Adventure Aplenty in Thunder Bay, Ontario
Published September 1st, 2024
Photography by Jay Kana & Steph Wallcraft.
Northern Ontario’s Thunder Bay is Canada’s hidden gem for outdoor adventures. Between hundreds of hiking options, spending time in and on Lake Superior a variety of ways and much more. Delicious dining options and local attractions give this small city a big appeal.
Here’s how Steph from roadtripper.ca and I spent our three days in terrific Thunder Bay.
Sail Superior
The best way to experience the world’s largest freshwater lake is to be on it and thanks to Sail Superior, it’s easy, enjoyable, exciting and exceptional. They offer public, private and specialty tours spread out over four vessels; a catamaran, zodiac, and both a 38 foot and 40 foot sailboats.
We climbed aboard for the 3.5 hour Welcome Islands Sailboat Adventure tour, captained by Joshua Shultz. As someone who’s at peace when on the water (especially in a kayak,) having the majestic Lake Superior beneath me with Shultz’s careful and steady hands at the wheel made for a therapeutic afternoon. Diamond-like reflections from the sun danced on Superior’s mighty mass as we had facts and interesting information sprinkled throughout, adding to the adventure. The route brought us close to the Welcome Islands and on the return portion, we breezed by the Thunder Bay letters and the newly-appointed National Historic Site, the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Alexander Henry.
From 100 minute tours to multi-day options and plenty in between, Sail Superior is a wonderful way to spend time on Lake Superior.
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
30-ish minutes west of downtown Thunder Bay is Kakabeka Falls, part of the Ontario Parks network of public parks and open year round. It features the second highest waterfall in Ontario at 40 metres. There are several viewpoints thanks to the wraparound boardwalk and viewing platform and while you can hike/walk it in summer, they’re groomed for cross-country skiing in winter months.
Invest the time for the 2.5 km loop trail to Little Falls Trail, rated as moderate-difficult. I’d lean much closer to moderate for a rating and remember to take your time, bring water and snacks on any hike. There are four other hikes ranging from 750 metres to 3.5 km as well.
Daytona’s Kitchen
In between the Thunder Bay Airport and Sail Superior is where you’ll find Daytona’s Kitchen, who serve comfort food with a modern twist. They’ve got deep community roots and use local ingredients and vendors as much as possible. Good service, a classic chicken wrap and reasonable prices make them a solid local dining option.
Thai Kitchen
Landing oh-so close to the Thunder Bay waterfront is Thai Kitchen, home to authentic Thai food and a 4.6 Google review rating through over700 reviews. The menu is extensive and the dishes were as-expected, which is a good thing. The Classic Thai Fried Rice hit the spot after a delightful first day in this Northern Ontario gem of a city.
The Courthouse Hotel
Opened in 2019, the Courthouse Hotel is, yep, you guessed it, a renovated old courthouse building that impressively earned the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation. This boutique hotel keeps elements of its history while adding just enough modernization to be a true boutique hotel. The rooms are well-sized and our bed was quite comfortable, which I’ll come back to in a few paragraphs.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
I’ll start with this; I can kayak for hours in rough water. From 2020 to 2022, I hit 10,000 steps/8 km daily. I’ve restarted playing softball this year and worked up a sweat at every game.
Even though I knew the Top of the Giant trail was a slightly intimidating 21.8 km round-trip, I figured it’d be a challenge but doable. The good thing is I was right. There’s no “bad” thing, only a few crucial tips on how to hike the Top of the Giant trail at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park.
Let’s start with those, shall we?
Eat a hearty, protein-filled breakfast. We stopped at Kansas Sauna Restaurant in town before driving an hour from the city to the park. Be sure to get the famous pancakes!
Bring plenty of food and water with you. Whatever you feel the right amount of water is, double it and consider tripling it. We popped in to Maltese Grocery before leaving and stocked up on fruit, granola bars, water, nuts and, our secret weapon, Hi-Chew candies, the Japanese version of Starburst. I say with full conviction that those tiny bursts of sugar helped us make the final 5km doable.
Bring a backpack with broad shoulder straps. Anything with a string-based shoulder strap will dig into your shoulders and be uncomfortable, especially in the beginning of your hike.
One of the two most challenging aspects will be the first 5 km, where your backpack is at its heaviest. Find a sustainable pace, even if it’s slow and establish your rhythm. Sure, it’s tempting to walk faster on level ground but you’ll waste valuable energy that way.
Be the tortoise, not the hare.
Use every bathroom you see without exception.
Take the taller ascending/descending steps one at a time and stop when your body says so before it screams at you.
