After enjoying a nice family hike along the Attikamek Trail in Sault Ste. Marie, the next day we took a rail excursion from Sault Ste. Marie to Agawa Canyon Park. Agawa Canyon has been on our list of destinations to visit for a while. We were so glad to make it happen.
Getting There
The Agawa Canyon Park is only accessible by hiking trail or the Algoma Central Railway, and is located 186 km or 114 rail miles north west of Sault Ste. Marie. We take the Agawa Canyon tour train that departs from Sault Ste. Marie at 8 am and arrives back in Sault Ste. Marie around 6 pm.
About Agawa Canyon
Agawa Canyon was created more than 1.2 billion years ago by faulting along the Canadian Shield. A series of ice ages subsequently widened and reshaped the Canyon over a period of 1.5 million years with the last ice age retreating about 10,000 years ago. The word Agawa is native Ojibway for “shelter”.
The Sault Ste. Marie visitor guide provides a map of three nature trails in the Agawa Canyon Park. They are the Lookout Trail, River Trail, and Talus Trail. We hike the River Trail and the Talus Trail for the three waterfalls in the park. The Lookout Trail is closed on the day of our visit. The trails are well maintained and are covered in fine gravel.
The Train Ride
Rarely is the journey as rewarding as the destination, but the Agawa Canyon train ride is truly an exception. The train is outfitted with large tinted windows and comfortable seats to watch the ever-changing and breathtaking Northern Ontario landscapes. The train ticket includes a $10 voucher that we can use for food and drinks in the dining car.
We drink in the beautiful scenery as the train hugs the shores of northern lakes and rivers, crosses towering trestles, and passes by mixed forests that turn red, purple, gold and yellow in the fall.
We also listen to a GPS-triggered audio commentary about key points of interest and the rich history of the region. When we can peel our eyes away from the window, the train has locomotive-mounted cameras that provide an engineer’s “eye-view” via flat screen monitors installed throughout the coaches.
The Weather
The weather changes frequently during our train ride, from overcast, to partly cloudy, to light snow flurries at high elevation, to partly sunny as the train starts its descent into the canyon at Mile 102 and full sunshine by the time we reach the canyon floor at Mile 114.
The River Trail
Upon arriving at the Agawa Canyon Park, we start our hike on the River Trail which gently rolls along the banks of the Agawa River. The strong sunlight quickly melts the thin layer of snow. The trail glows and smells fresh as if it just received a spa treatment.
We walk about twenty minutes, enjoy the trail and the vibrant autumn colours along the river before reaching the beautiful Bridal Veils Falls, the tallest waterfall in the park.
We see many white birch trees with their golden leaves and mountain ash trees with their red fruits that accentuate the landscape.
The water flow at all the falls in the canyon is contingent on runoff from snow and rainfall. We luck out that Bridal Veil Falls at 68.5m (225 ft.) are running strong. The Agawa River is the calm and reflective barrier that holds us back from getting closer to the falls.
The Talus Trail
From the River Trail, we walk about fifteen minutes to reach the Talus Trail which follows along the base of the west canyon wall. This trail leads us past lichen covered talus slopes to the viewing platforms at North and South Black Beaver Falls.
We can hear the rushing sounds of water before reaching the viewing platforms. Black Beaver Falls at 53.3 m (175 ft) are also running strong and look so beautiful with the surrounding autumn foliage. We respect the Caution sign to keep off the rocks.
Clouds roll in and out while we pass bridges, creeks and waterfalls to return to the train. Altogether we walk 5 km and enjoy every minute of the hike in Agawa Canyon Park.
On our way back to Sault Ste. Marie, we get to see the spectacular landscapes again from our train windows. Everyone is wide-eyed to take in as much as possible the pristine beauty of Canada’s rugged wilderness.
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Natalie the Explorer 
This looks fantastic and looks like you had great weather!
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Thank you, John and Susan, for your comment. We lucked out with the weather when we arrived at Agawa Canyon. It’s a beautiful place to hike and explore.
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What a gorgeous hike! I am a big fan of train rides and that looks like a fantastic one!
