A sun-draped Ontario morning sees us board the train at the Algoma Central station in Sault Ste Marie. We sink into the comfortable seats of the passenger car and are ready to take on the slow, four-hour, 114-mile ride into the Agawa Canyon, an area that is only accessible by hiking trail or rail, more specifically the Algoma Central Railway. The interiors of the carriage are tastefully decked with muted red seats. The state-of-the-art onboard audio-video system begins its well-spaced commentary as the train pulls out from downtown Sault Ste Marie.
No sooner do we pass the brick, cement and mortar constructs of the city's industrial area and the famed International Bridge, than we see dense forests in various shades of green take over, and we are whisked by a ribbon of steel into a wonderland of pristine vistas.
We snake past rivers, lakes and wetlands cradled by the undulating terrain of the Canadian Shield, geologically the oldest landscape on the planet.
As the train makes its leisurely serpentine chug through vast stretches of verdure, we feel as if we are travelling through impenetrable foliaceous corridors that seem to hug the tracks on both sides. We pass many more lakes and rivers along the way, as well as granite rock formations, through which the train appears to barely squeeze through.
For miles, we are hemmed in on both sides by trees and bushes flaunting their lush hues. Then, the train shoots out into the open and allows us glimpses of wide expanses of lakes.
The locomotive-mounted digital cameras enable us to have a clear view of the tracks ahead of us and the winding course taken by the train on the TV screens. The GPS-triggered tour commentary continues to regale us with the rich history of the Algoma region and highlights the major landmarks along the way. The shutterbug in me is particularly happy with the spotlessly clean and huge windows of the fully air-conditioned coach. I click away with my digital device the endless expanse of changing landscape. A mosaic of dramatic views unfolds before us as the track follows the course of the Agawa river.
As the carriage begins its measured, slow-paced 500-feet descent into the canyon at mile 102, our visual delight transforms into some kind of a serene and spiritual experience.
The track and the river, funneled between steep walls of granite, gently descend into the canyon 12 miles down, mesmerising us with scintillating views of the Shield country.
The day continues to be picture-perfect as we alight from the train - warm and sunny with cumulus clouds dappling the sky. We head towards our first point of interest - Lookout Platform.
Geographical make-up
Agawa Canyon, a fairly shallow area rising 575 feet above the river at its highest point, lies within a transition area between two major forests, and was created 1.2 billion years ago by faulting along the Canadian Shield and carved larger by the eroding action of the Agawa River.
The boreal forest region on the north and the Great Lakes-St Lawrence Forest Region on the north and east, each with its unique flora and fauna, ensconce the canyon.
Incidentally, a group of artists who would later call themselves the Group of Seven, Canada's most renowned painters of the 20th century, became inspired by the dramatic landscape of the canyon and the Algoma region in general. They lived out of a boxcar in the area and produced some of their most iconic works along the rail line.
The greens of summer are everywhere. Our surrounds, draped in a glitter of emerald and gold, is ridden with yards of grassy verge. A wide assortment of trees and shrubs lie cheek by jowl on the fringes of the canyon. As we take off on the trail towards the Lookout, our path is shadow-swathed, hemmed in by trees of every timber - some woodsy, others densely foliaged in different stages of maturity, and many of them showing off handfuls of mushrooms sprouting on them. Every now and then, a dazzling lance of light cuts across the dark wall of trees - and the scenic ambience is every bit an artist's palette of monochrome with the occasional yellow-ochre shining bright under a midday sun.
We climb close to 400 steps to reach the Lookout, 250 feet above the tracks, halting in between to catch glimpses of the valley through the luxuriant woods. About 80 steps from the track we take a breather at an intermediate point - a small viewing gallery of sorts with a limited view of the canyon park below. But this first view of the canyon from the top is compelling and allows us an idea of its breathtaking beauty that we would witness from the Lookout.
Bleeding colour
The unearthly beauty of the canvas before us has an almost mystical unworldliness about it - an abstractism that we see as much as we feel and experience. The reflection of vegetation and granite on the tanned Agawa river adds charm to the magical surrounds. The river's colour, we learn, is a result of staining by tannic acid leaching out of the root systems and bark of the cornucopia of cedar trees in the canyon.
Still giddy-headed from having witnessed the beauty of nature, we head towards the Otter Creek, Beaver and Bridal Veil Falls (in that order), before cooling our legs in the sprawling Canyon Park. With the water lapping and slashing against boulders, the trio of waterfalls transports us to yet another world of pristine beauty with nature's own landscaping. Having sated our senses, but just enough, we hop into the Souvenir Car, a railway carriage so converted to pick up a couple of gifts and memorabilia, before embarking on our return journey. Disembarking from the train at Sault Ste Marie station, we walk the short distance to the Ste Marie River promenade and sit on one of its benches to relive the mystical environs of the canyon. When the sun slides off the sky, we are not aware. But yes, a humbling plenitude of stars has certainly replaced it as we walk back to our hotel.
Fact File
Getting there: Sault Ste Marie is slightly less than an hour's flight from Toronto.
Agawa Canyon can be reached by the Agawa Canyon Tour Train from Sault Ste Marie Station.
Accommodation: There are plenty of hotels, motels & Bed 'N' Breakfast apartments in Sault Ste Marie.