Nature Trails / Hiking & Native Plantlife Ontario

Explore plantlife, wildlife and birds in their natural surroundings and habitat along the hiking trails that weave through the woods surrounding Harris Hill Resort.

Harris Hill Resort is a renowned area for birders, with 302+ known species in the Rainy River Area. Please view the Bird Watching Section for all the species found here.  Go to our Download Section of our website to download your own copy of the Birder Checklist for the Rainy River Area..

You can even explore some of the nearby islands for shells, driftwood, and all kinds of treasures. A day of fun in the sun is always pleasant on our nearby sand beaches.

Nature trails are being developed that will be available for interpretive nature trails as well as wildlife viewing, photography and birdwatching vacation packages.

The Nature Adventures at Harris Hill Resort

Harris Hill Resort is located 27 km. or 18 miles north of the Town of Rainy River on the shores of Windy Bay in the southeast corner of Lake of the Woods. Our Resort is an ideal location from which to explore the local areas of the Rainy River district in Northwestern Ontario to view and photograph birds, native wildflowers and wildlife in their natural surroundings.

Right here we are surrounded by Oak, Ash and Aspen woodlands with some Balsam, Pine and Spruce Trees, plus many outcroppings of rock.“Harris Hill Creek” is at times a full fledged stream which turns into a trickle during dry periods.The soothing sound of flowing water attracts people, animals and birds alike.

From the Resort dock there is a marvelous view of Windy Bay with its shoreline marshes, the long sandy spit of Windy Point and the waters of Lake of the Woods. The sheltered bay and islands afford waterfowl prime feeding and nesting areas.

In the near vicinity are extensive farmlands, meadows and treed acreages all in low populated areas.

This combination of habitats supports a very large variety and number of birds, plant life and wildlife.

The rock croppings that can be seen at Harris Hill Resort and throughout the area are believed to be some of the oldest rocks in North America, dating back to the formation of the original bedrock of the continent.These rocks, known as the Cambrian Shield, are granite in nature and show the errosional effect of extensive glacial action. Lake of the Woods is a glacial remnant lake, left over from the enormous Lake Agassiz which resulted from the melting of continental-sized sheets of ice.

Please view our “Birding” section "of our web-site for the 302+ species of birds common to this area.

The following list of wildflowers and trees are just a sampling of what is available for viewing and photographing at Harris Hill Resort and the surrounding area.

FLOWERS:

Medicinal Plants:

Edible Mushrooms:

Morels

Edible Berries:

Wild Shrubs:

Trees:

Cheryl and Gary Gauthier, your hosts at Harris Hill Resort, are familiar with the birds, animals and plant species of the Resort area and can assist you by providing checklists, directions, weather details and other helpful information such as books and maps.

There are 302 known bird species in the Rainy River Area; some that can only be viewed at or near Harris Hill Resort; some you need a boat or boat ride to view (like the nearly extinct Piping Plover).

In addition, boat rides to such areas as Windy Point can be arranged or you can rent a boat and explore Windy Bay and Lake of the Woods at your leisure.

You may also rent one of our housekeeping cabins at a reduced rate for your eco-tourism adventure. 

We hope that your stay at Harris Hill Resort will be rewarding, enjoyable and most of all, memorable.