Heaven's Gate: Hiking an awe-inspiring landscape

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You may know the extensive hiking routes in Killarney Provincial Park, but you might want to add another piece of paradise to your walking repertoire.

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Your destination is Kitchitwaa Shkwaandem, an Ojibwe name that roughly translates as “Heaven’s Gate.” This network of trails through the LaCloche Mountains near Whitefish Falls offers tempting and tantalizing rambles and scrambles in a Killarney-esque landscape. 

Doable as a day adventure, the trailhead is just over an hour’s drive from Sudbury. Head south of Espanola on Highway 6, take the first Whitefish Falls turnoff, then go right onto Bay of Islands Drive. There is a parking area at Gate 3, but carpooling is encouraged as the lot can only accommodate so many visitors. 

Take time to tighten laces, adjust backpacks, and ensure you are carrying enough water bottles. Then off you go. 

Approximately 48 people — members of both the Sudbury and Manitoulin naturalist clubs — turned out for this spring stroll, scheduled early enough in the spring to avoid getting swarmed by blackflies.

While not required, walking sticks can be helpful on ascents and declines as well as when fording streams and crossing beaver dams. No one wants to slip or twist and ankle. Are you prepared?

Soon you are through a forest of beech trees, ascending a series of ancient beaches. The first stop was an old gravel pit to talk about moraines, glaciers, and revegetation. 

After the glaciers retreated, “the land rose, inclined and that changed drainage patterns,” noted Gerard Courtin, professor emeritus in biology with Laurentian.

He pointed out how this area’s southern exposure may also be a micro-climate encouraging Carolinian species to survive and thrive, while noting “we may be too early to see some of the spring ephemerals as it has been a slower spring,” he said. 

Indeed mere days later marsh marigold and trilliums exploded into seasonal flowering on Manitoulin. 

Glimpses of quartzite are part of the lower routes, while up on the white ridges you are rewarded with long views. The heights are definitely a bit more of sweat investment. 

The loop taken by club members focused on valleys and wetlands, but is just one of several options. There were stops for lunch, interpretation, explanation, and time to simply listen to the wind in the treetops or identify tree and bird species.

The 2,000-acre property comprising the Heaven’s Gate reserve was acquired by the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy in 2021 — with help from community donations, the federal government and the Ontario Land Trust Alliance — creating an important link between Killarney park and the LaCloche Ridge Conservation Reserve. 

Ursula Sauve of Sudbury donated to the project and attended the official opening of the park. 

“The Heaven’s Gate trails are one of our best kept secrets,” she said. “In Switzerland, where I am from, the forests look nearly vacuumed. Here is a wildness and treasure for you to see as it is. It’s not crowded.”

Franco Mariotti, former staff scientist and biologist at Science North, was happy to lead the spring ramble. 

“It’s one of those days out where we have come to enjoy the experience, not just get from start to finish,” he said. 

Yellow birch and ironwood trees shaded hikers while the earthy, floral fragrances got them talking of the Japanese concept of the forest bathing.

“We are walking back in time,” said Mariotti. “The geology, the hardwood forest, is very much as Sudbury would have looked two centuries ago. Red pine, oak, mature tall trees would have covered the Sudbury Basin. If you know how to read the landscape, it is a history book.” 

Mariotti reminded participants that while human have altered the landscape, we can still heal damaged ecosystems. “We can be advocates and stewards of the land,” he said.

“Perhaps that is the real reason for Naturalists Clubs to start and exist,” mused Mariotti. “Their role is twofold: education and excitement about the natural world, and a platform where some of the experts can share knowledge. Sometime we get involved with conservation issues like Wolf Lake. We have been around for 45 years. How do we get the next generation involved? It is a question plaguing all organizations right now. There are still ecological gems that need protection.”

The LaCloche Mountains once towered over the region; however, time and erosion have done their work. Glaciers rubbed down the peaks and polished their edges. 

Ontario Park Planner Will Kershaw said it was interesting “to see the dynamics of the group and gauge their interest in what they were seeing.” At one of the stops, Kershaw pointed out how “vernal or temporary spring pools are so vital to the health of the ecosystem.”

Pat Jackson said she is happy she has the freedom to join excursions of this nature. “I love these kind of walks,” she said. “I am out a lot. I would play hooky for this, but I don’t have to. I am retired!”

Jackson noted spring is a good time of year to hike as “you can see through the forest, see its structure, and it is spectacular. All seasons are amazing. We can learn so much.”

The Heaven’s Gate reserve contains old-growth forest, three lakes, two mountains — with stunning views of the North Channel — and numerous wetlands. 

A dozen species at risk have a home here, according to the Escarpment Biosphere Conservancy, and the well-marked trails are easy to follow, with handy locator maps placed at junctions.

Heaven’s Gate is named appropriately and is well worth the investment in driving and hiking time. Bet you can’t just do this walk once.

For maps and additional details, visit tinyurl.com/u8u9parz.

A video showcasing the beauty of the area can also be viewed at youtu.be/qFw_lq2MkOM.

sud.editorial@sunmedia.ca