Woodland Caribou Provincial Park

Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is also noted for its high quality walleye, northern pike and lake trout fishery. About a third of the lakes are lake trout lakes producing trout right through the heat of the summer. Walleye thrive in another third, generally those lakes of lower elevation with suitable spawning areas. Northern pike frequent nearly all lakes and some reach record sizes. Bass occur in only two lakes.  Muskellunge can be found in the south west corner around Irregular Lake.

Frequent lightning strikes in the dry rock and thin soils make fire the dominant force affecting the forests. Fire restarts the forest cycle and removes most of any humus buildup. The result is the characteristic open jack pine and spruce forest.  The openness is a real advantage for viewing and photographing wildlife, finding tent sites or hiking without a cut trail. The widely spaced canopy permits sphagnum moss, wildflowers, and berries to cover the forest floor. Along the eastern fringe a spruce/balsam forest has developed since the over mature jack pine died.  It will take a forest fire to restart the cycle.

More than 400 species of plants are found in the park. Four prairie species and 12 boreal species are considered to be provincially rare.

Wildlife

The woodland caribou is a threatened species one step up from endangered category. The open jack pine, spruce and balsam fir forests with sphagnum moss floors are ideal habitat. Swamps and islands provide calving grounds and shelter. The area is the habitat of many other species of wildlife.   Like its plants, the park's animals reflect a boreal forest and western influences.   A colony of Franklin's ground squirrel, normally prairie dwellers, has been found here.    Typical boreal species include woodland caribou, moose, black bear, beaver, otter, muskrat, mink, martin, fisher, weasel, lynx, fox and timber wolf.  Moose can often be seen in swampy bays at dusk or dawn. Beaver, otter, fisher, martin and mink all make use of the streams and ponds. Wolves, bears, lynx and even the rare cougar hunt these forests and occasionally white-tailed deer are also encountered.  Hunting is not permitted.

Leopard  frogs, snapping and painted turtles and some 100 species of birds including bald eagles, osprey, turkey vultures, terns, pelicans and great blue herons are also found here. Many species of owls inhabit these woods often their eerie calls can be heard day or night.

Topography

This is Canadian Shield river country with slow water, abundant rock outcrop and frequent portages. Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is an outstanding example of the Canadian Shield. Scoured by glaciers the landscape is characterized by elongated lake systems, sudden changes in elevation, erratic drainage patterns, thin soils and massive bedrock outcrops.

In Woodland Caribou Provincial Park you'll find some of Ontario's oldest rocks more than 2.5 billion years old. Located in the Arctic watershed the park's two principle rivers, the Bloodvein in the north and the Gammon in the south, flow westerly into Lake Winnipeg and eventually to Hudson Bay.

The Forests

The Park is part of the Southern Boreal Forest. However its warm, dry climate, thin soils and proximity to the prairies combine to form a unique mix of boreal and western vegetation. Upland forests of jack pine, white spruce, black spruce, and mixed upland forests of jack pine, black spruce, trembling aspen, white birch and balsam fir are the dominate species with a few intrusions of prairie species from the west.  Prairie species such as prairie spike moss are interspersed creating what is now called the Prairie Boreal Region. 

Upland bedrock barrens, lowland forests of black spruce and tamarack, wetland thickets and meadows, bogs and heaths are also found. The infrequent clay areas sometimes result in mixed wood forests made up primarily of poplar and birch trees.  Although never logged, fire and the species present determine that most trees reach only a moderate size. There are a few exceptions where some old growth reach a circumference of over 10 feet and tower over the surrounding forest.

Climate

The summer climate of Woodland Caribou is one of the warmest and driest of Ontario.  Ice goes out in early May, usually in a dramatic shift from winter to summer. Then begins the dry period with cold nights followed by long clear, calm days. Uniquely, this is probably the best canoe season. This dry period is bug free and the dryness is partially responsible for the minimal bug problems all summer long. This season is also the greatest forest fire danger. In late June or early July weather patterns change with rains moving north.  Most rains in Woodland Caribou Park last only a few hours. Summer temperatures range from lows in the 50s and 60s to highs reaching into the upper 80s Fahrenheit. Fall begins the last week in August and lasts until the first snow in early October. Fall may be overcast with rains lasting two to three days or clear and summer-like all week. Peak colours occur during the third week in September.

Pictographs

Pictographs are located throughout much of the parks. The cultural values of the park are both abundant and important. A high level of occupation by prehistoric hunters and gatherers is reflected by the sheer density of undisturbed archaeological sites. Of particular significance are the numerous pictographs, or rock paintings, found within the park. The fur trade is also well represented in the form of European trading post and native habitation sites found along the major fur trading route of the Bloodvein River.  The Bloodvein Shaman is of international significance. It shows the shaman with power emanating from his head, making a sacrifice before a war canoe and many warriors. A bison far from his native prairies also stands out. Ancient campgrounds and rock shards dot the landscape. River "pots" show use in grinding wild rice. The various intriguing features should pique the interest of any canoeist who ply the waters of Woodland Caribou Park.

Woodland Caribou Park offers more than 2000 kilometres of canoe routes, quality fishing, wildlife viewing and photography opportunities that are unbelievable.  Hunting is not permitted.