THUNDER BAY GETAWAY: A PERFECT ESCAPE IN ONTARIO, CANADA
Northern Ontario holds many amazing locations that aren’t explored enough! One such place, in my opinion, is Thunder Bay. For those who love to explore nature, it has a bountiful supply of incredible spots to hike, kayak, and bike through. Thunder Bay is a great central hub to make your home for the weekend as you venture out to local gems in neighbouring areas.
If flying in, one of the first stops to make is to Kakabeka Falls. Just west of town, located within Kakabeka Provincial Park, the 40m high cascading falls are flanked by short boardwalk trails for all skill levels. These trails make host to epic views from all angles. The rocks that make up the waterfall contain some of the oldest fossils in existence, some 1.6 billion years of age. Kakabeka Falls have often been referred to as the “Niagara Falls of the North.”
Next stop, we make our way to Fort Williams Historical Park. This attraction is a reconstruction of the 1816 fur trading post. In the historical park, you explore reenactments of the era and learn about the growth of the area which stemmed from the fur trading business. A major factor in early Canadian expansion.
This fort is known as a living history site as buildings and staff (“costumed historical interpreters”) look to recreate the atmosphere you would experience during the times of the fort’s existence. This added atmosphere made the experience super interesting as they guided us through various infrastructures, life, and experiences of the time. At various times of the year, you can do added activities such as firing a musket, trying an axe, throwing and various other activities. This year marks its 50th anniversary since its first opening in 1973.
Next on our itinerary was to make out way west of the city to visit a few popular spots. First off was Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park. This park features a few trails and lookouts which provide incredible vistas. The canyon was named after the former railway station of Ouimet.
The massive gorge is 100 metres deep, 150 metres wide and 2,000 metres long. The short trails to the viewing platforms take about 15 minutes to walk. They’ll take you across a scenic bridge and to two possible platforms. A fairly simple walk is suitable for all ages.
Next up, in my opinion, is the main attraction. If you haven’t heard of the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, you have been missing out! It has one of the most interesting hikes and lookouts in Canada. It’s been characterized as the best hike in Ontario by far. The area gets its name from the area landscape formation looking like a “sleeping giant” on its back.
The park is located on the Sibley Peninsula which is made up largely of the provincial park as well as the seasonal community of Silver Islet in the southern tip. The park has various camping, trails, and activity spots including a bird observatory. The eastern portion of the park is lowlands, while the western half is composed of cliffs, valleys, and the mesa–cuestas which make up the Sleeping Giant formation.
The ‘Top of the Giant’ trail is what typically draws people to visit. This medium-difficulty trail (with a good amount of incline) can take 6-8 hours to complete fully. The tail features a roughly 2-hour hike along a mostly flat surface before spending about an hour on the final incline area. You’ll find yourself darting out to lookouts throughout the trail until it culminates with an epic cliff view. We packed a lunch and plenty of water as we made our way up at a leisurely pace. Tip, you can potentially bike the flat area to shorten your hike and lock your bike up at a bike rack just before the incline hike starts.
After enjoying the views of Lake Superior, you can make your way back down and stop at various points along the lake to view Tea Harbour, different rock formations, and secluded beaches. If you find yourself in Thunder Bay, this is worth the effort. Make sure to pack snacks and plenty of water.
After your hike, I suggest visiting Silver Islet. Just down the road from the parking lot you complete the trail. The Silver Islet has a cool old-school general store and a historic harbour. We stopped here after our epic hike to grab some fresh snacks and tasty ice cream before heading out. The area also offers kayak rentals, fishing, and other activities.
The history of this area stems from a rich vein of pure silver that was discovered on a small island in 1868 facing the harbour. At that time, the island was approximately 50 m² in size and only 2.5 metres above water. The area was expanded to ten times its original size to allow for better mining and a small town was developed on shore.
As we headed back into Thunder Bay, we made sure to stop at the iconic Terry Fox Monument. The monument commemorates the Canadian icon for his 1980 Marathon of Hope as he attempted to cross Canada to raise money for cancer research. He ran about 42km every day from St. John’s, Newfoundland to eventually just outside Thunder Bay where he eventually had to stop due to cancer spreading to his lungs.
This vista is an excellent tribute to his efforts and additionally offers amazing views of the region. While we visited, RCAF Canadian Snowbirds were performing over Thunder Bay. It made for a perfect spot to view the aerobatics.
Looking to slow down for the rest of our stay, we explored a variety of the parks, restaurants, and waterfront areas of Thunder Bay. Marina Park hosts various festivals, such as the Kite Festival when we were in town. We also loved some of the bars and patios in town which offered tasty treats. One of our favourite venues was the Detroit-style pizza at “SubDivision” in the downtown area.
Hope you enjoy your visit to Thunder Bay! There is a lot to discover!
~ Jonathan
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