With its mix of rocky cliffs and pebble beaches, the Superior shoreline of Pukaskwa National Park can seem positively bucolic in the summer sunshine. But gales and storms are frequent here in spring and early fall, and can whip up waves 15 feet high.

Away from the shore, the park’s terrain is scarred by mountain ridges and pocked with hundreds of lakes. The soil is thin and often covered with a thick carpet of moss. All backcountry hikers must check in and check out with the staff at the park’s administrative building or at the visitor centre at Hattie Cove.

Pukaskwa offers a number of services for visitors, including guided hikes, evening lectures on ecosystems and nature, and First Nations interpretive programs. Black bears are common in the park and can be aggressive, particularly in areas with plenty of wild berries or in the vicinity of a dead deer or moose.