The Ultimate Road Trip: 18 Must Stops from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay

Northern Ontario Road Trip from Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay around Lake Superior is an absolute must-road trip!
This scenic Lake Superior coastal route on the Trans-Canada HWY is dotted with numerous points of interest and provides breathtaking views.

Check out the blog for written details and map:

UPDATE: Summer 2024
Ojibway, the local First Nations have requested visitors know that it is not culturally appropriate to take photographs of the Agawa Pictographs. 
I was unaware of this upon my visit in the summer of 2023. There are currently no signs advising this.
Lake Superior Provincial Park no longer promotes the site to visitors and is working on an etiquette guide.
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Here are the top 18 stops to consider for your next ultimate Ontario road trip in Northern Ontario.

00:00 Intro
00:33 Chippewa Falls
00:56 Batchewana Bay Provincial Park
1:16 Pancake Bay Provincial Park
2:02 Lake Superior Provincial Park
2:37 Agawa Bay Camp Ground
3:04 Agawa Rock Pictographs
4:12 Katherine Cove
4:39 Bathtub Island
5:15 Old Woman Bay
5:56 Wawa Goose
6:22 Winnie The Pooh Memorial
6:44 Pukaskwa National Park
8:28 Aguasabon Falls & Gorge
8:48 Eagle Canyon Adventures
9:22 Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
10:12 Panorama Amethyst Mine
10:36 Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
11:21 Silver Islet General Store
12:35 Terry Fox Monument
13:10 Tips & More

Explore Thunder Bay

Explore Sault Ste. Marie

👋🏼 I'm Marybeth, Paddle Adventurer, here to take you on outdoor adventures, and provide tips and information to ensure you have the safest and best next adventure!

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#roadtrip #ontariotravel #northernontario

[TheEnglish]

Pancake Bay is my families favorite spot ❤...Orphan Lake also being the #1 hike in lake superior!!!

[LauraHagglund]

I just started camping and paddling this year (in my fabulous 40s!) and Lake Superior PP and Sleeping Giant PP are on my list for sure. I'm really loving your content. It's very inspiring and every time I go out on my board now, I can't help but yell ADVENTIA!

[ryanfox]

Great video! Love the info about gas stations, washrooms and such.

[mary-lynnberti]

We love Neys and Rainbow Falls. We have done this trip twice. It is one of our favourite parts of Canada. Absolutely amazing. Thanks for this. You have given us lots of ideas for next time.

[erikmaua]

Pebble beach in Marathon is also a must see.

[barbaradarnell]

Thanks for this nice tour of an area had never really never seen before. Thank you.

[carissafuerth]

Don't forget the Nipigon Scenic Tower, nice small town. Also, depending when you travel, drive to Red Rock, a small community with only one road in and out. Surrounded by water and mountains, they host fishing derbies, atv runs and the upcoming Folk Fest. Moved to Northern Ontario from Southern Ontario and love all the great scenery and people.

[vee_emm_jay_ess]

I'm from Kitchener and I've done this road trip twice. I started laughing when you mentioned the lack of gas stations LOL, I gave this same warning to those I recommended this road trip. However, you forgot to mention no cell phone signal, I had no signal for maybe 400 kms. I plan on doing this again maybe in the spring, stay in Thunder Bay one night then head over to Winnipeg.

[lilyflowersflying]

I'm so glad I put this trip off this year. I would have missed so much along the way.

[kirkdasilva]

Kama Lookout picnic area has amazing views of Nipigon Bay.

[jimdr]

I used to work for DeVry Institute of Technology back in 1999. Part of my area of recruitment was Northern Ontario. Stationed in Sudbury, I’d often travel to Dryden. Many a time. Often, I had to stop the car to sit in amazement as the night sky filled with more stars than I had ever seen in my life!. In one small town I had stopped in a once prosperous ferry boat/ logging town of the late 1800’s to 1940’s. I believe it was called Restole Bay. I could be wrong with the spelling. The Restaurant was well known in travel accounts and judging from my breakfast I can see why. My coffee was freshly pressed from a French Press, the Omelette was out of this world and as I got up to pay my bill, the waitresses asked if there was something wrong? Why was I leaving? I hadn’t finished the remaining course of the meal? There were 4 more plates offered! Breakfast took near 2 hours with the serving and chatting… Thank God there was plenty of big trees to hide behind to remove 10 cups of coffee from my blander! One one of the parks I had walked with the kids on the beach has me curious? The beech, I noticed had Black Sand for miles. Can you panhandle or small dredge a small area of beach for gold in a Provincial Park? Or is it better to apologize than ask permission?

[martinvanoene]

love canada love ontario and lake Superior!

[rongoris]

Many of the stops mentioned are definitely on my bucket list!

[beckydraper]

North of Superior is one of the most beautiful parts of Ontario. We visit many of these stops each summer on our cross country trex to visit our family. Old Womans Bay is a must

[WBOS]

Thank you so much. We have done atv rides along the Batch, gorgeous scenery.

[Andrew-rbgs]

Never been that far North myself. Loved your video so i can see what ive been missing..thanks from Toronto.

[CreativeCustomDesigns]

Some GREAT spots to stop along the way. I used to live in Thunder Bay quite a few years ago, and we have made the trip a few times when we headed to Alberta. We pull our 5th wheel camper, so stopping at some of those are next to impossible. We'll have to stop at some campgrounds and made day trips. Time to make another bucket list :)
I'm glad your video showed up in my feed.

[alkruzins]

Love it
Agree with everything you inserted
Rossport SAND would be the only addition
I was born in the Soo and lived in Wawa my first 13 years so done that trip a lot
Great job

[MrNelsonclass]

Fantastic video! I’ve done this driven at least a dozen times and all of these spots have been favorites! Thanks so much for sharing

[casqueisles]

A great video! Come back sometime and we will hook you up with a hike, a paddle at Rossport, and some rock climbing with our friend Aric!