Pakwash is one of the ten most northerly provincial parks in Ontario. Despite it's remoteness, it was not beyond the reach of the immense, ancient Lake Agassiz that covered much of Ontario and the northern United States more than 10,000 years ago. The park's marshes, bogs, sandy ridges and high cliffs of silt and clay are visible reminders of the former glacial lake.

The area features a rich mixed forest of spruce, jack pine, birch and poplar, and the park is home to a variety of wildlife, including moose, black bear, deer, otter, mink, bald eagle and osprey.

Native rock paintings and ancient burial grounds have been discovered nearby.