Pukaskwa National Park is a national park located south of the town of Marathon, Ontario, in the Thunder Bay District of northern Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1978 and is known for its views of Lake Superior and its boreal forests. The park covers an area of 1,878 square kilometers (725 square miles) and protects a section of the longest undeveloped shoreline on the Great Lakes.

The Hattie Cove Campground is located at the northern end of the park and can be reached by Highway 627, the only road that leads into the park. There are also backcountry campsites along the 60 km Coastal Hiking Trail, which follows the northern shore of Lake Superior. This trail includes two suspension bridges: one over the White River at Chigaamiwinigum and one over the Willow River. The Coastal Hiking Trail is part of a longer trail called the Voyageur Hiking Trail. Backcountry campsites are also found along the Coastal Paddling Route, the White River, and the Pukaskwa River. In 2017, a 24 km trail called Mdaabii Miikna, which means "go to shore trail" in Ojibwe, was opened as a shorter backcountry option. This trail follows the coastline of Lake Superior in Picture Rock Harbour.

The name Pukaskwa comes from an Indigenous language and has several possible meanings, including "eaters of fish," "something evil," or "safe harbor." The Ojibway and Cree nations say the correct spelling is "Pukasu." The word "Pukasu" describes a traditional practice where people cook the marrow inside animal bones. After cooking, the remains of the animal are placed in an open fire until the meat burns away, leaving only the cooked marrow.

Flora

Pukaskwa National Park is located in the center of Canada's boreal forest region. Common tree species found there include black spruce, white spruce, jack pine, trembling aspen, Eastern white cedar, and white birch. Many plants in the park are usually found in Arctic alpine areas, such as encrusted saxifrage, birds-eye primrose, and butterwort. Pukaskwa is home to the northernmost growing areas of Pitcher's thistle in Canada, with four groups of the plant growing and surviving on the coastal dune areas within the park. Other rare plants include Franklin's lady-slipper and mountain huckleberry. Many plants in Pukaskwa have uses for medicine and traditional practices. Eastern white cedar, Labrador-tea, and Chaga grow in the park and can be boiled into tea to support physical and spiritual health. The park also has many types of lichen and moss, including sphagnum, reindeer moss, and lungwort species.

Fauna

This park is home to many animals, including black bears, moose, beavers, peregrine falcons, river otters, lynx, timber wolves, and bald eagles. There was once a small group of woodland caribou in the park, but their numbers dropped from 30 in the 1970s to about 4 in 2012. This decline was mainly because wolves hunted them. In early 2017, scientists used special cameras that detect heat to search for caribou after earlier attempts failed. This search showed that caribou no longer live in the park. Cougars might also be present, but their numbers are not yet known.

Climate

The park has a type of climate called humid continental (Dfb) according to the Köppen climate classification. This climate is greatly affected by Lake Superior.

Rivers in the park include the following:

• Pukaskwa River
• Cascade River
• North Swallow River
• Swallow River
• White River
• Willow River

The Pic River flows into Lake Superior just north of the park.

The highest point in the park is Tip Top Mountain, which reaches an elevation of 641 meters (2106 feet).

Rock structures called Pukaskwa Pits, which are more than 1,000 years old and were made by the people who first lived in the area, can be found on many of the park’s cobblestone beaches.

The most recent State of the Park Report for Pukaskwa National Park was published in 2008.