Coastal Hiking Trail

Length Stated 58.7 km, the stated length (Parks Canada) Map line 59.6 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track Used for The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search: 58.7km
Difficulty
What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
Terrain: DemandingPath grade: ≈ T3
Climate: Demanding in May–AugWind: 24 km/h (May)
Effort: EasyAverage day: ≈ 3 h 45 (an average day over 5 days)
All measures: Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Demanding in May–Aug; Effort: Easy
Suggested No stages No official stages: hikers choose their own camps Source Superior Country (North of Superior Travel Association): 5–7days
Per day How The length and the ascent over the suggested 5–7 days: from the most days to the fewest Length Parks Canada Days Superior Country (North of Superior Travel Association) Ascent The terrain model's estimate (≈): no source states the climbs: 8.4–11.7km· about 230–320 m ↑
Season: When are you going?
The page rates its climate for them.
Landscape Source ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route Forest: 94% Bare rock and sand: 2% Water, snow and ice: 2% Grassland and shrubs: 1% Landscape along the route: Mostly Forest

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by Hirgax and Andre Carrotflower; each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country: Canada
Regions: Ontario
Start: Hattie Cove (Pukaskwa Visitor Centre)
Finish: North Swallow River
Route type: Point to point
Permit: Required
Travel hubs: White River station (VIA Rail)99.6 km by road · 92 min
Thunder Bay International Airport (YQT)321.3 km by road · 280 min
Sault Ste. Marie Airport (YAM)428.4 km by road · 373 min
Protected areas: Pukaskwa National Park
Managed by: Parks Canada, Pukaskwa National ParkOfficial website
Waymarking: No trail markers or directional signage; rock cairns point the way over the rocky shore and cobble beaches, and inland the path shows by its wear
GPX: GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap

Trail
Start
Finish
Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates

How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?

How

Rated over the whole main route.

Level

The hardest measure sets it

Path grade

the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated

EasyT1
ModerateT2
DemandingT3
HardT4 to T6

Climbing

the stated ascent over the stated length (else the terrain model's over the map line)

Easyunder 15 m per km
Moderate15–30 m
Demanding30–50 m
Hard50 m or more

Steep stretches

share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)

Easyunder 5 %
Moderate5–15 %
Demanding15–30 %
Hard30 % or more

Natural ground

share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own

Easyunder a third
Moderatea third to two thirds
Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

SAC hiking scale
This trail
T3 (our estimate)
Basis
Parks Canada rates the whole trail difficult, for experienced backpackers only: steep climbs over rocky shoreline, cobble beaches, slippery boardwalks and bridges, knee- to thigh-deep river crossings and no trail markers, only rock cairns, so hikers navigate by map and compass. A rough wilderness path with route finding but without scrambling (T3).
Scale
The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
Why
Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
Keep in mind
An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
T1 · Hiking
Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
T2 · Mountain hiking
A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
T4 · Alpine hiking
Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.
The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club
estimated T3
Climbingestimated 27 m per km
Steep stretches2 % of the way
Natural ground100 %

Climate

Rates

How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?

How

From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.

Level

The hardest measure sets it

Heat

mean daily high at the lowest point

Easyunder 22 °C
Moderate22–27 °C
Demanding27–32 °C
Hard32 °C or more

Cold

mean nightly low at the highest point

Easy8 °C or more
Moderate3–8 °C
Demanding−2 to 3 °C
Hardbelow −2 °C

Wet days

days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points

Easyunder 10
Moderate10–14
Demanding14–18
Hard18 or more

Snow

days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point

Easyunder 1 day
Moderate1–3 days
Demanding3–6 days
Hard6 days or more

Wind

mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's

Easyunder 15 km/h
Moderate15–20 km/h
Demanding20–25 km/h
Hard25 km/h or more

Demanding in May–Aug

Heat · August20 °C by day
Cold · May3 °C at night
Wet days · August11 days
Snow · May1 day
Wind · May24 km/h

Effort

Rates

How long are the days?

How

No official stages: rated by an average day at the fewest suggested days, the hardest plan a source suggests.

