Learn More
The Wolf River Falls is a hidden gem located just outside of Thunder Bay. Another name for it is Red Rock Falls. It has brilliant blue water surrounded by radiant red rocks.
I was fortunate enough to go and visit these falls with my cousins Sydney and Sam. On Sam’s first time trying to find the falls, she couldn’t find them so this time we weren’t going home empty-handed.
We got up early, packed our bags and hit the road.
After an hour of driving, we knew we were close. We must have drove over at least a hundred potholes that seemed never-ending, but once we came up to the bend in the road, we realized that we found them.
We pulled up to the trailhead and as soon as we stepped out of the car, you could hear the river. After our short walk and climb down a hill, we had reached the falls. They were stunning.
How do you get there?
From Highway 17, turn onto Fish Hatchery Road West and stay on it for approximately 6 km and you’ll be making 3 right turns staying on Fish Hatchery Road. This is a solid gravel road so you can drive on it no problem.
After 6 km, you’ll be making a right onto Wolf Lake Road. You will be driving down Wolf Lake Road for approximately 20 km. This road is pretty rough with a lot of potholes. You’re going to want to go a little bit slower here and watch where you’re driving, it’s very easy to bottom out. Driving down Wolf Lake Road you will pass by the Wolf Lake and cross over 3 bridges. After the third bridge which crosses over Wolf River, take the “road” on the right. It’s a small two-track road, follow this for 2 km.
The trailhead begins where the road bends to the left. You’ll find that the road becomes wider and there are spots to park on the right side. If you go down a hill and reach a beaver dam, turn around, you’ve gone too far. There aren’t any signs for the trail, but you’ll see where you can walk into the forest on the right.
When you begin, walk down to the rim of the gorge and make a left. You’ll be walking beside the river that leads to the falls. Walk approximately half a km and you’ll see a steep natural stairway that takes you to the bottom of the gorge, to the falls. Before you make your way down, there is a fork where you can go right which takes you to the top of the falls to overlook them, or you can continue left which leads you to a wooden ladder and some ropes that make your descent significantly easier. The descent isn’t that hard, but it’s steep so use the ladder and ropes to help yourself get down.
Here is a Google Maps link if you are having trouble
Most likely you will have these falls all to yourself. The water is warm enough to swim in, and you can walk right up to the falls or behind them. You can snag some pretty cool photos around there, I highly suggest bringing your camera along with you.
When we arrived, it was just us three. It wasn’t until we were leaving that other people showed up. We basked in the beauty and enjoyed the peace and white noise of the water. I took some photos of my cousins and I think they show how beautiful this location is. If you are ever in the area, I would highly suggest making the trip to this marvellous piece of nature.
3 things to remember
First, this is a relatively easy trail. From the trailhead, the path to get to the falls is very clear. The only thing you have to be careful about is your descent down from the fork in the road. Make sure you hold onto the ropes when you are climbing down the ladder and watch your step.
This trail is for everyone. As long as you aren’t afraid of climbing down a 10-foot ladder, you will be fine to do this hike. I’d suggest bringing a backpack of food and water because when you arrive, you won’t want to leave and next thing you know you’ll have spent hours there enjoying yourself.
If you are a photographer like me, I cannot stress anymore you need to bring your camera. Having the falls all to yourself is perfect for being able to take all kinds of photos that you want. In the short hour that we had the falls all to ourselves, we made sure to capture everything we wanted to.
Tags: