Old-Growth Trail
Explore old-growth red and white pine forest, and jack pine, poplar, and sugar-maple forest along this trail. Have you wondered what old growth forest is, how old it is? Or what’s the difference between old growth and ancient forest? The answers to these and many other questions await you. The history of the Temagami area, in terms of both its natural and cultural heritages, is diverse and extensive. Aboriginal inhabitants, the Teme-Augama Anishnabai, have occupied this area, their homeland (n'Daki Menan), for at least 6,000 years.
Temagami Island lies within n'Daki Menan, the homeland of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai, which encompasses almost 4,000 square miles. Archaeological investigations have documented human habitation in the Temagami area as early as 1,000 B.C., and it is likely that these were ancestors of the tribe that presently occupies the area. Historically, the Teme-Augama Anishnabai were a hunter-gatherer society that moved with the seasons and with the availability of various resources. Within their homeland, certain areas had special significance. Temagami Island has two such areas of significance.
As you hike the old-growth trail, you’ll follow the portage to Dalton Lake for the first 50 meters or so. The aluminum portage sign here was posted just after World War II. To follow the interpretive trail look for a turn to the right. You’ll climb out of the cedar valley and into pine forest. Cedar and yellow birch trees thrive in the moist valley, while pine is more common on the drier uplands. A white pine giant a metre across greets you to the old growth forest.
Old-Growth Trail
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