by both considering the terrain, and the length of time it takes you to walk the trail.

By their definitions:

Easy: “Level terrain; less than 3 hours”

Moderate: “Some steep inclines and uneven footing; less than 4 hours”

Demanding: “Some steep inclines and uneven footing; long distance trails, 4 - 6 hours”

Very Demanding: “Route not well marked at times; many steep, rugged areas and uneven footing; long distance, overnight trails.”

Assume the most extreme possible condition for that variable.

Definitely wear sturdy footwear (I did NOT wear flip flops for these hikes, LOL!), and definitely pack suitable water / food / bug protection / weather gear / first aid supplies / etc.

Also note that a can and bottle ban is in effect for all backcountry areas. Keep this in mind when planning your food!

As we were only there for 3 nights, were rained out for part, and dealing with injury, we only did 2 hikes:

Agawa Rock Pictographs

This trail begins a short drive north of the campground, and is an absolutely stunning hike.

The Agawa Bay pictographs are a series of 35 red ochre paintings on a cliff wall overlooking the lake.

It’s one of only a handful of Ontario pictograph sites that are accessible by foot, and that’s ONLY under certain conditions.

The natural beauty of the area can make it easy to forget that the site is extremely dangerous - a fact that multiple signs remind you of, though.

People have apparently been swept out by rogue waves, when attempting to view the pictographs.

A Reality Check

The park lists it as a 0.5 km loop, and calls it “moderate”, saying you can expect it to take 30 minutes to an hour.

For one, it’s closer to one km. We didn’t start our trackers until we were ½ of the way to the end point, and we were well over 0.5 when we got back to the car- no deviation from the trail at all.

Secondly, I have to side eye that “moderate”, based on their “Some steep inclines and uneven footing”.

Remember what I said about “assume the most extreme value for that variable”? Yeah. “Some steep” = Hardcore, WILDLY steep, the whole way.

Anyway, in NO WAY do our photos do any justice at all to how wildly hardcore this walk was, or to the beautiful views we took in along the way.

One of the best hikes I’ve ever done (probably THE best), and I felt like such a bad ass for completing it.

10/10, will absolutely do this again someday... though we’ll probably be a bit more careful to avoid the rain, next time!

Trapper’s Trail

This was a much easier trail, around one of the inland lakes in the area - Rustle Lake.

It’s listed as being 1.5 km (accurate), and says it’ll take 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to do - also accurate. We did it in 55 minutes.

Going back to their trail definitions, though... It’s listed as “easy”, with the description for “easy” including “level terrain”.

... I mean, there was a short section of level terrain at the end, and the boardwalk was level... that was about it.

There was a lot of uneven footing, elevation climbing, rocks, etc involved here. DEFINITELY wear waterproof hiking boots, as you’ll be going through some marshy areas.

Our Wildlife Memory!

Anyway, this is the trail they recommend if you’re wanting to see wildlife - “such as beaver, otter, marten, Great Blue Heron, and moose.”

On our first trip, the first ⅔ of the trail, we didn’t see so much as a bird. So, we considered it to be more about the rich autumn colours, instead.

Then we heard a weird noise, and saw two otters messing around in the distance!

As a JOKE, I said something like "I wonder if they'll answer to PSPSPSPS?".

So I PSPSPS'd at them.

... they popped up, stared right at me, CHANGED DIRECTION, and started swimming right for us!

... And they turned around and started swimming towards us again!

This is the best photo Porter got - SUPER zoomed in. I'm shocked we got any photos at all, we were stunned at them swimming towards us when called!

I still can't believe this happened - I wish we'd thought to get video!

Anyway...

We continued the trail, and saw a giant bird fly up and away, as we rounded a corner to a bit of a clearing on the side of the lake.

Might have been one of those great blue herons? Didn’t manage to get a good photo, whatever it was.

We soon came to the end of the trail and headed back to the camper.

Unfortunately, we didn’t see any otters on either of the subsequent trips 🙁

Nokomis Trail

On our second visit, Porter did the Nokomis Trail. This one is a 5 km loop, ranked “moderate”, with a stated completion time of 1.5 - 3 hours, and it’s the other one we were planning on doing.

After seeing what “moderate” meant on that first hike, though... kinda doubting I would have been able to handle this.

This one is located in the Old Woman Bay area, and takes you through boreal forest areas to visit scenic lookouts over the cliffs of Old Woman Bay.

This trail is ranked one of the top 5 day hikes in Lonely Planet’s “Discover Canada” book.

Here’s what Porter had to say about it:

Don't let the "difficult" rating stop you from doing this, but plan ahead with protein bars and water, and pace yourself according to your needs.”

I definitely recommend taking on this trail if you're in the area. Make sure you have plenty of storage room on your camera for all the amazing views!”

Pinguisibi (Sand River)

Another hike that’s just up the highway from the campground, this was another that got canceled on our first trip when I blew my knee out.

Because the trail head - along with some amazing views of a waterfall - was right off the highway, we pulled in to check it out during that trip, and fell in love with... a picnic area.

