Pukaskwa National Park – Day 2 on the Coastal Trail
I left you on the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa National Park at 9:30 PM, about a kilometre short of our first campsite on the Coastal Trail. That was the first time in decades of backpacking that I have ever backpacked in the dark. At least we ended up right beside the water without breaking anything – and awoke to the view in the photo below.
As a side note we had been told at our backcountry orientation in the park that WE HAD to make the campsite we booked every night unless we had an emergency. We only ended up making our booked campsites on one out of four nights in Pukaskwa National Park.
But in our defense we saw only ONE other person on the trail in five days once we’d said goodbye to the group from Caledon so we never put anybody out and we never had a day of less than 8.5 hours of hiking.
Backcountry campsite reservations open for backpacking the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa National Park on Monday, February 3, 2025 at 8 AM ET. You can reserve online or by calling 1-877-737-3783 from North America and 1-519-826-5391 outside North America.
In case of bears
Before calling it a night we had packed all our food into one backpack and dragged it far away from our tents – just in case there were any bears. We hadn’t seen any bear scat during the day, so we were feeling pretty comfortable and frankly we were just too tired to do anything else.
If there had been rocks we could have covered the pack with them – just like I’d done on a backpacking trip to Auyuittuq National Park this summer – but surprisingly rocks were few and far between.
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Day 2: Backpack 11 km to Fisherman’s Cove on the Coastal Trail, Pukaskwa National Park
Normally – without a pack on – I can knock off 11 km in 2 – 3 hours. That didn’t happen on this trip!! But a decent night’s sleep, a cup of hot coffee and several slices of fresh banana bread at least put us in a positive frame of mind to continue.
We knew ahead of time that most of the day would be in the woods. It’s the one section on the Coastal Trail that I would describe as the least interesting. Still, and especially because it was fall, there is lots of colour, textures, mushrooms and lichens to liven up the hike.
It didn’t take us long to realize that we made the right decision to stay put for the night on the trail. On the second day the first part of the hike took us over super slippery rocks and then up through a cleft in the rocks that I never would have found in the dark.
Even in the daylight it took us about 90 minutes to reach White Spruce Harbour. It’s a beautiful campsite – like all of them we saw on the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa.
Lunch at White Gravel River
After a lunch stop at White Gravel River – a huge campsite that’s great for large groups – we motored on – though motored might not be the best word to describe our pace.
The trail in the afternoon was tough – though if the rocks had been dry it would have been a snap. They were slick and slippery. Every step required concentration and careful foot placement. Interestingly the Vibram soles on my leather boots didn’t grip the rock but the rubber on my $15 Crocs did a fantastic job. It’s too bad they didn’t offer the support I needed to backpack in them.
An afternoon of walking in the rain in Pukaskwa National Park
About 2 PM in the afternoon the thunderstorm that had been forecast the day before shook the ground and deluged us with rain.
It didn’t stop us but it did make the going even slower. And it managed to soak our boots. I regret that I hadn’t brought some short gaiters with me.
We didn’t rolled into Fisherman’s Cove until 6 PM. It had been a nine hour day and we were all bagged.
Fortunately the rain stopped before we got to camp. We were able to set up tents without getting anything else wet and cook and eat our spaghetti dinner with a view of Lake Superior.
I’d schlepped a Nalgene bottle full of red wine – so with a view like we had, a glass of wine, a warm tent and a full stomach, life at the moment seemed pretty good.
Little did we know that the next day would be our day from hell – and I thought that had already happened.
For more information on Pukaskwa National Park visit their website.
Further reading on hiking the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa National Park
- Hiking the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa National Park
- A Day From Hell on the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa
- Hiking the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa – Day 4
- Day 5 on the Coastal Trail in Pukaskwa National Park, Ontario
- A Hike on the Southern Headland Trail in Pukaskwa Park
Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards.
Those aren’t mushrooms but a plant called ghost pipe (Monotropa uniflora), very interesting unique plant
I found your 2013 blog of the trail in 2019.
There doesn’t seem to be much of a trail. You did well to finish when you did.
Just a note on Vibrin. The rubber is naturally slippery when wet. You were fortunate not to have had a bad fall. It is the reason I don’t use footwear with it.
