Rock Point Trail
Rock Point Trail is a 4.1-km loop trail in Blue Lake Provincial Park in Northern Ontario. This trail winds through a variety of environments from cedar groves to Jack Pine ridges. Your journey starts at the beaver pond and loops back to the campground near M road.
Get in
[edit]To get to the park, take Highway 17 (the Trans-Canada Highway) to Vermilion Bay (west of Dryden).
From the west end of Vermilion Bay, drive north on Highway 647 to the entrance of Blue Lake Provincial Park. Turn left to enter the park. After passing the entrance station, turn left, and go past the group camping area to the parking area at the end of the road.
Planning
[edit]| Trail Length | 4.1 km (loop) |
| High Elevation | 1283 feet |
| Low Elevation | 1242 feet |
| Total Climbing | 70 feet |
| Trail Surface | Rough natural surface with some boardwalk sections |
GPS waypoints
[edit]Latitude and Longitude in this table are derived from GPS measurements taken on the trail. Elevations are from Google Earth.
| Waypoint | Latitude | Longitude | Elevation (feet) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 49° 53.953' N | 93° 28.658' W | 1247 |
| 2 | 49° 53.950' N | 93° 28.693' W | 1247 |
| 3 | 49° 53.969' N | 93° 28.753' W | 1250 |
| 4 | 49° 53.991' N | 93° 28.962' W | 1254 |
| 5 | 49° 54.017' N | 93° 28.959' W | 1253 |
| 6 | 49° 53.983' N | 93° 29.147' W | 1261 |
| 7 | 49° 53.983' N | 93° 29.173' W | 1257 |
| 8 | 49° 53.905' N | 93° 29.174' W | 1283 |
| 9 | 49° 53.607' N | 93° 29.286' W | 1247 |
| 10 | 49° 53.555' N | 93° 29.293' W | 1249 |
| 11 | 49° 53.548' N | 93° 29.246' W | 1247 |
| 12 | 49° 53.547' N | 93° 29.080' W | 1247 |
| 13 | 49° 53.481' N | 93° 28.822' W | 1247 |
| 14 | 49° 53.475' N | 93° 28.801' W | 1247 |
| 15 | 49° 53.486' N | 93° 28.766' W | 1242 |
| 16 | 49° 53.772' N | 93° 28.271' W | 1244 |
| 17 | 49° 53.922' N | 93° 28.224' W | 1253 |
| 18 | 49° 53.938' N | 93° 28.213' W | 1256 |
Trail description
[edit]In this section, the bold numbers indicate total distance in kilometers from the start of the hike, while the numbers in brackets refer to a GPS waypoint in the table above.
0.0 The trail starts at the sign (1) by the bridge across the stream. Pick up a trail guide here. The guide says that the trail is quite long, so you should be prepared to hike for a few hours. This is a rather excessive warning, as the trail is easily completed in 2 hours even at a very leisurely pace. The trail surface is rough, with wet areas, so hiking boots are needed.
Start your hike by crossing the bridge. The first portion is boardwalk. You quickly come to a junction (2). Keep to the right. After 0.1, a second junction (3) is reached. Leave the boardwalk and continue to the right. The trail guide describes four forest communities that you will encounter along the trail. You are now in the first - Towering Trees. At 0.4, there is a post (4) beside the trail that appears to be missing a sign. A short side trail to the right leads to a picnic table (5) and a nice view of Blue Lake. After admiring the view, retrace your steps to (4) and continue along the trail to the right. There is another view (6) of the lake at 0.7. Shortly after this point, you reach another trail junction (7). The park Information Guide shows an outhouse near here, but it does not appear to exist. Keep left to stay on the Rock Point Trail.
The trail now climbs into the Rock Garden environment. This is a series of granite ridges, the highest of which (8) is reached at 0.9. The trail continues to run between and along the ridges before descending and reaching the third environment, the Cedar Grove (9) at 1.5. Your first view (10) of Corner Lake is reached at 1.6.
A boardwalk (11) through the fourth environment, the Alder Tangle, starts at 1.7. Notice the Labrador Tea (12) shown on the trail guide at 1.9. There is an outhouse (13) at 2.2, and just beyond it, a trail orientation sign (14). This is the only place where the trail may be difficult to follow. Head out along the rock ridges ahead and to the right, and follow them parallel to the shoreline of Corner Lake. At the end of the rock, a sign (15) marks where the trail re-enters the forest at 2.3.
Much of the next section of trail is wet, with some pieces of wood laid down to help keep your feet dry, but good hiking boots are a must. A boardwalk crosses the stream (16) flowing from Blue Lake to Corner Lake at 3.2, but high water levels may leave it under a couple inches of water. There is an unmarked junction (17) at 3.5, continue straight ahead to the end of the trail (18) at a campground road.
To return to your car, follow the road to the left, keeping left until you reach the parking area, a total of 4.1 km.