It was GLORIOUS - so much so, it deserved its own post: Sand River Falls & The Pinguisibi Trail.

Update: The falls were even nicer in the spring of 2025! You couldn’t go out onto them as much - certainly not the 3rd set - but much more flow made for some amazing views anyway!

Crescent Lake

This one’s listed as an easy 2 km loop, taking 30 minutes to an hour to complete. I think that’s old information, from before the Crescent Lake Campground closed.

When Porter did the trail on our 2025 visit, it was 0.85 km to get from the parking lot to the actual start of the trail, alone - so 1.7 km, before you even get to the lake!

Overall, the trail came to 5.5 km, which included the multiple short branches to get to the lake lookouts along the trail.

Here’s what Porter had to say about it:

“The campground road is an easy hike, two narrow trails where vehicles used to drive. Grassy with small bushes encroaching the space, but still plenty wide and easy to hike.

The main loop trail is a nice walk through the woods, lovely but not amazing on its own. Much of it has a high tree canopy yet still has a lush forest floor with small bushes and ferns.”

The two access paths to Kenney Lake are a bit steep. The rest of the trail and paths are pretty flat.”

The Other Trails

Eventually, we’ll get around to doing more of the trails. In the meantime, here’s a quick overview of the other available trails:

South Old Woman River

Listed as being a moderate difficulty trail, 2.5 km loop, 1-2 hours to complete.

This one is on the far end of the park, across from the Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground.

The description says most of the trail is easy with some sections that are uneven, and some rock hopping involved to cross the river.

Peat Mountain

Another one that’s located at the Rabbit Blanket Lake Campground, with access points near site #30 and #49. (No parking nearby, though?)

This is listed as a “demanding” 11 km loop, and a time of 3-5 hours to complete.

Orphan Lake

This one’s listed as a moderate 8 km loop, that’s expected to take 2-4 hours to complete.

The highlights of this one include going though various types of forest, climbing up to lookout, a beach, waterfalls, and more.

Awausee Trail

This one is listed as a demanding 10 km loop that should take 4-6 hours to complete.

It follows an old logging road at the base of Agawa mountain, then takes you up hills, along a ravine, past lookouts, and through forest areas.

Towab

This one is listed as “very demanding”. Seeing what gets passed off as “easy” and “moderate”, I can’t even begin to wrap my head around what “very demanding” may look like!

This one is a linear trail, 24 km return, and says it’ll take 8-14 hours to complete - it’s recommended as an overnight trip.

It goes out to Agawa falls - one of the highest waterfalls in Lake Superior Provincial Park - and back, passing several back country campsites en route.

Lake Superior Coastal Trail

This one sounds absolutely wild. It’s “very demanding”, 65 - SIXTY FIVE!!! - km in length, and they recommend 5-7 days to complete the entire trail.

I can’t imagine.

Definitely take a park map (or two!) with you if you’re going to brave this kind of nonsense.

It uses blue diamond shaped symbols to mark the trail in wooded areas , and rock cairns throughout the more exposed, rocky areas.

This one takes you around some of the most remote sections of the Lake Superior shoreline, and I bet it’s absolutely amazing.

I just can’t wrap my head around carrying a week’s worth of food and camping gear, while ALSO climbing something deemed “very demanding”!

Biking

I haven’t seen any information about biking in Lake Superior Provincial Park, and none of the trails seem to be marked as mixed use.

I’m guessing campground roads are about it, in terms of cycling.

Swimming

As the largest freshwater lake in the world, it shouldn’t surprise you that swimming is a whole thing at Lake Superior Provincial Park.

There is a long beach up the length of the Agawa Bay Campground - it’s a rocky beach, but gorgeous.

Just up the highway, there’s Sinclair Cove. It’s listed as a boat launch, but has a beautiful sand beach - and we rarely see people there.

Then - a few minutes further up the highway - Katherine Cove has TWO sandy beaches, both of which are gorgeous.

Finally, Old Woman Bay also has a swimming area. It’s 40 minutes away from the campground - so a bit of a trip! - but that post has everything you need to know about it.

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the first trip had use starting to think the birds have something against us!

Lake Superior Provincial Park is supposed to have a ton of bird species - 250 identified within the park, over 120 of which nest there! - and touts the great bird watching opportunities.

We saw that one large bird at Trapper’s Trail, and we had one small bird visit us while having lunch at our campsite.

... the entire stay.

Anyway, aside from the birds, the park is also known for black bears, moose, otters, and more. We just didn’t see much wildlife, during our stay!

Oh well. Those two otters made up in quality, what we’re lacking in quantity!

Update!

While we didn’t have a ton of luck *photographing* birds on the second, third, fourth, and fifth trips, we heard and saw a LOT more.

(That’s the buff-breasted sandpiper, below!)

We saw other birds as well, of course... but the shore birds were very cool!

