5 Days Backpacking the Lake Superior Coastal Trail

I’m writing this trail report to let you know that everything you’ve read in the other trail reports about the Lake Superior Coastal Trail is TRUE.

A friend and I decided we wanted to hike this challenging backpacking trail in the summer of 2022. Knowing that it was considered the most difficult trail in Lake Superior Provincial Park, we very much wanted to do our homework, and ended up reading a ton of trail reports.

But never having experienced terrain like the Coastal Trail, we kind of found them hard to believe.

Like okay, there was some elevation gain, but no more than we had hiked in the past. And we get it, there are rocks… But reading that people were ONLY hiking 1 km per hour in spots? Impossible! Or so we thought.

In this trail report, I will do my best to explain to you why the Lake Superior Coastal Trail is SO challenging. But also, so amazing.

Click on any heading to jump right to it:

Our Route
Getting There
Day 1- From Gargantua Harbour to the Rhyolite Campsites
Day 2, From the Rhyolite Campsite to Beatty Cove
Day 3, From Beatty Cove to Coldwater- Our Easiest Day!
Day 4, From Coldwater to Barrett South
Day 5, From Barrett South to the Agawa Bay Visitor Centre

Our Route

The Lake Superior Coastal Trail can be hiked either North (Gargantua Bay access point) to South (Agawa Bay Visitor’s Centre), or the opposite. We chose to hike North to South. The northern sections of trail tend to be more consistently coastal, which means you’re spending more time on rocks next to the water, whereas the southern sections have a bit more variation. There’s still a heck ton of massive rock face to traverse, but you also spend a lot of time in the forest, and some (blissful!) time on sandy beaches. There are pebble beaches too, but I find those far less blissful and more annoying to walk on.

Booking was competitive, and we basically grabbed whatever campsites we could get that wouldn’t have us walking too many kilometres in a day! So ultimately, our route for the 5 days was as follows.

Start, Gargantua Bay- Campsite, Rhyolite – Campsite, Beatty Cove-Campsite, Coldwater- Campsite, Barrett South- Finish, Agawa Bay Visitor Centre

Getting There

To get to the Gargantua Bay access point, you first have to drive down a dirt road off of Highway 17. The road is about 14 km long and in terrible shape. I don’t think I would try to bring anything lower than an SUV in there. We drove in a pickup truck, and it still took us 40 minutes! If you are someone who gets carsick, I would definitely recommend Gravol for this drive. We were literally bouncing up and down in our seats.

Eventually, the road ends right at the trailhead. So at least there’s that.

Day 1- From Gargantua Harbour to the Rhyolite Campsites

Distance: 5.7 km
Time it Took: 3 and a half HOURS
Tip of the Day: The way you have to move your body on these trails, if your pack is up high it bonks you in the head a lot and is very annoying. Try to keep your base weight small, and don’t overfill the “lid” on your backpack (the zippered compartment up top).

About the Hike There

This was our first taste of the Lake Superior Coastal Trail, and it did not disappoint. We got a late start which made me nervous because I had been rereading trail reports about how hard this trail was before we set out!

The first km of the trail was through the forest and was super flat and easy. So REALLY it took us 3.5 hours to hike 5 km, gah!

The Gargantua Harbour campsites are all along the first kilometre, so you can stop and use the bathrooms here if needed.

At 1 km the trail started to go up and it was steep! There were also tons of rocks that we had to navigate while ascending.

The Coast

The first 2 km took us 50 minutes, and then we got out onto open rock face for the first time. So far, we had been following the classic Ontario Parks trail markers in the trees, but on these big rocky sections there are no trees to mark, so we began to look out for cairns along the way. This was something new to us and they were sometimes difficult to spot- we were looking for rocks among rocks. So, while the hiking was strenuous, it was also having to think so much about which way to go that slowed us down too.

The trail began to alternate between having us out on the coastal rock and bringing us back into the forest. So far the rock face we were traversing was just wide-open rock face, similar to Canadian shield that we had walked over at home in Ottawa.

Halfway There

But around 3.14 km we hit the first steep and rocky section. The coastal rock was becoming more technical, with more small boulders thrown in instead of just open rock face. So, we spent more time looking at our feet, which made it even trickier to know which direction the trail was heading in. We spent a lot of time looking down at our feet, up to spot the next cairn, down again, and so on. It really slowed us down. Not to mention a light rain had started (to keep things interesting I assume).

