Bebamikawe Memorial Trail Head — Attraction in Manitoulin Island

When trying to find this trail take a screen shot of a map showing where it is, as getting data exception after Manitowaning was next to impossible. There is a blue sign before Wikwemikong with an arrow showing the trail is this way but once in the town there is a very small brown sign saying “hiking trial” pointing to the right a small road down towards the water. We followed this dirt road along the water to happily find it lead to the trail. There were no other signs. We did this hike a day after a large amount of rain. The trail was wet but no puddles to have to maneuver around. We started on the Yellow trail which was amazing! There were parts where the trail was carpeted with moss. It was easy to walk on, a little tricky on the uphill curves but doable. We then continued on the red trail. There is a spot at the top where you can do this if you like. The red trail was a different story. A majority of the trail was covered with roots and rocks (I didn’t stop for a picture of this part of the trail) and this is where the mosquitos became a nuisance. It didn’t help that we had already completed over 5 Kms so maybe a little tired (we did a 30k bike ride earlier in the day). I feel if we started with the red and then the yellow it may have been a more enjoyable experience. The trails curves back and forth a lot. It is well maintained. The beginning of the trails is behind the trail map. The exercise trail is to the right. There is a pay station that tells you to purchase your vehicle permit in town or online. I tried online and the site said error. We met one of the local guide dogs who was with another group. He surprized us while we sat at a lookout. He suddenly showed up and sat in front of us looking very happy. So don’t be alarmed if you meet one of them. They are collared which was why we didn’t panic. Overall the trail...

IMPORTANT NOTE: There are 6 massive dogs that WILL come towards you as soon as you park your car. They are supposed to be "trail dogs" and there is a sign that suggests the same but I find it completely unnecessary and irresponsible. I am not comfortable with dogs and have a fear of them and we met a group of 3 people and they felt the same. We almost did not want to hike because they would NOT go away and ended up hiking with us. They weren't harmful but they were irritating especially when you're not a dog person. I find it ignorant to assume everyone is. We also saw another person who brought their own dog and had to turn around because the dogs were all barking at each other. He did not even get out of the car before driving away.

The hike itself was nice but nothing spectacular. The overlooks were average.

We did the red trail which loops back and joins the same way you came up. The steepest inclines, about 3, are right at the beginning but then it gets a bit more steady. Overall, not bad.

Parking is paid but it gives directions to go to a store to purchase a ticket. There is no other option to pay. We were already there so we did not end up paying unfortunately and had to run back into the car so the dogs could stop...

Great hike! Late August visit. A little remote but worth the extra drive (recently regraded gravel/dirt road). Only one other vehicle in the lot. We totally loved the guardian dogs. A number of them greeted us in the parking lot and 2 accompanied us for our hike of the Warriors trail. True working dogs – dashing off the trail to scout things out but always returning to walk with us. Although we just enjoyed their company, we were especially grateful as they did their job baying at a bear in a tree (maybe more than once – we did not see a bear at the first round of baying/barking). We actually back tracked on the trail after that incident to where the dogs had scented the trail to feel more secure. Take the “bears in area” seriously. Bugs not an issue at this time of the year. Good challenge with some inclines. Well cleared and marked trail with great lookout and informative signage. Allow 3 hours for the Warriors trail. A bit confusing using the online payment system at the trail head – pay per adult? Or per vehicle? We may be the only dummies that paid per adult (still worth it though – happy to support this trail...