Lake Superior is one of Ontario's crown jewels. The regions surrounding the lake are filled with adventure and natural beauty. Exploring here had been on my bucket list for SO long! So, for my 25th birthday, myself and some friends packed our cars and headed out to road trip the east shore of Lake Superior. Here's everything we did on our adventure! Happy planning!
Trip details:
5 days, 4 nights
10 provincial parks
1 national park
1300km driven
Over 50km of hiking
Day 1:
On this day, we did 7 hours of driving. I know it's a lot, but I knew the adventure would be SO WORTH IT! The goal was to get to Lake Superior Provincial Park, as that was our home for the night. So, our stops were quick and not very intense. They were still great and the perfect way to kick off the trip.
Stop 1: Batchwanna Bay Provincial Park
Things to do: stop for a quick swim and stretch your legs!
Stop 2: Pancake Bay Provincial Park
Things to do: eat pancakes, swim, hike the Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout trail (I didn't get to do this one yet, so tell me how it is!)
Stop 3: Lake Superior Provincial Park
Alright, so we made it to our end destination after a very long drive and set up camp! We decided that we had some time to check out the park a little, so we headed out to drive around and hike the Agawa pictograph trail!
Day 2:
We packed up early to hit a bucket list hike and get a good start on another day filled with driving. Our end destination was Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. This was another long haul with not that many stops, but the ones we did take were STUNNING!
Stop 1: Nokomis Lookout in Lake Superior PP
You can't miss this hike! The 5km loop takes you to some stunning lookouts over Old Woman Bay! It's tough but worth it!
Stop 2: Old Woman Bay in Lake Superior PP
The parking lot for the Nokomis trail happens to be at Old Woman Bay! I highly suggest spending a little time here to soak in the beauty of Lake Superior!
Stop 3: Rainbow Fall Provincial Park
After some heavy rain and driving, we made a stop at Rainbow Falls PP!
The thing to do: Rainbow Falls Trail! 2.2 Km of easy boardwalk hiking to some lovely waterfalls. Perfect spot to stretch your legs!
Stop 4: Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
This was home for the night, so we set up camp, got some sleep and prepared for the BIG DAY of hiking Top of the Giant!
Side note: A pretty amazing thing that happened here was that we heard wolves howling while we were in our tents. It was my first time hearing wild wolves, and it was a magical experience.
Day 3:
This was another early wake-up call! Time to hike Top of the Giant!
Stop 1: Top of the Giant Trail
Our only thing planned for this day was hiking this extremely challenging trail! You can read all about it in my other blog post on the trail here!
We ended the day at an AirBnB, and let me tell you, the shower felt unreal.
Day 4:
Time for a day of exploring the Thunder Bay area! We loaded our day with smaller hikes and experiences before heading back down south for our trek home!
Stop 1: Pigeon River Provincial Park
Right on the border of Minnesota is this little gem of a park! (It's so close to the US that I got a roaming text!)
The thing to do: pick one of the trails to see the falls! We did the Lookout trail!
Stop 2: Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
Another waterfall! This one is known as "The Niagra of the North" and is the second-biggest waterfall in Ontario!
The thing to do: Stretch your legs and walk to the accessible boardwalk to admire the falls!
Stop 3: Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
The thing to do: walk the short trail to see the canyon! It's stunning! Also, read up on the indigenous legend of the rock formations at the first lookout. It was a highlight for me!
Stop 4: Eagle Canyon Adventures
You HAVE to visit the longest suspension bridge in Canada! It's right down the road from Ouimet Canyon, and the man who works there is amazing!
Things to do: Walk the two suspension bridges, walk to the bottom of the canyon, and take the zip line! (The zip line was closed when I visited, but from what I could tell, it would be an incredible add-on to the day!)
Stop 5: Aguasobon Gorge
This stop was lovely, but if you're in a rush don't feel too bad about missing it. It's a great stop to stretch your legs and see a pretty waterfall!
This slide show is photos from the whole day!
Stop 6: Neys Provincial Park
This was home for the night, and we didn't plan for any real hiking here. We spent the evening on the beach and hanging out at camp!
Neys is a really cool park, though! It used to be a P.O.W. camp during WW2, and there is SO much history to learn. I hope to return one day!
Day 5:
We're officially homeward-bound now! A few more quick stops and ten whole hours of driving! We packed up from Neys and headed south right in the morning.
Stop 1: Pukaskwa National Park
I wish we'd had more time here! We stopped at Horseshoe Bay and enjoyed the views for a bit! It was stunning. I NEED to go back to do the suspension bridge here!
Stop 2: Katherine Cove at Lake Superior Provincial Park
This was our final stop on the trip, and it was perfect.
Things to do: swim, eat some lunch, lounge on the rocks, and head to Lizard and Bathtub Island!
That's it! That was my whole adventure, and it was everything I hoped it would be! I definitely need to go back and explore this area way more. I've only just scratched the surface of what Lake Superior has to offer.
Happy road trippin'