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This train ride is usually fully booked from the last two weeks of September to mid-October when autumn foliage is at its peak. The area near Lake Superior and the hike in Agawa Canyon are unbelievably beautiful.
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That’s lovely!
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Thank you, Lydia, for your comment. I appreciate it.
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Absolutely breathtaking. I am so glad the weather was kind too. It’s a testament to the Canadian Government that areas like this are still so pristine and are there for all to appreciate.
SSG xxx
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We lucked out with the weather on this trip, especially during our hike in the canyon. Thank you, SSG, for your comment.
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The trails look amazing and Spruce Lake looks so lovely. Thanks for sharing! #lifethisweek
Di from Max The Unicorn
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Thank you, Di, for your visit and comment. I greatly appreciate it.
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The colours! It’s great to have a park like this both accessible and pristine. I do love wondering where you’re going to take us to each week…
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Thank you, Jo, for joining me on my hike virtually. Agawa Canyon is a beautiful place.
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Fantastic pics. Particularly love the waterfall pics.
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Thank you, Shiju, for your comment. The waterfalls were wonderful to see.
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Oh wow! That’s absolutely incredible! I reckon I’d love to hike that trail and do the train ride too
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Thank you, Sanch, for your comment. Both the train ride and the hike offer amazing things to see.
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What a beautiful and remote spot to go hiking. I love the idea of riding the train to the canyon. It seems like you visited at the perfect time of year.
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Thank you, Laurie, for your comment. We were lucky to get the train tickets before the end of the season and had good weather on the day of our visit. The train tour is usually sold out from late September to mid-October when the autumn foliage is at its peak colours.
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You captured such gorgeous pictures of the seasons changing. I haven’t been up that far north of where I live since I was young and living with my parents. Eons ago! My youngest hikes with her boyfriend, I’m going to share your post with her. Thanks for the tour!
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Thank you, Shelley, for your visit and comment. Hikers like your youngest daughter would love this area near Lake Superior. Pristine and breathtaking are two words that come to my mind.
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Ditto to you. I’m guessing they’ll have Lake Superior on their hiking bucket list soon!
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That would a a very good choice.
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Yes, indeed!
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What a glorious train ride and walk, Natalie! Thanks for sharing it. You were there at such a beautiful time of the year.
janet
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Thank you, Janet, for your visit and comment. October is a good time to go as the autumn foliage is beautiful. We were amazed at the scenery along the way and at Agawa Canyon park.
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what a stunning place to visit. A photographers dream. Your photos are amazing thank you. #SeniSal
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Thank you for your kind comment. I’m glad you like my photos.
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The colours make the train ride extra special, don’t they? What a beautiful area to hike! Many thanks for sharing, Natalie 🙂 🙂
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Thank you, Jo, for your comment. The autumn colours and the waterfalls were beautiful at the canyon.
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So beautiful. I like the picture with the berries against the tree.
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Thank you for your kind comment. Those red berries are beautiful accents.
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Hi, Natalie – I absolutely love train travel. And you already know that I enjoy a great hike…or two!
Your photos are stunning. Thank you for sharing your travels with us.
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Thank you, Donna, for your kind comment. If you ever return to Ontario for a visit, consider this train trip and hiking in Agawa Canyon Park or by Lake Superior.
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Beautiful pictures. I miss the fall living down here in the south now 😦
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Thank you, Catherine, for your visit and comment. The warmth of the south is appealing when it’s cold here 🙂
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What a truly lovely place. I would love to visit there. #MLSTL
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Thank you, Patrick, for your comment. I greatly appreciate it.
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That countryside is certainly majestic Natalie and I imagine the train ride and hike would have been quite awe inspiring.
Thanks for linking up with us at MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂
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Hi Leanne: Majestic and awe-inspiring are good descriptions for the scenery in and around Agawa Canyon. Thank you for hosting and sharing. Have a beautiful week!
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Your photos are exceptionally beautiful, Natalie! I have travelled by train a number of times and the scenery can vary a great deal. The Agawa Canyon area is breathtaking. First time I have heard about a GPS triggered audio commentary. I am running out of ways to say WOW, on this post, Natalie. Thank you for sharing!
