4 Bucket List Road Trips in Ontario

What’s on your bucket list when you think about taking a road trip? Northern Ontario, Canada lays claim to four amazing road trips just waiting for you to experience.

1. Lake Superior Circle Tour 

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The Lake Superior Circle Tour has been in existence since the early 1960s and is still going strong. This is a 2,092 kilometre (1,300 mile) self-guided tour around Lake Superior encompassing the province of Ontario in Canada and three American states, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Two travel regions, Algoma Country and Superior Country, make up the Ontario portion of the tour. You’ll learn more about Algoma Country later in this article so let’s take a look at Ontario’s Superior Country and what it has to offer on the tour.

Thunder Bay is the second largest city in Northern Ontario and the largest on the Circle Tour. A truly cosmopolitan community, it offers outstanding cuisine, and cultural attractions such as the popular Fort William Historical Park, art galleries, the beautiful Prince Arthur’s Landing Waterfront Park and so much more. It’s also a much-loved cycling and mountain biking destination and the gateway to Northwestern Ontario’s outdoors and its 150,000 lakes and rivers so it is truly a nature lovers’ paradise.

Ontario’s Superior Country is also dotted with more than 30 charming and friendly communities and First Nations. First Nations culture and heritage abound in the region and there is even a monument to the Indigenous Group of Seven in Nipigon.

The official Lake Superior Circle Tour website is your best starting point to plan your own tour around the world's largest freshwater lake and includes a trip planner, Lake Superior Circle Tour FAQs, The Lake Superior Circle Tour Travel Guide, and much more. While travelling around Lake Superior be sure to collect stamps and earn your Lake Superior Circle Tour Certificate or take part in the Lake Superior Ale Trail or Java Journey!

2. Temiskaming Loop

Two Provinces, Three Cultures

Though with a shorter history than the Lake Superior Circle Tour in the Northeastern Ontario Tourism area of Northern Ontario, the Temiskaming Tour Loop has been delighting roadtrippers for years as well.

The Lake Temiskaming Tour Loop covers 868 kilometres (540 miles) with 29 stops and even takes its travellers into the Province of Quebec to experience its unique culture. There are opportunities for the exploration of Indigenous (Algonquin) culture as well. There are some “must sees” on this trip including Temagami Fire Tower Lookout, Latchford’s Worlds Shortest Covered Bridge, Cobalt Mining Museum, Fort Témiskamingue National Historic Site, and scenic Mattawa.

Experiences along the tour are conveniently grouped by theme and destination. Whether you are a motorcycling or outdoors enthusiast, a lover of gourmet food or a culture bug, you will be charmed by what you find on the Lake Temiskaming Tour.

3. The Grand Algoma

A Top Ontario Tour

Twice named the top weekend motorcycle tour in Ontario, the Grand Algoma Tour follows the majestic shoreline of the world’s largest freshwater lake, Lake Superior, then takes you inland through the heart of Ontario’s Algoma Country.  The route also encompasses Lake Huron, the second largest of the Great Lakes. Although it’s promoted as a great route for a two- or three-day adventure, at about 682 kilometres (423 miles), the Grand Algoma offers so much to see and do that you could easily make a week of it.

The highway between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa has been named one of Canada’s top ten drives, yielding spectacular Lake Superior views for most of the ride. Heading to or from Chapleau up Highway 129 (dubbed “Ontario’s Tail of the Dragon”) provides lots of curves plus a stunning landscape with mile-high cliffs on one side of the road. As you approach the North Channel of Lake Huron, you’ll be met with more amazing scenery.

There are many attractions and scenic lookouts to see along the way. At many of these stops, you can explore beaches, waterfalls, museums, and excellent food and drink. People who have experienced the tour point to the eclectic assortment of retail outlets such as the Kentvale General Store on St. Joseph’s Island, established in 1888, Young’s General Store in Wawa, with its giant pickle barrel, stuffed moose and jalapeno fudge and the Tunnel Lake Trading Post on Highway 129, a treasure trove of delightful odds and ends. The route is also home to landmarks such as the Wawa Goose, the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, parks and areas with beautiful beaches including Lake Superior Provincial Park and Potholes Provincial Parks and Agawa Bay, with its stunning peach-coloured sand. Great food and drink, outdoor adventures and cultural attractions round out this bucket list road trip in Ontario.

4. Heart of Canada Touring Route 

The Figure Eight Tour

The 1500-kilometre (932-mile) Heart of Canada Touring Route is a relatively new route, a partnership project between Destination Northern Ontario and Travel Manitoba in recognition of the large number of travellers who drive cross country or even from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg but are often unaware of the wealth of attractions and experiences found in the area the route covers. The touring route roughly forms a figure eight and it can be started either in Winnipeg or Thunder Bay, intersecting in the bustling Lake of the Woods waterfront town of Kenora which is the first stop after experiencing what Winnipeg has to offer. This Ontario Bucket List road trip travels through both Ontario's Superior Country and Ontario's Sunset Country.

The Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre is a big attraction, with its Science North and interpretive exhibits and great views of the lake. So too is Lake of the Woods Brewery, located in the heart of the town, offering fresh, local, handcrafted beer in an old fire hall.

Moving on, the tour includes the Town of Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, home of the Northern Ontario Sport Fishing Centre. This is an outdoor adventure wonderland with some world-class fishing.

The route also includes Manitou Mounds (Kah-nee-chi-wah-nung), a national historic site featuring interpretive galleries and trails.

Stops at Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park, the Niagara of the North, just west of Thunder Bay, the Terry Fox Monument and the historic mining community of Silver Islet, adjacent to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and not far to the east are also highly recommended.

However many of these Bucket List Road Trips in Ontario you choose and whether you travel on two or four wheels or more, your bucket list is going to be a little shorter and you’ll have some beautiful memories of majestic Northern Ontario. 

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