Not 20 miles north of the Michigan/Ontario border is one of the most dramatic landscapes I've come across around the Great Lakes. The Robertson Lake Cliffs form a 600' high rampart along the north sidde of the Goulais River valley. I had seen them (you can't miss them!) on all of my travells north but didn't realize they were so accessible until very recently. As stated before the cliffs are located about 20 miles north of Soo, Ontario. On a good map you should be able to find Robertson Lake Road heading east from the Trans-Canada just north of the Goulais River. The road up to the cliffs is surprisingly well travelled and very scenic. Unlike most other access roads on my adventures in the Algoma District, this one can be travelled easily by a two-wheel drive car! Upon arrival you'll find yourself hiking along the Voyageur Trail, Ontario's most ambitious long-distance trail project, which passes along the top of the cliffs in their entirety. This is Algoma country at its best...
Mileage Hiked: 3.0 miles
Trailhead Temp: 49'F
Min. Elevation: 1,120'
Max Elevation: 1,400'
Mileage Hiked: 3.0 miles
Trailhead Temp: 49'F
Min. Elevation: 1,120'
Max Elevation: 1,400'
The (approximate) Route...
As the Trans Canada drops into the Goulais River Valley, north of the Soo, King Mountain and the Robertson Lake Cliffs rise dramatically in the distance...
Robertson Lake Road as it approaches the cliffs...
Before hitting the trail I decided to do some exploring around the boulder fields at the base of the cliffs...
The cliffs loom above a particularly large boulder I was intent on climbing...
The boulder fields beneath the cliffs are HUGE...these photos just don't do them justice...
This was fun, but I couldn't wait to get up top...
Not mountains, but for the midwest this is MASSIVE! These cliffs rise some 200 Meters (600+ feet)...it's just not fair we can't have cool stuff like this in Michigan, just 20 miles to the south!
All right, now for the hike. The road up is quite nice by Algoma dirt road standards. The trail is well used, though easily missed if you're not looking for it...
This hike follows a portion of the Voyageur Trail...when completed the trail will run from Sudbury in the east, along the north shores of both Lakes Huron and Superior, ending at the Minnesota border south of Thunder Bay!
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