Anyway, the running list of birds we’ve seen or heard during our various stays in Agawa Bay campground is currently:

American Crow, American Goldfinch, American Pipit, American Redstart, American Robin, American Woodcock, Bald Eagle, Baltimore Oriole, Belted Kingfisher, Black-and-White Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Black-Capped Chickadee, Black-Throated Blue Warbler, Black-Throated Green Warbler, Blue-Headed Vireo, Blue Jay, Broad-Winged Hawk, Brown Creeper, Buff-Breasted Sandpiper, Cedar Waxwing, Chimney Swift, Chipping Sparrow, Common Loon, Common Raven, Common Yellowthroat, Dark-Eyed Junco, Downy Woodpecker, Eastern Phoebe, Golden-Crowned Kinglet, Great Horned Owl, Greater Scaup, Hairy Woodpecker, Horned Lark, Least Flycatcher, Least Sandpiper, Northern Flicker, Northern Parula, Orange-Crowned Warbler, Ovenbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Pine Siskin, Pine Warbler, Purple Finch, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Red Crossbill, Red-Eyed Vireo, Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, Ruffed Grouse, Savannah Sparrow, Semipalmated Plover, Solitary Sandpiper, Song Sparrow, Swainson's Thrush, Swamp Sparrow, Tennessee Warbler, Turkey Vulture, White-Crowned Sparrow, White-Throated Sparrow, White-Winged Crossbill, and Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

Boating

Lake Superior Provincial Park is a popular spot for boating - especially canoeing - but there are some restrictions you should know about.

Power boats are allowed on Lake Superior with no motor restrictions in place. Motors need to be 10 hp or less on Sand lake, and power boats are not allowed on any other lakes in the park.

There aren’t any boat launches in Agawa Bay campground itself, but there is one in Sinclair Cove, just a few kilometres north of the campground. It’s accessed via the same exit as the Agawa Rock Pictographs trail

Also, Kenney Lake - just a few km south of the campground, accessed via the Crescent Lake Campground Parking - seemed to be a popular place for stand-up paddleboards, during our June 2025 visit.

Fishing & Hunting

You can fish for brook trout, lake trout, rainbow trout, and salmon throughout the park, subject to various restrictions and seasons.

Additionally, the use - and possession - of live baitfish is prohibited on interior park lakes.

Sand River Falls seems to be a super popular place for fishing, across each of our visits to Lake Superior Provincial Park.

Man, I wish I knew some moose hunters. I could do with a nice batch of my moose stew right about now...

Discovery Program

As with most provincial parks, there are several different offerings for interpretive programs, special events, etc in Lake Superior Provincial Park, and Agawa Bay Campground, specifically.

The Agawa Bay Visitor Centre hosts some programming, with park staff offering kids programs, speakers, evening programs, guided walks, and more during the summer months.

Winter Activities

While the camp grounds and park roads are closed and gated off in the winter, the park welcomes you to ice fish, ski, and snowshoe as weather and conditions permit.

Snowmobiles aren’t permitted anywhere in the park, except on Frater road.

Niantic Games, etc

There are a few pokestops / gyms / Ingress Portals in the campground - 2 in the campground, 2 by the visitor center, one at the amphitheatre, and one at the gate house.

You’re never all that far away from a stop, and cell reception was generally OK enough to get your daily tasks in, at minimum.

Final Thoughts

DAAAAAMN!

Gorgeous park, amazing views, fantastic hiking.

As my husband said, it’s the most fun he’s ever had climbing rocks. It’s not something he’d ever sought out, but now he gets it!

Being able to park our camper just a few metres from Lake Superior and only have to look out our door to see a beautiful sunset over the lake has been wonderful.

We’ll definitely be back... again and again, it seems!

More Northern Ontario Provincial Parks & Places to See

Want to read some more about the parks we've camped and at places we've seen in Northern Ontario? Here are some more posts!

Northern Ontario Campground Reviews:

Aaron Provincial Park
Blue Lake Provincial Park
Caliper Lake Provincial Park
Esker Lakes Provincial Park
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
Kettle Lakes Provincial Park
Lake Superior Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Neys Provincial Park
Ojibway Provincial Park
Pakwash Provincial Park
Pancake Bay Provincial Park
Pukaskwa National Park
Quetico Provincial Park
Rabbit Blanket Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Rainbow Falls Provincial Park
Rene Brunelle Provincial Park
Rushing River Provincial Park
Sandbar Lake Provincial Park
Sioux Narrows Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
White Lake Provincial Park

Northern Ontario Places to See:

Aguasabon Falls & Gorge
Amethyst Mine Panorama
Batchawana Bay
Bridgeview Lookout Tower
Chippewa Falls
Kakabeka Falls
Little Falls Scenic Lookout, Atikokan
Mink Creek Falls
Old Woman Bay
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Potholes Provincial Park
Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge
Sand River Falls
Scenic High Falls
Schreiber Beach
Temagami Fire Tower
Terrace Bay Beach
Terrace Bay Lighthouse
Terry Fox National Historic Monument
Wawa Goose
Winnie the Pooh Memorial

Want to explore beyond Northern Ontario? Check out our full list of Campground Reviews, Ontario Waterfalls, and other Places to See.

We also have a ton of Camping Recipes to cook up, while on your adventures!