The trail continued on like this until we reached about a km before Rhyolite Cove, at which point it began to feel a bit more manageable. We hadn’t seen anyone since leaving Gargantua Bay (and wouldn’t actually see anyone until the next night)! Luckily, we had enough light to set up camp and eat dinner before crawling into bed.

About the Campsite

This campsite was gorgeous. Lots of room for tents set back among the trees, and a pebble beach. There was a firepit near the tent pads as well as on the beach. The food locker and outhouse (with a door, how fancy!) were between the two campsites. Look for the thin path through the shrubs closer to campsite #2 of 2.

Day 1 Map and Elevation Gain

Day 2, From the Rhyolite Campsite to Beatty Cove

Distance: 8.7 km
Time it Took: 6 hours and 25 minutes
Tip of the Day: Don’t leave your garbage in the food locker! When we arrived at Beatty Cove, we were really happy to see a food locker- and then we opened it up to rotting food and garbage. It was unusable. When you’re backpacking, please Leave No Trace, not just for the environment’s sake but for the people who will be coming along behind you.

Also bring a swimsuit. I decided to save weight/space by not packing a suit- but I felt so grungy at the end of each day that I really wanted to take a swim.

About the Hike There

We left Rhyolite Cove late, after sleeping in and having a slow breakfast. This would be the last day we were bold enough to leave our campsite mid-morning. Heading to the end of the beach, we were back on the trail. We passed through more coves with pebbly beaches, shoreline with open rock face, and forested trail that was so rocky in spots we actually had to use our hands to pull ourselves up in order to continue on. This section of trail alternated quickly between forest and shoreline.

Having hiked 1.7 km (in an hour and 15 minutes) we arrived at Mermaid Lagoon, where there was one campsite with a food locker.

Getting Tougher

Checking the map, we could see that we were going to face some elevation gain ahead of us. And we were right. This section of trail was the hardest yet in terms of our physical exertion, because when we were in the forest, we were gaining elevation AND having to take really high steps to get over the rocks scattered along the trail. The trail was actually taking us around one of the highest points of elevation on this section, but it didn’t feel like it!

At the 4.9 km mark we came to the first Buckshot Creek campsite (1 of 4). 500 metres later we had to hike up the side of Buckshot Creek itself, crossing over a bridge 200 metres up the river. At this point we still hadn’t reached the 2^nd campsite but came to it not long after getting back down to the Lake.

Beaches

At the 6.5 km mark for the day we took our first steps on sand- by FAR the easiest hiking along this trail so we were excited. We also passed the 4^th Buckshot Creek campsite- these sites are really spaced out.

While the sandy beach didn’t last long, we did find ourselves more often leaving the forest to walk along rocky beaches, instead of the open rockface that we had been traversing earlier. The rocky beaches are challenging in their own way, because with each step you take the rocks shift. But it was still easier than some of what we had seen before! At 8 km we were on a real sand beach, and quite happy about it.

And then, in even happier news, we were at our campsite at Beatty Cove!

About the Campsite

Beatty Cove was another gorgeous campsite with easy access to the water/swimming. The beach at Beatty Cove was massive. There were a few campsites in the cove, with a couple clustered together but ours fairly separate. Fortunately, our neighbours let us use their food locker (since people had chosen to use ours as a garbage can). There was a thunderbox nearby. And perfect phone reception!

Day 2 Map and Elevation Gain

Day 3, From Beatty Cove to Coldwater- Our Easiest Day!

Distance: 10.5 km
Time it Took: 6 hours and 12 minutes
Tip of the Day: Pack extra tips for your poles. At the end of our day, I realized my plastic tips had been so worn down by the rock that I had to replace them. This would happen once more by the end of our trip so the extras were a must!

About the Hike There

On our third day we woke up earlier, leaving camp around 8:30 a.m. We headed to the end of the beach and then back into the forest, where we began to head gently uphill. We stayed in the forest for quite some time, popping out onto a small rocky beach around 1.4 km. The forest floor did become slightly more technical as we travelled along, but we were definitely making better time through this section than we had on the two days before.

At the 2 km mark we reached Sand Spit, which is a paddle-in campsite. About 600 metres later we were slowed down again by rocky terrain- this time actually having to sit on our bums to comfortably traverse some of the stones. But by the time we had gone 3 km we had only been hiking for an hour and forty minutes, which was definitely our land-speed record so far on this trip!