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Hi Erica/ Erika: Thank you so much for your kind words about my photos. It was tricky to take photos on the train when it was moving but I couldn’t resist. I felt very fortunate to experience such stunning nature in Canada. The Group of Seven Canadian landscape painters used to come to this area to paint. From what I saw, they’d never run out of inspiration.
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Wow, I did not know that about the Group of Seven. It sounds like a “must see” area, and Fall is the perfect time of year. You could write a book, Natalie, sharing your wealth of information🙂
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This area is such a beautiful part of Canada. I’d classify it as a “must-see” too. I’d consider writing a book in my “slow go” years. This blog is my shortcut atm 🙂
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WOW! What an incredible hike! Love the photos especially the Fall foliage.
Happy Weds!
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Thank you, Veronica, for your visit and comment. I’m glad you like the photos.
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Another place I’d never heard of Natalie but WOW what beautiful scenery and fantastic photos! I’m so glad to be aware of Agawa Canyon now – thank you! 🙂
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Thank you, Min, for your kind words. My pleasure to share Agawa Canyon with you and my blog readers.
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Just popping back as #TeamLovinLife Hope you enjoy the rest of your week and have a fabulous weekend Natalie! 🙂 xo
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Thank you, Min. Have a wonderful weekend!
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So good to take these journeys with you. Your country does Autumn very well indeed. The train ride look very pleasant.
Thank you for linking up for life this week. Next week’s optional prompt is 47/51 Do You Celebrate “zero” Birthdays? 25/11/19 Hope to see you there. Denyse
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Thank you, Denyse, for hosting and commenting. The train ride and the hike were both wonderful.
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That’s some fabulous scenery! I love autumn colors, such a lovely signal of change of season.
I’m happy to see your link at ‘My Corner of the World’ this week!
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Thank you, Betty, for hosting. I’m glad to share this post and photos.
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Oh Natalie, that autumn colour is just beautiful and what a great trip! Thanks for taking us with you. #mlstl
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Thank you, Debbie, for your comment. I hope you’re enjoying family time in the UK and Dottie continues to do well.
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It’s so nice to see what we missed on our train adventure. Your photos are lovely.
Our excursion wasn’t so lucky. Our tickets had been pre-booked (as it is recommended to do in the fall) and that train leaves rain or shine. Needless to say, we had teeming rain the entire day. Combined with the fog and mist, visibility was virtually nil. All that breathtaking scenery disappeared into the grey … and needless to say, when we did reach the canyon, any hiking was out of the question.
It was an excruciatingly long day. Your version looks so much nicer!
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Oh no, I’m sorry to hear the poor weather ruined your excursion. When we were on the train, I saw some dark clouds, drizzle, light flurries on and off. I didn’t know what we’d get by the time we arrived. We were very lucky indeed.
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How exciting! I would love to do this! The scenery is so beautiful! Visiting from MSTL.
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Thank you, Amy, for your comment. I greatly appreciate it.
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I’ve roamed around the Michigan area below there but have not made it to the Canada side. Really gorgeous! Thanks for all the information!
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Thank you, Carol, for your comment. My pleasure to share this post and photos. The area near Lake Superior is stunning and well worth a visit.
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Awesome pictures!
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Thank you!
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Fabulous photos, Natalie! I love the fall colours. I had not heard of this train excursion, and it really sounds like a lot of fun (although as Joanne mentions, the weather does not always cooperate).
By the way, I like the fact that you’ve taken the ads off your blog on. Your blog format is very attractive.
Jude
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Thank you, Jude, for your comment. I’m glad you like my photos and my current blog format. The Agawa Canyon train tour is very popular in the Fall and advanced booking is recommended. The Canyon Park is outdoor so yes, we’d need good weather to fully enjoy it.
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Wow, such beauty!! thank you for the virtual train ride and hike through Canada’s beautiful forests! The little bit of snow flutters was beautiful too. Your photos are wonderful. Thank you Natalie! 💞
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Thank you, Diana. I didn’t mean to reblog the post. I’m glad you liked the landscape and my photos.
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