Hike into the McGraw Falls on the Matowin River near Shabaqua.
Roundtrip:1 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Shabaqua, ON
From Thunder Bay, drive west on Highway 11/17 for 50 km and turn left onto Shabaqua Road just before the turnoff to Atikokan.
You will need a 4×4 to drive all the way to the start of the trail to the falls. You could also hike or bike from the point where the road gets too rough.
Along Shabaqua Road you will pass by Shabaqua Trail Rides as you cross the bridge over the Matawin River. If you continue down Shabaqua Road past the falls you can find the McGraw Falls Dam. The Matawin River Nature Reserve is also located much further down the river.
Drive down Shabaqua Road for approximately 7km and park off the road at the bend. Flag tape marks the start of a steep and poorly maintained trail down to the river at the base of the falls.
I was there today, May 2, 2020. At approximately KM 4, I believe the road that veers to the right is named “Hander”, i forgot to take a photo of it when I was there. I parked there because I have a Honda Fit and just continued to walk the last 3 KM straight. I could have easily taken my car to KM 6 – but if the conditions had not been dry it could definitely be a different story. Very easy to feel out. There is currently some flagging at an intersection with an old utility road but that does not mark the falls. Keep going, you’lll hear the falls when you are there and two blue bent laths mark the spot. There is no trail its just straight down, some old flagging confirms it in the bush. Water is super high right now so it was just a quick down and up for some excercise 🙂 Probably a lower spot to hang out once summer calms things down. Great walk down the road with the dog though.
You would need a 4×4 for all or some of the road shown as Shabaqua Corners Rd on the Google Map, which is about 6k one way. It really depends on what kind of condition that road is in this year. Has anyone been there recently?
How long is the hike from where the 4×4 starts?
Hi, can anyone tell me how long it would take to hike in from where a non-4X4 car would have to park? I have a Subaru Forester, but I doubt that counts as a 4by4 in these parts. Thanks
This is a beautiful spot all along the river. In the fall this is a popular spot for hunting as i have hunted and fished the area for years so you might want to wear orange just to stay visible.