Closer to 4 km we travelled over a short ridgeline where we felt, for the first time, that if we were to slip, we might actually fall. Not long after, we hiked past one of Baldhead North campsites. Leaving the beach behind, we approached a steep scramble that proved to be more visually intimidating than it was physically. It would be another 500 metres before we spotted the next of the Baldhead North campsites.

Baldhead River

Hiking past the last campsite, we began to follow Baldhead River until we reached the first of two bridges used to cross. If you squint REALLY carefully you can see these two bridges on the map.

Right after the second bridge was a trail sign. These are few and far between, so we took careful note. It indicated that to our left was the parking lot, as this was part of the Orphan Lake Loop. We turned to our right, heading back towards Lake Superior.

A long beach was up next, giving us a bit of a break. While the hiking in these spots isn’t technical, it’s still physically demanding in its own way as the footing just gives way immediately so for every step you take, you lose a couple of inches.

This spot was actually quite busy compared to the rest of the trail. We saw a few small groups of people, which felt like a lot considering we had seen next to no one the past two days!

Wet Rocks

At the end of the beach, we got our first taste of what it was like walking on wet rock. A tiny stream flowed down the open rockface we had to traverse, making it INCREDIBLY slippery. And when the rock is wet, our rubber tips didn’t catch the rock at all. (Later on, we would learn that when the rock is wet its best to stick your pole into any tiny cervices you can find- if you kind of jam it in there, you know it won’t slip on you while you take your next step!).

We passed the Baldhead South campground not long after leaving the beach, and then began a very steep ascent. This may have actually been the steepest ascent on the entire trail! By the time we made it to the top we had hiked a total of 7 km. The descent began gently but carried on for almost a kilometer, becoming less and less gentle as we went.

Coldwater

Around 8 km we were back out to the shoreline and could hear the highway. We spotted the Coldwater North campsite around the 8.5 km mark. After this, the last 1.5 km to our campsite at Coldwater were quite easy (with just a few spots thrown in where we had to scoot on our bums to get where we were going).

This day was the only day where we felt like we could have gone a little further, and not been too worn out. But it was probably a good thing that we had a restful day in the middle of things!

We had reception when we walked out near the lake, and we knew that some bad weather was rolling in. So we used this reception to check in with folks who had hiked the trail in the rain before- honestly looking for an excuse to bail because it would have been SO dang easy from this spot on the trail- and checking the weather reports for the next few days!

About the Campsite

This campsite was kind of the worst, because it also serves as an access point for the trail. Which means it would have been SUPER easy for us to just… walk right off the trail. And things had been tough so far. So we were seriously contemplating it, especially as we knew there was rain coming. Despite the beach being right next to the highway (you might have seen our bear hang as you drove past, no food locker here!), it still wasn’t busy. There was also a fire pit and picnic table, though no garbage cans that we saw. There was a thunder box set back in the woods, and lots of space to set up our tent.

Day 3 Map and Elevation Gain

Day 4, From Coldwater to Barrett South

Distance: 15.5 km
Time it Took: 7 hours and 30 minutes
Tip(s) of the Day: Walk near the shore on sandy beaches, to save yourself the energy of walking on dry sand. And plan your day around the weather. Rain on this trail slows things down an unbelievable amount-and makes things a lot more dangerous. Get up as early as you need to avoid it! When the rocks are wet, your pole tips will slip. Before taking a new step, find a small crack or crevice to put your pole into so that it can’t slip out from underneath you.

About the Hike There

Anxious to get out/done ahead of the rain that was coming, we set our alarms and left camp by 6:30 a.m.

We followed the trail through the forest for a bit, but after less than 400 metres had to turn left to walk along the road for a bit anyways- so it would have been just as easy to get to the road right from our campsite.

We passed the first Coldwater South campsite after hiking a kilometre of easy road and forest trail. After another kilometre along a sandy beach, we passed another Coldwater South campsite.

Then thing began to get tricky again. In a handful of spots along the open rock face we recognized that if things were to get wet and we slipped, we could easily slip ourselves right into the lake.

Boulder Beaches, What the Heck

And then started the BOULDER beaches. I will say, the terrain here keeps it interesting. Boulder beaches are sections of trail made up of rocks that were of various sizes, but big enough so that with every step you took, you had to step onto a new rock. Talk about tricky footing, these sections would have been NUTS when wet.

We completed the first of these beaches around the 3.75 km mark, walking past the Robertson campsite at 4 km. This site was absolute stunning, with a little sand spit leading out to an island.