Level

The hardest measure sets it

Average day

walking time of an average day at the fewest suggested days (length and climbs divided evenly), by DIN 33466

Easyup to 4 h
Moderate4–6 h
Demanding6–8 h
Hardmore than 8 h

Easy

Average day · an average day over 5 daysestimated 3 h 45

Climate

Days in season · lowest point: 9–20°C
Nights in season · highest point: 3–15°C
Wet days a month: 10–14
Daylight: 10.7–16.1h

Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
Month	Lowest point, day high / night low (°C)	Highest point, day high / night low (°C)	Wet days	Snow days	Frost nights at the highest point	Daylight (h)
January	-7.9 / -14.7	-8.5 / -15	10.7	8.4	30.7	8.7
February	-8 / -14	-8.7 / -14.5	8.7	6.9	28	10.1
March	-2.7 / -8.6	-3.7 / -9.2	8.1	5.7	29.5	11.7
April	3.2 / -2.5	2 / -3.2	8.9	4.6	24.5	13.6
May	9 / 3.7	7.7 / 3	9.9	0.8	4.5	15.2
June	14.3 / 9.3	13 / 8.5	10.1	0	0	16.1
July	18 / 13.7	16.9 / 12.9	9.9	0	0	15.7
August	19.6 / 15.5	18.6 / 14.9	11.1	0	0	14.3
September	16.7 / 12.5	15.7 / 11.9	12.1	0	0	12.5
October	9.8 / 5.9	9 / 5.3	14	0.5	2.2	10.7
November	3.2 / -0.9	2.5 / -1.4	14.2	6.5	18	9.1
December	-2.7 / -8.7	-3.2 / -8.9	14.2	10.5	28.2	8.3

Climate by month

Source: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places: The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars: From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days: At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight: Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading: The trail's season

Terrain

Highest · lowest point: 320m high180m low
Gradient Steepest climb 12 % (7°), 58 m up over 500 m Steepest descent −12 % (7°), 61 m down over 500 m Gradient Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90° Keep in mind Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper Gradient Angle Feels like 10 % 6° Noticeable on a road 20 % 11° A steep path, slow going 30 % 17° Very steep, often steps 100 % 45° Scrambling: 12% ↑−12% ↓
Steep stretches This trail 0.6 km up, 0.4 km down: the darkest parts of the profile Steep 15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches Why it matters Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill: 1km
Surfaces
Natural ground: 100%, 58.8 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.: 100% natural

Gradient	Angle	Feels like
10 %	6°	Noticeable on a road
20 %	11°	A steep path, slow going
30 %	17°	Very steep, often steps
100 %	45°	Scrambling

Terrain along the route

Heights: Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
Colours: Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground: The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 0% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)

Landscape

Landscape along the route

Source: ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points: Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups: Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind: What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping
What
Pitching a tent outside campsites. Whether it is allowed, restricted or prohibited depends on the land and the country; the rule for this trail is below the cards.
Prohibited
Camping
What
Official campsites along the trail. Bring your own tent.
Available
Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
Available
Campsites · 38 in OpenStreetMap
Huts
What
Mountain huts (often staffed, with meals) and unstaffed bivouac shelters, usually on the trail itself.
Available
Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
None listed
Hostels
What
Dormitory beds for walkers: hostels, hiker lodges and pilgrim hostels.
Available
Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
None listed
Rooms
What
Private rooms, usually in villages near the trail: B&Bs, guesthouses, hotels, farm stays and monastery guesthouses.
Available
Where the trail's own source lists it, or where OpenStreetMap maps 3 or more within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish
None listed

Wild camping is prohibited. Camp only at the designated backcountry campsites booked on your permit, at most six people per site; camping in non-designated areas is prohibited, and every overnight backcountry trip must be registered.

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks: One per place to sleep: 38 campsites, 0 huts, 0 hostels, 0 guest houses
Counted: Within 1 km of the trail; no hotels or day shelters
Shaded: The longest stretch without any, km 38–45.3
Source: OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water This trail 58.8 km without clean water, km 0–58.8 Rating Frequentup to 10 km Regularup to 20 km Scarcebeyond Counted Within 500 m: 0 taps, fountains and drinking springs Not counted The 35 places to sleep: The campsites have no taps; water comes from rivers, creeks and Lake Superior, to be filtered, treated or boiled. They count as any water Source OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route: 58.8kmScarce
Any water This trail 7.3 km without any water, km 38–45.3 Rating Frequentup to 10 km Regularup to 20 km Scarcebeyond Counted Clean water, plus the 0 springs within 500 m and the places to sleep whose water isn't treated Keep in mind Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer: 7.3kmFrequent
Shops This trail 58.8 km without a shop, km 0–58.8 Counted 0 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of the finish Keep in mind Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one: 58.8km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks: One per place along the main route
Counted: Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of the finish
Shaded: Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source: OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Shows: Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level: Ours, read from the official source
High: A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate: It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low: The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do: From the official source: Parks Canada
Pictures: Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Coastal Hiking Trail

Key figures

Photos

Location

Difficulty

Climate

Terrain

Landscape

Sleeping

Water & Supply

Wildlife