Park Overview
Located in Northwestern Ontario, Quetico Provincial Park is a vast wilderness area renowned for backcountry canoeing, kayaking, and fishing. Spanning 4,760 km², the park features over 2,200 interior campsites and a network of lakes and rivers that offer both short paddling trips and challenging multi-day routes requiring advanced outdoor skills. It borders the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, together forming the larger Quetico-Superior Country.
Park History
Quetico was first designated as a forest reserve in 1909, with official provincial park status granted in 1913. Road access to the park wasn’t established until 1954. The park’s creation led to the relocation of the Lac La Croix First Nation, whose reserve was inside the new park boundaries. An official apology was made in 1991, acknowledging the historical injustice and allowing limited use of motorboats by Lac La Croix guides.
Canoeists must obtain permits and enter through one of six designated ranger stations, with only Dawson Trail offering drive-in access and cabin rentals. The other entry points—Lac La Croix, Atikokan, Beaverhouse, Cache Bay, and Prairie Portage—require paddling or boat transport.
Name Origins
The name “Quetico” has uncertain origins. Local stories refer to a non-existent “Quebec Timber Company,” while others suggest French roots (“quête de la côte,” meaning “search for the coast”) or an Ojibwe reference to a spirit associated with natural beauty.
Wilderness Protections
Logging has been banned since 1971, and motorboats were largely prohibited in 1979. However, the Lac La Croix Guides Association retains limited motorboat access for guiding, using engines no larger than 10 horsepower on select lakes.
Geological Significance
The park lies within the Canadian Shield, featuring some of the oldest exposed rocks on Earth. Its numerous lakes—geologically young at tens of thousands of years old—sit atop ancient Precambrian bedrock. Located near the Laurentian Divide, the park drains into Hudson Bay via several river systems, including the Basswood, Maligne, and Quetico Rivers. Together with the Boundary Waters, it forms one of the most visited canoe destinations globally.
