Griffin Lake Peak

Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 47.07535°N / 84.38292°W
Additional Information County: Algoma
Activities Activities: Hiking
Seasons Season: Spring, Summer, Fall
Additional Information Elevation: 2152 ft / 656 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

Griffin Lake Peak is the name given by Brian Back to a unnamed peak in the Algoma Region, north of Sault Ste. Marie. Maps produced by Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources show this peak to be the 7th highest point in Ontario.

Griffin Lake Peak is in close proximity with its better known, but smaller sister mountain, Batchawana Mountain.

The Norberg / Griffin Lake Fire Tower stands on the summit.

Getting There

Taken with permission from www.ontariohighpoints.com

Northbound from Sault Ste. Marie on Highway 17, turn right on Mile 38 Road. This intersection is about 53 km north of Sault Ste Marie, on the northern shore of Batchawana Bay. Follow this gravel road for 7 km until reaching a fork in the road. Take the left fork and at about 20 km from Highway 17, the road passes an acid rain monitoring station.

At this point the road becomes narrower and travel becomes slower. Continue up the road and take the right fork 1 km past the monitoring station. 600 metres past the fork, there are a few pull offs along the road which can be used for parking.

A city car will be unable to cross the creek, which is 100 metres down the hill from the parking spots. A 4×4 however, could easily continue on if the creek isn’t high. Continue on the main gravel road for 2.2 km, at which a less obvious trail enters on the right. If traveling by car/truck, this is a good place to park, as the trail may not passable at some spots. Take this right fork, onto the over grown road and continue for 3km to the fire tower which marks the summit. Best views are north-west to Griffin Lake, which the peak is thus named and south-west to Batchawana Mountain.

Batchawana MountainBatchawana Mountain

0.0 km - Turn onto Mile 38 Road from TransCanada - Highway 17
7.0 km - Turn left on fork
20.0 km - Pass Ministry of Natural Resources acid rain monitoring station
21.0 km - Turn right on fork
21.6 km - Park at one of the pull offs.
21.7 km - Creek crossing
23.8 km - Turn right onto the overgrown trail
26.8 km - Summit of Griffin Lake Peak

Red Tape

No restrictions that I know of, however Mile 38 road is used by logging trucks, so when driving, you should be prepared to give them the right of way. The road is probably not plowed in the winter, so would only be accessible once the snow melts and things dry out.

Camping

As the mountain sits on crown land, residents of Canada may camp free of charge for up to 21 days at any one site, except where posted otherwise.

Non-residents of Canada may require a Crown Land Camping permit.

For more modern facilities follow the Highway 17 (Trans Canada) another 22 kms west to Pancake Bay Provincial Park and take your pick of some 325 sites. Reservations during the summer months will most likely be required.

External Links

Griffin Lake Peak description and trip report ...Shameless self-promotion.
List of Ontario’s Highest Elevations
Batchawana 360 geocache
Batchawana Mountain
Atlas of Canada - Toporama