My back hurt seeing the loads you were carrying. Consider looking into getting lighter equipment. There is a whole range of good durable lightweight hiking gear out there. It is more of change on philosophy to hiking that makes the difference.
If I could be of help, feel free to ask. Jim jgoetz80@hotmail.com
@Jim There was definitely a trail and it was marked the whole way. We got down on our butts on the slippery bits and over 5 days I had no falls. We have gone a little lighter – but I find packing food for 5 days that doesn’t taste like cardboard takes up more room than dehydrated stuff. I dry food at home but didn’t have time for this one. At the end I was tired but proud of what we’d done.
In this post, you said: “Our plan for the second day was to backpack 11 kilometres to Fish Harbour.” But I think you meant “… to Fisherman’s Cove.” This may be worth correcting, for those of us following along closely. Thanks for the info!
@Wilf I believe you’re right and will correct. Thank you.
friends and I are planning on bagging the trail next summer , we are aiming for mid July. we avoid hiking after labour day after having spent two days stuck in camp because of heavy rain a few years ago when we hiked in Killarney Prov. Park thanks for review!!!
I haven’t, but I certainly want to! Amazing pictures as always Leigh, and it makes me miss home. 🙂
@James This was one of my favourite trips from five months of travel last summer; I highly recommend a trip there.
This is such a lovely park for a long hike but I’d be so nervous about those slippery rocks, Leigh. That alone would make me lose my confidence. And who knew crocs would be better there than your more expensive hiking shoes, eh?
@Marcia That was news to me with my Crocs holding their own on wet rocks. The slippery rocks contributed to our very slow progress.
The organism in the picture with the caption “mushroom or ???” Is called Indian Pipe. It is not a mushroom BUT lives off of mushrooms! Loving your blog on Pukaskwa, I hiked the trail as well and oh boy it’s tough!
@Nicole Thanks for taking the time to reply. I thought that plant was very interesting. It is one tough trail but so pleased I did it.
You guys are such troopers hiking in the rain and all! Knowing me, I would’ve pitched a tent and waited it out. But I guess that’s why I don’t go on long hikes like this. 🙂
@Dana It isn’t so bad if you’re all dressed for it but i did take us a few days to fully dry out. It was a long hike and very worthwhile.
I would love to hike there. The trail looks so interesting.
@Raymond It was very worthwhile.
It looks like we both had backpacking trips from hell recently. Here is to having a better hike next time. Beautiful shots though although you don’t really appreciate them at the time until you are back home and comfortable.
@Ted I’m ready to sign up again for this hike – but that’s because I’ve just had a glass of wine and I’m dry. Still I’m so happy I did it.
What a cliff hanger. Glad you manage to get through both days (I suppose)
@Mette We actually got out when we hope to but we never had an easy day or a short day. It was one heck of a trip.
The trail looks interesting enough. I don’t think I would enjoy hiking in the rain too. It’s a perfect day for staying at home 🙂 Will wait for your next installment.
@Freya We were in pouring rain for some time and the thunder was so loud it shook the ground. Since we didn’t have the option of a warm house we just kept going – and that part of the trip didn’t end up being so bad.
Another great looking hike Leigh. I missed your first segment so am glad to have ‘caught up with you’ now. Beautiful photos.
@Jackie It was one of the harder backpacking trips I’ve done but one that was full of surprises. Every day was different – and every campsite was incredibly beautiful.
Ah, Natalie beat me to the plant ID. Cool aren’t they. Can’t wait for the next installment!
@Cindy You must really know your plants. I’m so glad I found out what it is. I’d never seen it before.
I’ve never hiked here, but I’d love to. We have some great trails in Western Australia, but Canada looks an amazing place to just get out and put your hiking boots on. My favourite pic today is where you’ve found a picturesque spot to pitch a camp chair! Much needed, I’m sure.
@Johanna I would LOVE to visit western Australia one day. Your blog has introduced me to all sorts o beautiful areas. Canada is a superb spot for hiking – and at its’ best in August and September when most of the bugs have disappeared.
Indian pipes or ghost plant, Monotropa uniflora, is a non-green plant that grows on the forest floor on mycorrhizal fungi, these last are fungi that grow on tree roots in a mildly parasitic fashion. The indian pipes are not fungi. They pop-up in August in moist woodlands. Some are pinkish.
@Natalie Thank you so much for that info. I was very curious.