The Bat Cave is found in Cavern Lake Nature Reserve just north of Ouimet Canyon. In Cavern Lake Nature Reserve you can find a canyon, a lake, a small waterfall and of course… the bat cave.
Round-trip: 1 km
Difficulty: Difficult
Location: Dorion, ON
From Thunder Bay, Ontario drive east on Highway 17 for about 80 km and turn left onto Fish Hatchery Road. Stay on Fish Hatchery Road for 6.7 km keeping right at each intersection in order to stay on Fish Hatchery Road.
Turn right at Wolf Lake Road and drive for 5.5 km then park off the road if you do not have a good 4×4 vehicle and then walk along the rough road to the next parking area. If you do have a good 4×4 continue on Wolf Lake Road for 2 more km and then park. Be careful crossing the creek, at certain times of the year the water can be pretty high.
The trail starts in the parking area but is really not easy to find. The trail leads down to the base of the cliff where the bat cave is located. The entrance to the cave is about 20 m wide by 2.5 metres high and the cave is 13 m deep, and of course, you should obey the signs and not enter the cave or disturb the bats.
The bat cave –which visitors are not encouraged to disturb — is a roosting site in the summer and a hibernation site in the winter for several species of bats.? Disturbances may prove harmful to these small winged mammals, especially in winter. For those of you who are freaked out by bats…I have read that the bats do their swarming from July to September.
The bat caves are on private property. It’s no longer accessible. Found that out the hard way. Signs are posted and there’s a gate blocking the road.
I agree with Sara and Paul, this should not be a promoted hiking destination.
-Christian Carl, Park Superintendent, Cavern Lake Provincial Park
Does anyone know where “German Falls” is located?, I’ve lived in and around Thunder Bay my entire life, and I’ve never heard of this place. I’m assuming that the hiking trails there must be quite lovely and cover the terrain grately, thank you, bye for now, and stay well. Yours Sincerely, This avid outdoorsman and writer/blogger/author.
Please remove this destination.
Accessing the hibernaculum in this park is strictly prohibited.
I am concerned that Bat Cave is still listed as a hike destination. The bats are having a hard time with white fungi that get on their noses when they are hibernating and it is killing them. We shouldn’t add to their deaths by going there especially in below zero temperatures. The presence of hikers warm bodies raises the temperature enough to bring them out of hibernation and then they freeze and die. Without a healthy bat population eating flying insects, the balance of nature is thrown off. Some say bats get confused and killed by wind turbines too. So let’s not add to the odds of bats dying. Stay out of bat caves. Just enjoy Cavern Lake. it is pretty.
“Disturbances may prove harmful”? …try “disturbances may prove fatal”.
The Bat Cave is hard to find. The trail is not well used and is really hard to find in the summer. I would suggest perhaps navigating your way there using the map instead of trying to follow the written directions. Hopefully you can find it easier that way!
While out hiking to Wolf River Falls,we figured we would hit this spot as well,but sadly we could not find it.
Is it possible to get more clear directions?
Such as Which side of the road should we be looking at for the parking area,and which side the bat cave would be on.?