One of the oft-overlooked aspects of Sunset Country is the true wilderness eco-tourism experience it offers. Your journey into the backcountry poses both risks and rewards...
By Gerry Cariou
Gerry is the Executive Director of Ontario's Sunset Country
April 12, 2023
Nature Up Close and Personal
With over 100,000 square kilometers of forested lands and at least 70,000 freshwater lakes, Sunset Country was made for the ecotourist. With the vast wilderness landscapes, this is definitely a place where nature thrives! There is an incredible amount of wildlife and bird species that live in our forests—great for the nature photographer, the artist/painter, or the avid birdwatcher. The Rainy River District in particular is a great place for bird watching.
Dryberry Lake in Northwest Ontario
For the nature lover or photographer that wants to see and photograph large mammals well we have a lot of those too! In our forests, you will find black bear, timber wolves, whitetail deer, and of course, moose. In some very special areas such as Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, you can also see the elusive and threatened woodland caribou—a rare sight indeed.
Beautiful view of a moose in Sunset Country
Many people are much more environmentally conscious in this day and age and now seek to learn about the natural world around them. This includes learning about the flora within the Canadian Shield Boreal Forest and ecosystem. We have thousands of places you can go on a short hike and see the succession of plant life within the forest - from the forest floor all the way up to the tree canopy.
Swamps in Sunset Country have an abundance of wildlife
If you are an experienced mushroom picker then Sunset Country has some treasures that await you. Obviously, only do this activity if you are experienced at it and only if you know how to identify mushroom species. We say this because if you pick and eat the wrong kind of mushroom, you can find yourself in a lot of trouble really quickly. Berries also glitter the terrain and there is nothing sweeter than the taste of a fresh blueberry or raspberry picked in the wild.
Get up close and personal with Mother Nature in Northwestern Ontario. Here is a list of tourist outfitters that service the ecotourist. Contact them and get started planning your ecotourism vacation in Ontario's Sunset Country!
With over 100,000 square kilometers of forested lands and at least 70,000 freshwater lakes, Sunset Country was made for the ecotourist. With the vast wilderness landscapes, this is definitely a place where nature thrives! There is an incredible amount of wildlife and bird species that live in our forests—great for the nature photographer, the artist/painter, or the avid birdwatcher. The Rainy River District in particular is a great place for bird watching.
Dryberry Lake in Northwest Ontario
For the nature lover or photographer that wants to see and photograph large mammals well we have a lot of those too! In our forests, you will find black bear, timber wolves, whitetail deer, and of course, moose. In some very special areas such as Woodland Caribou Provincial Park, you can also see the elusive and threatened woodland caribou—a rare sight indeed.
Beautiful view of a moose in Sunset Country
Many people are much more environmentally conscious in this day and age and now seek to learn about the natural world around them. This includes learning about the flora within the Canadian Shield Boreal Forest and ecosystem. We have thousands of places you can go on a short hike and see the succession of plant life within the forest - from the forest floor all the way up to the tree canopy.
Swamps in Sunset Country have an abundance of wildlife
If you are an experienced mushroom picker then Sunset Country has some treasures that await you. Obviously, only do this activity if you are experienced at it and only if you know how to identify mushroom species. We say this because if you pick and eat the wrong kind of mushroom, you can find yourself in a lot of trouble really quickly. Berries also glitter the terrain and there is nothing sweeter than the taste of a fresh blueberry or raspberry picked in the wild.
Get up close and personal with Mother Nature in Northwestern Ontario. Here is a list of tourist outfitters that service the ecotourist. Contact them and get started planning your ecotourism vacation in Ontario's Sunset Country!
About Gerry Cariou
Gerry is Executive Director of Ontario's Sunset Country Travel Association and is an avid fisherman and nature photographer. Gerry has been writing about Sunset Country's varied travel experiences for over 20 years and lives these experiences year-round in Kenora, Ontario.