Maple Mountain

Overview

Maple Mountain is located within the Temagami region’s Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park. One of the best known mountains in Ontario, it’s vertical rise over the surrounding landscape: approximately 1150 feet is one of the highest in the province. Because of this, it is often mistaken as being the highest mountain in Ontario, however Maple Mountain is actually ranked seventeenth. A 100 foot intact fire tower stands on the summit and can be reached via A 3.3 km long hiking trail.

The indigenous Temagami First Nation called the mountain Chee-bay-jing, which means “the place where the spirits go” and considered it a sacred site. The mountain was named by Dr. Robert Bell of the Geological Survey of Canada in 1888. Bell was the first known non-aboriginal to scale the mountain.

Getting There

Taken with permission from www.ontariohighpoints.com

Maple Mountain is a popular canoeing destination and as such, there are many canoe routes to the mountain. The most direct route is from Mowat Landing, through Lady Evelyn River and Lady Evelyn Lake to Sucker Gut Lake and up through Hobart Lake to the trailhead on Tupper Lake. It is 40+ km paddle from Mowat Landing to the trailhead on Tupper Lake and there is only one short portage over the Mattawapika Dam right at the start. The trail from Tupper Lake to the summit is 3.3 km long.

Mowat Landing is about 27 km from New Liskeard; 7 km south from the town along Highway 11 and 20 km west along the paved/gravel West Rd, until it ends at the Montreal River.

Lady Evelyn Lake can be often be rough and windy and this must be considered when planning a trip to Maple Mountain. Most canoeists take 2 days to canoe to Tupper Lake and overnight at one of the many campsites along the way on Lady Evelyn Lake. Motorized boats are allowed and are often seen in Lady Evelyn River, Lady Evelyn Lake and Sucker Gut Lake, however Hobart and Tupper Lakes are off limits to them.

There is only one trail to Maple Mountain, which begins on the south shore of Tupper Lake at N47.37606 W80.30387. The trail has moderate elevation gain for the first 2.3 km, but once passing the small lake on route, the trail climbs more steeply and eventually reaches the cliffs which give way to the summit. The true height of land appears to be about a 100 meters to the north of the fire tower to a small boulder jutting up a few feet above height of land near the fire tower.

Canoeing/Hiking: (From the boat launch at Mowat Landing: 0.0 km)
01.6 km - Mattawapika Dam
08.2 km - Mouth of Lady Evelyn Lake
22.8 km - Lady Evelyn (Obisaga) Narrows
30.0 km - Sucker Gut Lake
36.5 km - Hobart Creek
37.6 km - Hobart Lake
39.8 km - Willow Island Creek
40.7 km - Tupper Creek
41.3 km - Tupper Lake
42.7 km - Maple Mountain Trailhead
46.0 km - Maple Mountain Summit

Red Tape

A backcountry camping permit may be required. See Camping below.

At Mattawapika Dam it is possible for a small fee ($10 as of July 2009 - each way) to have ones canoe/boat ferried over the 300m portage around the Dam. The service operator resides beside the Dam, at the top end of the portage.

Camping

Maple Mountain and the canoe route west of the Lady Evelyn Lake Narrows lies within the Lady Evelyn-Smoothwater Provincial Park. Camping within the park boundaries requires a backcountry camping permit. The permit can be bought at Mowat Landing Cottages or at one of the many outfitters in the area, such as Wilderness Dreams in New Liskeard, or the Temagami Outfitting Company in the town of Temagami.

Camping on crown land outside the park boundaries is subject to the restrictions:
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.

There are many good campsites along the canoe route. It would be a good idea to obtain a copy of the Parks Ontario Temagami Canoe Routes Planning Map for more information.

External Links

Maple Mountain directions and trip report...Shameless self-promotion.
Myth of Maple Mountain
Maple Mountain: In Depth

Images

View Maple Mountain Image Gallery - 5 Images