Field Trip – Overnight Hiking & Birding Adventure in Terrace Bay
Join us for a weekend of exploration based in Terrace Bay! Located just over two hours east of Thunder Bay, the Schreiber/Terrace Bay area has spectacular scenery and interesting places to visit!
Contact Person: Monika Holenstein – tel: (807) 629-3231 or email holensmo@yahoo.com
On Saturday, June 13, we will start the weekend off with a hike through the TBFNC’s Terrace Bay Nature Reserve. We will meet at the Terrace Bay Beach at 11:00 am sharp and shuttle a few cars with the hikers to the start at the radio tower. One of TBFNC’s largest reserves, the Terrace Bay reserve protects over 1,200 acres of pristine Lake Superior shoreline. The Casques Isles Trail crosses the property.
We will be hiking a route of approximately 5 kilometres that takes us to Lyda Bay and Danny Cove and includes raised cobble beaches, Pukaskwa Pits and beautiful rocky shoreline along Lake Superior. We will be documenting birds on the reserve and looking for interesting plants.
Leaving from the radio tower and finishing at the Terrace Bay Beach, this is a difficult hike which includes some challenging sections of large cobble rock crossings and tricky rocky shoreline sections. We plan to hike from 11:00 am until 4:00 pm, with lots of stops to enjoy the views and look for the plants and animals that call this unique area home. After the walk, we plan to have supper together, and then participants are on their own to explore some other special places in Terrace Bay (Aguasaban Falls, Terrace Bay Beach, etc.).
On Sunday, June 14 there will be optional early morning birding offered by local birder Pegg Campbell. We will meet at the Drifter’s Hotel parking lot on Sunday morning at 10:00 am sharp and proceed to Schreiber for a hike to a section of the Casque Isle Trail called the Picnic Point Lookout. This is a relatively easy 4 kilometre hike which ends in a dramatic lookout over Lake Superior, including the Schreiber Point Nature Reserve! The Schreiber Point Nature Reserve is approximately 46 acres (18.6 hectares) in area on the southwest shore of the Schreiber Peninsula. We plan to finish this hike by noon on Sunday and participants can make their way back to Thunder Bay.
On both of the hikes, we will be joined by Voyageur and Casque Isle Trail Club President Matt Borutski. The Casque Isles Trail is rated as one of the top 10 best hikes in Ontario! The trail weaves 53 km (33 miles) along the north shore of Lake Superior, and linking the communities of Terrace Bay, Schreiber and Rossport together. More information on the trail, as well as a trail map can be found here: https://superiorcountry.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Casque-Isles-Trail-Brochure-2019.pdf
This trip is limited to 16 participants. Please note: Participants are responsible for making their own accommodation and food arrangements.
- Please bring lunch, water and snacks for the hikes on Saturday and Sunday.
- Weather extremes can be present on the Lake Superior coast, so please dress in layers, bring full rain gear and wear sturdy hiking boots.
- We plan to go rain or shine.
- You may wish to consider hiking poles.
*** Participants should plan to camp Friday and/or Saturday night at Rainbow Falls Provincial Park (either at Rainbow Falls or Rossport campgrounds)
*** For those wishing a little more comfort, we suggest the Drifters Hotel in Terrace Bay (https://www.driftersofterracebay.ca/motel).
*** We recommend reserving campsites or booking rooms as soon as possible, as the summer weekends may get busy.
*** We sill make a group reservation for dinner Saturday night.
Contact Monika Holenstein at (807) 629-3231 or email her at holensmo@yahoo.com for more information.