Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge

While staying at Aaron Provincial Park, I decided to Google for things to see and do in Dryden.

We hadn’t been camping in the area before - and I’d last been through there in 1998! I always like to see what points of interest an area has, in case there’s something we wouldn’t want to miss.

It sucks when you’re 2-3 days outside of somewhere you’ve been, and you start getting pushed the “Look at this cool thing in that place you left a few days ago!” articles, you know?

You’d think if Google is going to spy on you, it could at least be more timely with the tourism info, LOL!

Anyway, one of the top things to come up in that search was the Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge, in Johnston Park.

It looked cute - and doable, even in my physical state at the time. Plus, it was only a 15 minute drive from the park, so we hopped in the car to check it out!

The Basics:

Location Name: Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge / Johnston’s Park
Address: Dryden Signature Trail, Dryden, ON P8N 2W5 (click for Google Maps address).
Website: N/A
Price N/A
Reservations: N/A

Logistics

There looked to be a few access points for the bridge, including from behind a motel.

The most reasonable one seemed to be from Johnston’s Park, so that’s where we headed.

Note: Be sure to map to Johnston’s Park specifically, and NOT to “Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge”. If you map to the bridge, Google just takes you to a random spot on the side of the road, with no walking or vehicular access to the bridge or trails.

Parking & Registration

The park - and trail to the suspension bridge - can be accessed via a small parking lot on the side of the road.

Trust the map - the signage was weird and difficult to make out, before we were right on top of it.

Anyway, the parking lot is pretty small - probably 10-15 cars worth of parking spots.

It's not really big enough for any trailers, though.

There's no cost to visit, and no parking fee. No need to register, either - just pull up, park, and go for a walk!

Washrooms

While I saw a mention of washrooms online, I didn’t see any at the park.

There WAS a small building that could have been some sort of outhouse, but it didn't it wasn't labeled as being washrooms.

I wonder if they bring porta potties out in the summer?

Maps and Signage

There's not much in the way of maps and signage at this park, but it's a pretty straightforward layout, and it’s easy to see where you’re supposed to go.

From the parking lot, there’s a one-way path that takes you down the stairs to another trail.

At that intersection, there’s a bit of signage and a little map. One sign tells you to go left to get to the suspension bridge, and it’s pretty obvious from there.

Accessibility

Johnston’s Park is not very accessible.

The trail through the park itself seems to be wheelchair accessible - wide, flat, well-packed gravel. You’ll be able to get around the “Pieces of Dryden” mosaic display, but that’s about it.

For those with other mobility issues..

The trail to the bridge is short, flat, and level. There are 2 sets of stairs leading up to the bridge, both with wide steps and a short drop between each.

When you get to the bridge itself, though, it’s a pretty steep set of steps to get up to the actual bridge platform.

Pets

Johnson’s park seems to be pretty dog friendly.

There’s a sign up front asking you to pick up after your dog, and a little dispenser with poop bags to help you out with that.

Connectivity

We had really good internet throughout the park and over by the bridge we were right in Dryden itself so that's not surprising we're on Rogers wireless.

Day Use Area

There’s a fair amount of grassy area at Johnson’s Park, but not many picnic tables - I think we saw 2?

The neat thing about the park was the “Pieces of Dryden” Mosaic display. Apparently it’s been up since 2010, but the whole thing - including the 4 painted benches that surround it - looked much newer than that.

Signage on site says that it took a team of 15 artists and volunteers over 2000 hours to assemble the sculpture, using 18,000 pieces.

Those pieces - broken bits of dishes, pottery, mirrors, and tiles - were collected from residents of Dryden and the surrounding area.

It's a gorgeous piece, covering the various elements and combining them into a coherent, visually stunning work.

The benches are painted to reflect the directions in which they're placed - north, south, east, and west - along with the seasons and elements associated with those directions.

I could have spent a LOT of time checking that whole installation out, seeing the different colours and patterns used, etc!

Entertainment and Activity

There are a few things you can do and see at Johnston Park & the Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge:

The Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge

The Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge is a fairly new bridge - it opened to the public in 2009. It's 34 metres across, spanning the Wabigoon River.

The bridge is named after a local businessman who apparently covered a quarter of the construction cost.

One one side is a cute little waterfall, and on the other is a view down Wabigoon River.

Based on some educational signage in the area, I wonder if the rapids are a remnant of the historic saw and paper mills in the area?

Not a lot of information out there, but it's a nice little bridge to check out!

Hiking

From the parking lot, the trail to the bridge is only about 0.3 km. It’s wide, flat, even and well-packed. There are two staircases along the trail, both with wide steps & short drops between each.

Beyond the walking path to the bridge, Johnson’s Park seems to serve as a kind of trail head / access point to a few other trails:

Nature in the City Trail - 6.8 km

This is a trail system that links together several of the natural areas and park lake surrounding Dryden's city centre.

Urban Trail - 12.3 km

This looks to be a city walking route, using roads, sidewalks, and other pathways.

Signature Trail - 5.4 km

This is a set of two trail routes that follows part of the Wabigoon River to the Laura Howe Marsh, then walks around it.

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

There was a fair amount of bird activity in the area, but not a lot of great opportunities for bird photography at the time. The lighting was challenging, and the birds were all either FAR off - across the water - or staying high up in the trees, out of view.

Overall, we heard and/or saw:

American Redstart, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, Common Grackle, Common Raven, Common Yellowthroat, Gray Catbird, Mallard Duck, Purple Finch, Red-Breasted Nuthatch, Red-Eyed Vireo, Ring-Billed Gull, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Spotted Sandpiper, Yellow Warbler.

There was also some kind of swallow - a ton of them - flying overhead. They were backlit and flying WAY too fast to photograph or identify.

Niantic Games

There were actually quite a few Niantic game properties in a VERY small area. This came in handy, as there weren’t many at Aaron, and we had a collection challenge to complete!

Anyway, there were something like 8 Pokestops / Pokegyms / Ingress Portals / etc in the Johnston’s Park itself, with a couple more right at the bridge.

There was also plenty of cellular reception to be able play!

Final Thoughts

This was a really cute little park to see, I’m glad we went out to investigate!

I was having a really poor mobility day, but still wanted to be able to go out and do something - this fit the bill perfectly. The trail was short and relatively low effort, for a nice scenic payoff.

Porter was a bit disappointed that the bridge didn’t actually lead anywhere, but also figures he’s being “nitpicky” about that.

I especially loved the Mosaic art installation.

Overall, just a really lovely way to spend the afternoon. Where it’s such an easy drive from Aaron Provincial Park, we definitely recommend checking out the bridge during your stay!

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
Agawa Bay Campground, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Blue Lake Provincial Park
Caliper Lake Provincial Park
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Neys 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
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
Chippewa Falls
Kakabeka Falls
Mink Creek Falls
Old Woman Bay
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Sand River Falls
Scenic High Falls
Temagami Fire Tower
Terrace Bay Beach

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!