Ferguson Trail

Running by the northern shores of Lake Temagami, the Ferguson Hiking Trail is an integral part of the evolving Temagami Trails system.  It begins either at Wanapitei or at a point of the Red Squirrel Road, some 25 km west from Highway 11; following briefly along the abandoned logging track, locally called the Kokoko Sideroad, the Trail crosses the Red Squirrel River, follows its left bank to Sandy Inlet.  In either case, it circles south around Sandy Inlet, and climbs Ferguson Mountain.  In doing so, it passes through a magnificent, if small area of pine dominating Old-Growth Forest.  Along the very rim of the Ferguson Cliff, the trail provides hikers with magnificent vistas of the Lake and the Temagami forest in three directions.

The trail follows along the uneven top of the Ferguson Ridge, a great Nipissing diabase intrusion through the Pre-Cambrian Canadian Shield.  Its highest point (416 metres above sea level) is 123 metres above the Lake below (293 metres).  The trail passes by the site of the old Lands and Forests Fire Tower, dips down somewhat and then ascends the Buffalo Mountain portion of the Ridge.  Proceeding southward, it passes close to the shores of Ferguson Bay, before crossing an old abandoned logging road by Roko Lake Landing.  From here the trail alternates between thick interior forest and close shoreline approaches.  For the moment, it ends at the portage trail between Upper Kokoko Bay and Kokoko Lake.  That portage itself winds through Old-Growth Forest, and is easily accessible by water.

The trail was developed, with Ministry of Natural Resources' approval, over the summer of 1990, 1991 and 1992, by the Temagami Wilderness Fund in association with Temagami Trails.  The land through which the trail passes is an integral part of n'Daki Menan, the homeland of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai.  At the time of writing, final stewardship jurisdiction over this land was under stalled negotiation between the Teme-Augama Anishnabai and the province of Ontario.

Most of the forest through which this trail passes has never been logged.  The exceptions, which are obvious, occur mainly in the north end, before the trail reaches Sandy Inlet.  At various places, there is evidence of old burns.  Most of the route was saved from logging by the existence of both the Shoreline, Portage, and Skyline Reserve systems for Lake Temagami, and by the relative inaccessibility of the uplands along the Ferguson Ridge.

The route partly follows old natawgan.  They are the traditional portage routes (onigum) and winter trails (bonkanah) of the Anishnabai.  The route also follows, in places, abandoned logging roads, prospectors' tracks and existing cross country ski and hiking trails.  Carefully built stretches of new pathways link all this together.

The trail secures its name from Ferguson Mountain, Cliff, Ridge and Bay, the latter being the large eastern most of three branches of Lake Temagami's North Arm.  They were named for P.A. Ferguson, a renowned early prospector who, during the 1880s, searched for gold in the Temagami area, and indeed staked land and found substantial traces of gold on the mountain - all before the establishment of the Temagami Forest Reserve (1901-52).  Ferguson was later Mayor of North Bay.  The entire route (though mostly not indicated) is covered by the 1:50,000 Obabika Lake Topographic Map (41P1); and also the two 1:20,000 Ontario Sheets 20-17-5700-52200 and 52100.

The Guide reads from north to south but reverse travel is equally enjoyable and marked.  The trail system is suitable for short or long day hiking or for extended camping travel.