We're back for part two of our two-week road trip to Northeastern Ontario! We hit up five cities, 15 provincial parks and everything in between!
Here's our packed itinerary and everything we saw along the way.
Day 8
Our epic Northern Ontario road trip continued north up Highway 11 to Cochrane, Ontario. This small northern town is charming and full of character. We started our time here with a tasty lunch at the Triple P chip stand and then made our way over to the Tim Horton Museum. Cochrane is the birthplace of this famous hockey player and restaurant founder! In the middle of the town is Commando Lake where you can walk a 2km path around the picturesque lake and go for a swim at the sand beach.
Day 9 & 10
We enjoyed a much needed rest in our spacious room at the Best Western Swan Castle Inn in Cochrane. After a delicious continental breakfast, we packed our overnight bags and crossed the street to the Ontario Northland train station. Here you can board the Polar Bear Express which takes you on a five hour train ride further north to Moosonee, Ontario!
Visiting Moosonee has been on our bucket list for a long time! The town is very remote and only accessible by train, air or canoe, with an ice road available in the winter. We checked into the Super 8, the only hotel in town, and set off for the docks along the Moose River. From here we boarded a boat with Creegonquin Tours and motored all the way out to see the waters of James Bay!
After a lovely night and continental breakfast at the Super 8, we took a water taxi across the Moose River to Moose Factory. Here we met up with a guide from the Cree Cultural Interpretive Centre who showed us around town, highlighting the history of the area and the Moose Cree First Nations. On our way back to Moosonee we got our water taxi to drop us off on Charles Island to spend some time exploring Tidewater Provincial Park.
The train left Moosonee at 5pm, taking us back to Cochrane. It was a whirlwind of a visit (much like the rest of this trip), but we were so grateful for the opportunity to visit this remote Northern Ontario town.
Arriving back in Cochrane around 10:30 pm, we checked into the Deluxe Suite at the Westway Motel. This lovely family-run motel was just what we needed to get rested up for another day of adventure!
Day 11
Waking up to another beautiful day, we grabbed a quick breakfast at Tim Hortons across the road from our motel and set out for the Polar Bear Habitat.
This 24 acre sanctuary is dedicated solely to the care and research of polar bears who are not able to live in the wild. We toured the habitat and learned all about the care of the bears and the work that goes on at this fabulous facility!
The polar bears are allowed to roam as they please, so we suggest you plan your visit first thing in the morning, when the bears are generally most active. We were also able to see the polar bears with an unobstructed view from the walkway above the habitat. This experience is available for ages 12+ and can be booked online ahead of your visit.
We could have spent all day here, but eventually had to leave and head west, continuing our Northern Ontario road trip along Highway 11.
Taking a right at the spaceship in Moonbeam, Ontario, we made a quick stop at René Brunelle Provincial Park.
Up to this point, we had managed to escape mosquitos, but they were all waiting for us here when we arrived! We put on some bug spray and enjoyed a quick 0.8 km hike along the shoreline of Remi Lake on the Sentier La Vigilance Trail, learning more about the aviation history of Northern Ontario through information boards on the way. After a quick swim in Remi Lake, we were back on the road!
When planning your Northern Ontario road trip, we suggest you make a stop in Kapuskasing next! We wanted to attend Kap Kraze, a demolition derby and country music festival happening in town the next weekend, so we continued on and came back to Kapuskasing near the end of our trip.
Our next stop was at Fushimi Lake Provincial Park. This park exudes northern beauty and is a peaceful escape into nature. We had booked a backcountry campsite on an island on Fushimi Lake and loaded up our canoe with our overnight gear. The island campsite was only a 20 minute paddle from the jump-off and we spent a magical evening basking in the beauty all around us.
Day 12
The next morning we woke up to the sounds of nature and enjoyed a serene breakfast by the lake. We packed up our gear and set off for the historic fire tower located in the park. The tower is accessible by a 7 km out-and-back trail starting at the main campground. Since we were already on the lake, we chose to canoe to an access point along the trail and had a quick 15 minute hike up to the tower from our canoe. The mosquitos were hungry, so we made a quick return to the canoe and paddled back to our van to get back on the road.
At this point in our Northern Ontario road trip, we chose to deviate a bit from the Boreal Driving Route to visit another Provincial Park we had never been to, MacLeod Provincial Park. This detour added about four hours to our road trip and, unless you are working towards visiting all of the Provincial Park, we suggest you skip this one.
After exploring MacLeod Provincial Park, we got back on route heading south along ON-631.
Our next stop was at Nagagamisis Provincial Park, a gem in the northern landscape! This park is located along a peninsula between Nagagamisis Lake and Park Lake. We enjoyed the sand beaches, forest trails and the direct path from our campsite to the lake!
Day 13
The next morning we packed up camp and hit the road again, arriving in White River for lunch. This little town is the birthplace of Winnie the Pooh and you can visit his statue while you’re here.
If you want to visit more Provincial Parks, you can take a one hour detour west from White River to White Lake Provincial Park. We had visited this park on a previous Lake Superior road trip so this time we continued south along Highway 17. Be sure to keep a lookout for the giant Wawa Canadian Goose statue as you set out east along Ontario-101.
Our next stop was at Potholes Provincial Park. This day use park is the perfect place to make a quick stop and stretch your legs. Take a short walk along the 350 m trail winding through the forest and see the naturally made potholes along the Kinnawabi River.
That night we had a campsite booked at Missinaibi Provincial Park, located 75 km north of Chapleau along an out-and-back gravel road. This campground is fairly remote and has great access to fantastic backcountry camping. The road in and out of the campground is very rough, so unless you are looking for an extended remote stay, setting out into the backcountry or wanting to check another Provincial Park off your list, this is one you could pass by simply due to accessibility.
Despite the long trek in, we had an absolutely amazing night camped out on a peninsula right on the lake!
Day 14 & 15
After making our way back down the long gravel road, we continued on to our next stop at Ivanhoe Provincial Park. This park boasts one of the most beautiful long sandy beaches in Northern Ontario and we enjoyed a swim in Ivanhoe Lake before getting back in the car.
At this point in our trip, we took a detour back up through Timmins to Kapuskasing for their annual Kap Kraze event! We enjoyed the derby, country music concerts, fireworks, delicious food and activities for the kids!
While you're in town, be sure to stop by La Boulangerie for some famous cream puffs and head over to Riverside park to enjoy a stroll along the water. We also recommend stopping at La Fromagerie for some delicious cheeses made right onsite! If you’re visiting Monday through Friday, stop by the Welcome Center and visit the Ron Morel Memorial Museum to see the trains and learn about the history of the area.
We left Kapuskasing heading south, well aware that our adventure was coming to an end.
Our last night was spent at Halfway Lake Provincial Park, just north of Sudbury. We pulled in just before sunset and grabbed an ice cream cone at the camp store before bed. This park is absolutely gorgeous and we cannot wait to come back and explore more another time.
Day 16
After a quick swim in Halfway Lake, we were on the road one last time.
A Northern Ontario Road trip wouldn’t seem complete without a stop in Sudbury. We didn’t have much time, but we stopped by to see the Big Nickel and buy some of our favourite Hazel & Rosemary bread from a local bakery.
If you have more time, we recommend a few nights in Sudbury. You will want to check out Science North, Dynamic Earth, Kivi Park and Lake Laurentian Conservation Area.
Our trip had come to an end, but we were so grateful for the time we had to explore this beautiful and vast province!
Thank you to Northeastern Ontario for hosting us on this trip! All opinions are our own.
