Old Baldy & Wilkie Lake Peak / Fire Tower

Posted by Derek on Oct 20, 2022

Old Baldy

Height: 1827 feet / 557 meters
Lat/Lon: N46.57680 W82.82519
Date Summited: October 9, 2022

Wilkie Lake Peak / Fire Tower

Height: 1834 feet / 559 meters
Lat/Lon: N46.58915 W82.84388
Date Summited: October 9, 2022

Directions / Trip Report:

From Elliot Lake, take Hwy 639 north for 27 km to the short access road for the Flack Lake boat launch. The boat launch is within the boundaries of the Mississagi Provincial Park, so you will need to purchase a self pay day parking permit before beginning the trip.

The trailhead to Old Baldy is on the far west side of Flack Lake, about 5.5 km away. Motorized boats are permitted on the lake but I chose to paddle my canoe across the lake. There isn’t much of a boat landing at the trailhead — it’s just a small boulder beach.

After pulling my canoe up on shore, I began the hike. The Old Baldy Loop trail is fairly well marked and the section that leads directly to the summit (left at the fork) is fairly well travelled. It’s a steep ascent up to the summit area after which the trail follows along the tops of the cliffs until reaching the high point; a rounded off chunk of exposed bedrock. There are impressive panoramic views at the summit.

Beyond the summit, the trail becomes much harder to follow as it appears to be far less travelled. I followed the trail northwest and around to the north side of the unnamed lake which lies just north of Old Baldy. I began my bushwhack to Wilkie Lake Peak / Fire Tower at N46.58038° W82.82866° and headed north.

There were a few obstacles, like a steep ridgeline that I had to navigate around in order to reach the east end of another unnamed lake. Once I passed around the eastern end of the lake and the thick undergrowth near the lake, I was free to make a northwest beeline to the summit. The bushwhack got easier as I ascended up the shoulder of the peak and entered a mature deciduous forest. Shortly afterwards, I stood at the base of the Wilkie Lake Fire Tower.

I decided not the climb the Fire Tower, as the lower ladder section had been removed, and the only way to reach the higher section of ladder was to stand on the old sighting table which didn’t look very stable.

I departed Wilkie Lake Peak / Fire Tower back down to the unnamed lake, but instead of returning to the start of the bushwhack at N46.58038° W82.82866°, I decided to follow the creek east. This was a fairly easy bushwhack, with no steep sections, however I did head straight into a marsh, which forced me away from the creek. From this point I followed along the contour east until meeting up with the Old Baldy Loop trail just south of the creek. I followed the trail back down to my canoe on Flack Lake.

On my return canoe trip back to the boat launch, even though it was a longer route, I decided to follow the southern shoreline of Flack Lake. For me, this was more scenic and enjoyable than just paddling straight across the lake.

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Trip Summary:

00.0 km – Departed boat launch near Hwy 639 on Flack Lake. (11:42 AM)
05.7 km – Arrived at Old Baldy trailhead on Flack Lake (12:55 PM)
06.5 km – Left fork on Old Baldy trail (1:31 PM)
07.3 km – Arrived at the summit of Old Baldy (1:52 PM)
08.4 km – Began bushwhack to Wilkie Fire Tower (2:37 PM)
08.9 km – Crossed small creek (2:51 PM)
10.3 km – Arrived at Wilkie Lake Fire Tower (3:35 PM)
12.8 km – Arrived back at Old Baldy Loop trail (4:44 PM)
13.0 km – Arrived back at Flack Lake. Began canoe return trip (4:49 PM)
19.3 km – Arrived back at the boat launch off of Hwy 639 (6:13 PM)

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