Escape to the Backcountry

Local outfitters and lodges offer exceptional outfitting services for guided or unguided trips.

World-renowned for its rugged beauty, sheltered lakes, majestic waterfalls and virgin pine forests, Quetico Provincial Park offers some of the world’s best backcountry canoeing. You’ll find plenty of wilderness here, as except for family friendly campground Dawson Trail, the park is only accessible by water. What’s more, a complete mechanical ban has helped preserve the park’s natural quiet and remote splendour. It is even wilder now than when it was formed more than 100 years ago.

Some areas of the park are more easily travelled than others. Portages and campsites are not signed so trip planning and wilderness navigation skills are necessary. 

Trip Planning Outfitters blue banner

Outfitters 

Accommodation

If you are not pursuing the Northwest Quest and you don’t want to camp for all or any of your canoeing adventure, you can stay in rustic luxury at a unique wilderness lodge, cabin, yurt or outpost and do canoe day trips.

Outfitter Air Service

Travel Information Blue banner

Don’t Miss 

About 1 hour east of Quetico Provincial Park is Thunder Bay. Located on the shore of the Lake Superior, the world’s largest freshwater lake, it has everything you need to get outfitted properly for your adventure and all the urban culinary and cultural attractions to complete your memorable epic adventure.

While in Thunder Bay, explore back in time to the year 1815 to experience the fur trade at Fort William Historical Park. There are 42 authentic, reconstructed buildings on the site and actors in period dress to bring it to life.

Backcountry Banner

For information on park fees and reservations, click here.

About Trish Manning

Trish Manning is an adventure travel writer and the content coordinator for Ontario Outdoor Adventures. She is an avid outdoor person who loves to hike, paddle, SUP, snowshoe, cross-country ski and explore Ontario's great outdoors with her golden retriever, Daisy.

Recommended Articles

Kids are Simply Happy in Nature

A family adventure on the French River

Jiimaan: Traditional canoe building

Visit Canadian Canoe Museum before Oct. 2

Celebrating the canoe

Should it be on our flag instead of the maple leaf?

Meet British Celebrity ray mears

At the Temagami Canoe Festival July 2016

SKILLs Video

How to rescue a runaway kayak in whitewater.

Video: Paddle fast, easy & efficiently

Get tips from Ontario Sea Kayak Centre

Hidden gems for family camping

Restoule & Mikisew Provincial Parks

A journey of discovery

In the footsteps of The Group of Seven

Like Geocaching?

Parks Canada has program for you

WOW

New design for Canadian Canoe Museum

VIDEO

Adventure Ontario

What's so superior about it?

Captain Greg tells us why.

Wow: Best Lookout Points

Hike to the top.

Pancake Bay: Ontario’s Ultimate Beach Escape

Discover the shores of an inland sea.

Ontario's Other Camping Option

10 best private campgrounds in the province.

Hike the Lake Superior Coastal Trail

Discover beaches, lookouts, and sacred sites on this 65 km trail.

Your Family’s Best Summer Ever

Explore dozens of family-friendly outdoor itineraries.

Outdoor Playgrounds

Discover the best Ontario Provincial Parks.

Backpacking Trails in Ontario

7 multi-day hiking trips to the province’s most beautiful places.

Paddle to the Trailhead

8 stunning hiking trails to canoe or kayak to.