Potholes Provincial Park is located 38km east of Wawa on Highway 101, in Algoma, ON. The park is day-use only, yet it is a popular stopover when travelling on Highway 101. The park features some waterfalls as well as distinctive "potholes", which are uniquely round and circular rock formations that the Kinniwabi River runs through. All in all, it makes for a very scenic trip. I visited in August 2025.
I'm gonna save the geological history of the potholes for the SPOTLIGHT section (see below), but the entirety of Highway 101 was built between 1940 and 1970, yet not much has changed. Barely any of the land has been alotted by the government, let alone developed. And so, when the province studied the area and found the distinctive potholes in the 80s, they designated a park there in 1985. And later that year, Potholes was opened like we know it today.
"Potholes" is a shortening of the term "glacial potholes", which is used to mean large cylindrical hole drilled by gravel. They are also known as a giant's kettle.
Because of the remote nature, small size, and unpopularity of the park, few amenities exist. The few that do are:
- large parking lot including turnaround loop
- vaulted toilets situated right beside the entrance
- intrepretive signs guiding the way (see below)
- packed down gravel and a well-guided path
- large bridge and observation deck over the falls
- multiple natural water features, including the main pothole, a thin rush (see left), a waterfall behind the bridge, and unique erratic boulders, visible at the end of the trail
- large marsh complex in at the bottom of the falls
- paddling opportunities in said marsh
- fishing below the potholes
The single trail is:
This is a stunning trail that tours your around everything the park has to offer. Starting off at the parking lot, you wind through an extremely dense boreal woodland before arriving at the Kinniwabi River. Ahead of you lies a bridge offering stunning views of the main pothole. Contuining on, the bridge curves right, overlooking a narrow crevice of rock with water rushing through. Next up is the waterfall, this time on your left (see top image), followed by the unique glacial erratic boulders to end off the trail. Bikes are permitted. Interpretive signs guide the way and tell the story, and they are below.
Falls underneath the bridge.
The main "pothole".
Drive in off of Highway 101. They have just added a park sign this year, so navigation is much easier. You'll be greeted by a turnaround loop large enough for a trailer. The vault toilets are right in front of the parking lot, and the trailhead is to the left. Then you may hike the trail.
Note that the photos in this section are not explicitly from this park, they are good photos of species that live here.
Kinniwabi boreal marsh
Coniferous boreal forests
Incredibly dense and mossy woodlands
Uniquely disfigured (knotted) pines/spruces
This park is about 30 minutes from Highway 17 - but I would argue it's worth the detour when travelling to/from Wawa.
Be sure to stopover if travelling on Highway 101.
Beware that there is practically no towns or shops or anything on Highway 101, until you get to Wawa (or diverge to Hawk Junction on HWY 547).
If travelling to or from Wawa, be sure to have a stop at famous goose, Young's General, or Dr. Rose' Beach.
The map at right is a general location of each main attraction in the park. The brown line is the boardwalk, with each yellow star being a different water/rock feature. The parking lot is 500m north (above the image).
Day trip when visiting Rabbit Blanket Lake campground at Lake Superior Provincial Park, or when staying in Wawa.
Visit, please. It's more amazing than it sounds lol.
The scenic main waterfall.
The distinctive circular potholes are a direct result of glacial activity some 9,500 years ago. Specifically, it's a result of something known as swirling. When glaciers melt, they send huge amounts of water flowing at an incredible rate across the terrain. And because of the sheer force, they push whatever rocks and debris may be in the way. Now, when small rocks get caught onto larger ones, they end up spinning in circles. This sounds bizarre, but they basically swirl around in circles so fast that they drill themselves into the ground. The diagram below visualizes this, showing this unique action taking place. There are two main potholes in the park, and the bigger one is easier to access. Visible from the start of the boardwalk, it is cool to think about how rocks spinning in circles after a giant ice age would cause these kettle-looking holes. I certainly recommend reading the informative signs around the park, because they teach these prehistoric stories well.
This was another hole in my scratch map that needing filling, and I'm happy to have done it. And it was a nice experience, too. I didn't like the 30 minute drive off of Highway 17 into the remote nothingness of Algoma District, but at least it was very scenic and different to me, a travelling city idiot. But it was worth it to me, because the potholes were undeniably unique and gorgeous. And what a story to be told. Not much amenities or stuff to do, but the beauty was so nice. This park can't have a rating out of ten, because it's unfair. I'll just say, visit if you're interested, because I sure was. If you think this page makes it sound cool, then drop by.
The aforementioned diagram (see SPOTLIGHT).
