By: Jake O'Flaherty
For trip booking information, check out Naturally Superior Adventures website.
It took me four attempts to reach Denison Falls. The first attempt came in July of 2015 as I was contracted to provide on-water safety for a group of summer campers. Our trip was a convoy of tandem sea kayaks with guides in singles, centred around a 36-foot voyageur canoe that I was at the stern of. We had four days to make the 50 kilometre-return trip along the Lake Superior coastline.
An unanticipated family emergency arose on the second day and needed to leave so we performed an impromptu “switch-a-roo” as another guide paddled his way out to meet us. This set our schedule back and we were then faced with a decision. We could push the group hard and make up for the lost day; or to readjust our plans and take it easy. After discussion, the other guides and I made the choice to readjust the course. Reaching Denison Falls was not the primary goal of this trip, and after presenting the options and plan to the group, they wholeheartedly agreed. The campers were 14-16 years and had spent the whole summer together. They were a riot! There were a few times I was crying from laughing so hard at the jokes that they made. The extra day at camp was an opportunity for the group to bond and make new memories. There were no qualms about not reaching Denison Falls, and in two days myself and the other guides would head out again in that direction with another group form the summer camp.
In the time between the trips, we were watching the weather quite intently; it looked as if a storm would be brewing on Lake Superior on the third day of our four-day trip. We realized once again we would be rushing to reach Denison. The forecast proved to be correct, and the weather day came in just as planned.
One of the most magical things about spending time in the wilderness is the creative ways people fill in hours. With no cell phones, television, or internet to distract ourselves, we find entertainment in the smallest things. The weather day was filled with examining native plants, skipping stones, laughs by the campfire, and swimming off the smooth rocks at the Minnekona campsite. Although this trip also did not reach the falls, there’s no doubt it was a success.
Late in that 2015 summer two of my childhood friends drove up from the Toronto area to take advantage of some free time we all had. Three reasonably fit individuals could easily make the trip to Denison in the four days we had planned. Lake Superior had different plans that week. An August gale whipped up, and for the next four days the winds were rarely below 15 knots from the west, which would have been headwinds the entire journey out. We took a canoe trip on a river inland instead.
The following June the stars aligned. The weather window looked to be enough to finally complete the trek to the falls. As part of a guide’s training week early in the summer, the Naturally Superior Adventure’s staff journeyed to Denison Falls while getting prepared for the upcoming paddling season.
Much of the coastline between the NSA base at the Michipicoten River and the Nimoosh Provincial Park -where the Dog River and Denison Falls are located – is undeveloped. The exceptions include private residences for the first few kilometres and the Michipicoten First Nation reserve just after Perkwakia Point. Perkwakia Point is of special interest, as it is home to the last manually operated lighthouse on the Canadian Side of Lake Superior and offers a panoramic view of Michipicoten Bay. The landing is rather rocky and only feasible in calm conditions.
The campsites found on the route are unique. They offer sandy, sheltered landings and are maintained by local stewards who take it upon themselves to maintain them. In my opinion they are some of the most beautiful sites on the lake. McCoy Harbour, a tombolo lined with white sand dunes and punctuated by a rocky point, makes an excellent campsite or lunch spot. It marks the ¾ point between the Michipicoten River and the Dog.
The Dog River mouth is marked by a long rock bar. It is arguably one of the nicest spits around. I consider myself to be a bit of a rock aficionado, especially when it comes to camping on them. And let me tell you, the rocks here are of the highest quality. Between “grain of sand” and “stone”, the nickel and quarter sized pebbles are perfect for carving out a contour for a sleeping pad. Don’t get me started on how much I really can’t stand camping on sand either. Camping on sand results in it being caught between your toes, in your hair, armpits, sleeping bags, anywhere imaginable. Not this stuff though. These rocks, well, they rock.
The camping area at the Dog River is fantastic. Contemporary paddlers are by no means the first ones to discover it. A pictograph on one of the cliffs entering the river indicate the area has been used by Anishinaabe people, likely as a fishing area. Later, Booth Co commercial fisheries ran a small outfit out of the nearby Dog Harbour. Remnants of a fish camp can be seen on the Dog River as well.
For canoeists travelling down the river, the falls would have been a murderous portage. For those venturing upriver, it is an adventure.
Part of the mystique surrounding these falls is that they are not easy to get to. After the 25-kilometre paddle to the river mouth, a semi-grueling bushwhack masquerading as a hike awaits. On the map it will show to be less than three kilometres alongside the river, but the reality is often very different. Expect to climb over deadfalls and sidestep down embankments. There’s a chance the path may disappear from under your feet at some point. As the trail meets the river a waterfall appears. Some believe this to be Denison Falls. Although these falls are nice, they pale in comparison to what awaits up the rope and around the bend.
One of my favourite things to do at Denison Falls is to scramble up to the top of the falls, sometimes swimming in the pools along the way when the water level is right. Looking down from the top provides an interesting perspective.
There is a certain energy at these falls, knowing that so many other eyes have shared the view for so many years, and yet the falls remain untouched. I believe part of the reason for that is the challenge to get to the falls. It would be a different feeling if they were simply a roadside pullover. It is a hard feeling to describe. The only way to truly understand is to see them for yourself.
Jake O’Flaherty is a guide for Naturally Superior Adventures based on Lake Superior near Wawa, Ontario. Information on guided trips to Denison Falls can be found at naturallysuperior.com/sea-kayak-denison-falls