Another boulder beach awaited us, and we carried on until reaching Katherine Cove at the 6.2 km mark. This was another access point on the trail where folks can easily get to. We stopped to use the picnic tables to make coffee and snack and dumped our garbage in the cans there. We hadn’t made much but it still felt worthwhile to get rid of it while we had the opportunity! It had only taken us 2 hours and 40 minutes to reach this point, so we were actually making fairly decent time (in our new reality).

Sand Beaches, Far Superior

We travelled through the forest for about a kilometre after Katherine’s Cove, and then found ourselves on the longest sand beach ever. The sand beaches were truly such a joy to walk on, especially if you can walk close to the water where the sand is slightly wet and compact.

Officially, the beach clocked in at just over 1.5 km long. We were able to make good time before leaving the beach at the 9 km mark to head back up to the road again. We had to cross the Sand River bridge which was under construction, but fortunately they had built in a little pedestrian sidewalk that we used. Then at the 10 km mark we found ourselves leaving the best beach ever and getting back into the forest. But this section of forest was also super easy to traverse (no rocks? What in the world?!), and we were feeling grateful that we could still move quickly.

Of course, this feeling didn’t last, and we had to do some challenging rock hopping for a few hundred metres before heading back into the forest. Soon, even the open rock face began to get challenging, with huge steps, slopes, and jagged cervices we needed to navigate. The forest got rocky again as well, before we passed by a Barret North Campsite on a sandy beach around the 13 km mark.

Then we found ourselves on another notably long, sandy beach. At the 14 km mark we looked to our left and saw that there was a bridge over the river ahead of us. But the Barrett River in front of us was so low that it had thinned out to the point where we could cross it in just a few steps. Unfortunately, it was also still quite deep, so we did have to pause to take off our hiking boots. But doing this saved us at least 500 metres of hiking. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot but hiking this trail is such a huge physical task that any reprieve is worth taking!

Barrett South

We needed to continue on to the campsites at Barrett South, and things got challenging again before the first Barrett South campsite at the 15 km mark. This was where we had to do some of our trickiest maneuvering yet, actually having to take off our packs and toss them over crevices so that we could safely cross. And crawling on our knees in spots. How undignified!

At this point we had a tricky decision to make. The campsites on the LSCT are so far apart in spots that it would feel like an absolute disaster to push on just to find out that the site you were heading to was already occupied and you had to turn back. Plus we could tell that the rain would be falling soon.

But we also knew that our last day had the most mileage, and wanted to reduce that number by any amount that we could. So we hiked through a tough section of rocky forest with a lot of elevation gain, pushing hard to get to the next campsite. Fortunately, it was empty! And thank goodness because just as we arrived the rain started to pour! We put up our tent quickly and jumped inside, another successful/exhausting day in the books.

About the Campsite

This Campsite, like all our others before it, was gorgeous. I don’t know if we lucked out or if all the campsites along the Lake Superior Coastal Trail are just stunning. There was no bear box here, and the thunder box was set REALLY far back in the woods, up a super steep hill. Just want you want to do after hiking all day.

Day 4 Map and Elevation Gain

Day 5, From Barrett South to the Agawa Bay Visitor Centre

Distance: 17.3 km
Time it Took: 9 hours and 20 minutes
Tip of the Day: Stop for a shower at Lake Superior Provincial Park (you’ve probably planned on staying a night there anyways). The water pressure and temperature is AMAZING. Far Superior (tee hee) than any other provincial park I’ve showered at.

About the Hike There

Knowing that more rain was headed our way we got up in time to leave as soon as the sun rose.

In terms of the terrain we had to cover this day, there was a real mix of incredibly HARD terrain and incredibly easy terrain. But the distance, combined with the 4 days of hard work we had already done, made this a really physically demanding day despite the easy sections.

The trail reports that we read while planning led us to believe that the last few legs of this trail would be easier (which is why we went in the direction that we did and started stacking more kilometres on near the end). And there WERE lots of longer stretches where the terrain was easier. But honestly, the last few days felt just as hard, if not harder, than those that came before them.

Setting out, things were still damp from the rain the day before. We spent a lot of time in the forest, gaining elevation on open rock face that was incredibly slippery. At 1.25 and 1.85 km respectively, we passed the Barrett Island campsites. We were still slipping and sliding our way along the rock face, and soon faced two of the toughest scrambles we had seen yet- again, likely due to the rain. It took us two and a half hours to travel the first 3 km of the day.