Bring a hat, sunscreen and bug repellent, along with solid footwear. I used my tried and true running shoes, which fared well and left me with exactly zero blisters.
Drink when you’re thirsty and snack when you’re hungry.
This trail is classified as “difficult” and here’s what the Ontario Parks site says:
This challenging trail takes you to the top of the tallest cliffs in Ontario (greatest uninterrupted vertical drop) and provides access to some of the most breath-taking lookouts in central Canada. Spectacular views of both the east and west coast of the Sibley Peninsula are revealed to determined hikers who venture here. The total distance from the South Kabeyun Trailhead parking lot to the end of the Top of the Giant Trail and back is 21.8km and takes most hikers 6-10 hours to complete.
We took 10-ish hours and got back to the car a touch before sunset in mid-August.
The second most challenging part was the final 5 km as our bodies were slowing down after a full day of hiking…thank goodness for those Hi-Chews!
We would’ve finished 30-ish minutes earlier but during our approach to the top, we detoured to do the 0.8 km round trip Sea Lion Trail hike. We figured that since we were racking up 21.8 km that day, the additional 0.8 may as well be done. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?
The views from the top are spectacularly stunning and that’s reason enough for you to go.
Those comfortable beds at the Courthouse Hotel were a welcomed sight and were put to extra good use that night to recharge us for the next day of adventure.
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
10 hours after racking up 22.6 km of hiking made me firmly believe that doing Ouimet Canyon’s one km loop would be a piece of cake, or Persian, to be Thunder Bay specific. We were a bit sore this day so we did this loop at an extra-leisurely pace and soaked in the canyon views. There are two viewing platforms on the canyon rim, both offering awe-inspiring views.
Before you make the hour-long drive east to get here from the Courthouse Hotel, pop into Roosters Bistro for another hearty breakfast. Its 400 metres from the hotel, so quite convenient.
Eagle Canyon Adventures
Home to Canada’s longest suspension footbridge, Eagle Canyon Adventures is must-experience stop in Northern Ontario. There’s a steep-ish incline from the parking lot to the bridge entrance but once you do the five minute walk up, the views are a remarkable reward.
The first bridge is 600 feet across, 152 feet high while the smaller bridge is a respectable 300 feet across and 125 feet high. Opt to stay in the air or take the stairs to the bottom for a different vantage point. Plus, there are wilderness trails nearby and most important of all, bring your water bottle.
Terrace Bay
A new kayaking program created by Parks Canada named “Lava to Lake” is worth the 2.5 hour drive from Thunder Bay (1.5 hours from Eagle Canyon) to learn about the history of the area from the waters of Lake Superior.
After a few hours on the water in Terrace Bay, Drifters Motel & Restaurant is an ideal place to refuel and recharge yourself and if you’ve got an electric vehicle, there’s an Ivy charging station nearby.
Our ground-floor room was just what we needed, with the restaurant (a convenient 30 second walk away and attached to the building) serving up good eats for both dinner and breakfast.
Before you refill your car’s fuel tank with the on-site gas station (how additionally convenient!) spend a few minutes climbing the Terrace Bay Lighthouse and snap some panoramic pictures of this quaint part of Canada.
Terry Fox Monument
As you head westward from Terrace Bay back to Thunder Bay, be sure to visit the Terry Fox monument, which is on the far east side of the city. It’s a sombering yet inspiring place as it’s very close to where Fox had to stop his Marathon of Hope but his efforts have reverberated across the country with annual activities in his honour. It’s more than a photo-stop; it’s an important piece of Canada’s history.
Fort William Historical Park
On the west side of the city is where you’ll find Fort William Historic Park, a reconstruction of a fur trade post from the 1800’s, complete with team members dressed in time period-specific garments.
Enjoy a guided of self-tour of the grounds and soak in this piece of living history with several buildings decked out with what you’d find during this time in history.
Additionally and impressively, it’s home to the David Thompson Astronomical Observatory, featuring one of the largest publicly accessible telescopes in Central Canada. The park offers year-round festivals and events, an RV and tent campground, various education programs, and meeting/conference facilities.
Swing by Nortenos Cantina for authentic Mexican food and be sure you put Cantina in your navigation as there’s also a Nortenos Taqueria 20 minutes away by the airport. If you’re into quesadillas, this should be on your radar.
65 metres away is Jennifer’s Gluten-Free Bakery, where the food is just as delicious as the service is astounding. With Steph having Celiac, Jennifer’s was a welcome stop for sweet treats that are fresh-made.
To take the next step forward and start planning your own Thunder Bay adventure, visit their website.
There are direct Air Canada flights from Pearson to Thunder Bay as well to make getting there easier.