Erosion has cut so deeply into the bedrock that the vegetation at the bottom is normally associated with subarctic regions. On the western shore of the bay the Kaministiquia River flows over a series of rapids and the 39 metre high falls of Kakabeka, to drain through its three mouths into the great lake. Nearby a small mountain, the first and largest in a chain of rocky hills rises out of the earth, reaching 300 metres above the forest. Numerous small islands dot the coastline, leading like stepping stones for the giant to Isle Royale. Covering 600,000 acres, this is the largest island in the whole great lake.
Nature is the painter as well as the sculptor.
Blue sky and water, green trees and grey cliffs are the colours of Ontario's north west. In the year 1610 A.D., these sights had yet to be seen by European eyes. In the late 1500s a group of Algonkians, known as Ojibway, had begun moving west to escape the Iroquois. As they moved they split into two groups, following the north and south shores of the great lake. The northern group reached the bay on the north west shore, and settled in the area, camping in seasonal sites on lakes and rivers where they found the staples to sustain life.