Sinclair Cove

We passed through a section of forest with huge rock walls beside us, and made our way to Sinclair Cove, having hiked 4.3 km to get there. We decided to cut the trail short a bit by taking the wooden boat ramp up to the road and using that to skip ahead to the access point for the Agawa Rock Pictographs.

Deciding to go down to visit the pictographs, we added a bit of distance back on to our day. We then climbed the stairs between two cliffs to get back on the trail.

At 6.4 km we found ourselves hiking through a section of trail where MASSIVE boulders had fallen, forming caves and narrow sections for us to walk through.

Beyond this the trail remained incredibly rocky and incredibly challenging through the forest. At this point I was actually mad at the trail for being so demanding, and just wanted to be done! Fortunately this section was only about a kilometre long, and things began to get a bit easier before we finslly left the forest around the 8 km mark.

Agawa Point

At 8.3 km we passed the Agawa Point campsite. We had become well versed at reading the map by this point so we knew we were getting SO close to easier terrain. At 9.2 km things had started to get slightly easier, and at 10.5 km easier still!

At 11.2 km we finally reached the beach where we knew there wouldn’t be any challenging terrain left. The trail continued on just behind the beach, so we didn’t even have to struggle through the sand. The Agawa River North campsites were here as well.

A little over a kilometre later, we followed the trail up towards the bridge on the road that would bring us over Agawa River. At 14.3 km we had crossed over the bridge, and we were back down near the beach by the 15 km mark.

Almost There!

The terrain continued to make for exceptionally easy walking compared to what we had become used to, but we were also exhausted. Soon, I began to turn on Google Maps (thank you perfect reception!) to see how far we had to go.

Again, we were incredibly lucky with the rain. And let’s give ourselves some credit. We had planned well and worked hard! About 500 metres from the end of our hike, and the visitor’s centre, the rain began to POUR down.

But we had done it! We had spent 5 incredibly challenging days travelling alongside Lake Superior. Appreciating her, respecting her, hating her. Sometimes all in the same day!

The Lake Superior Coastal Trail in its entirety is not for the faint of heart, and I would definitely advise feeling somewhat confident in your backpacking skills and gear shakedown before attempting it. But it is SO worth it when you’re ready.

And all the campsites are stunning. So combine that with the multitude of access points, and Lake Superior as a day or overnight trip is totally worthwhile as well.

I’m still in awe.

About the Campsite

We actually stopped at Lake Superior as part of a 2 month long road trip with our families. So while the trail technically ends at the Agawa Bay Visitor’s Centre, we walked just a little further to where we had parked our RVs 5 days before. The RV campsites at Superior are nice. They’re a good size, although right next to the highway and not very private. But they’re also right next to Lake Superior so we’d call that a win.

Day 5 Map and Elevation Gain

Gear We Brought- Pack Weight: 34 Pounds

This is everything we brought for 2 people, spending 5 days on the Lake Superior Coastal Trail. Where we both needed an item (for example, a backpack, what I used is listed).

Links in this section are affiliate links, which means that if you buy anything after clicking them we receive a small commission. This commission is put towards our Camp Kit Program- we loan out camping gear for free in the Ottawa area, and you can find out more about it here!

For Travel
North Face 55L Backpack (+ rain cover)
Keen Hiking Boots
Hiking Poles (+ extra rubber tips)

For Sleep
Marmot 2 Person Tent
7°C Sleeping Bag
Sea to Summit Sleeping Bag Liner
Thermarest Prolite Sleeping Pad
MEC Inflatable Pillow

For Comfort
Headlamp
Luci Lantern
Kula Cloth (for peeing)
Toilet Paper
Toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, wipes and deoderant)
1 Book
Powerbank (for charging phone and watch)
Wireless Headphones (Jabra 3 Elite)
Small Towel

For Eating
Ursack Bear Proof Food Bag (+ rope to hang it)
2 Person Jetboil Stove (+ fuel and lighter)
Enough food for 5 days
Ziploc bags to keep food dry and organized (and for garbage)
Nalgene
MSR Water Filter
Lighter

For Safety
Sunscreen
Bug Spray
Hat
Sunglasses
Rain Jacket + Pants
Map
Compass
Garmin inReach (tiny satellite communication device, there’s a newer version that’s less expensive.)
First Aid Kit

For Wearing
2 Pairs of Shorts
3 Pairs of Socks
2 Tops
Underwear
2 Bras