We had such a wonderful time in Pancake Bay Provincial Park earlier in the summer during our first Northern Ontario road trip that we decided to return. It’s located on the northern shores of Lake Superior and is known for its beautiful sandy beach. It’s also conveniently located right off the Trans-Canada Highway just north of Sault Ste. Marie.
Tag: Road trip
Hike #37: A.Y. Jackson Lookout Trail
A.Y. Jackson was a famous Canadian painter and a founding member of the Group of Seven. He often drew inspiration from many of the landscapes in Northern Ontario, including Onaping River in Sudbury, which is depicted in his “Spring on the Onaping River” painting in 1953. There is now an overlook of and trail around Onaping High Falls that is named after Jackson.
Halfway Lake Provincial Park
Halfway Lake Provincial Park is located near Sudbury. In the early 1900s, there was a logging camp on the shores of Halfway Lake, which was half way between the main logging area and the railway line where the logs were loaded for their trip to the sawmill. The park contains more than a dozen lakes, offers four hiking trails that weave through the different habitats in the park, and has a mix between front country camping (215 sites) and backcountry camping (10 interior sites that are accessible by canoe and 5 interior sites that are accessible by foot).
Pancake Bay Provincial Park
Located on the northern shores of Lake Superior, Pancake Bay Provincial Park features a pristine sandy beach that spans across 3.2km. It is sheltered from the open lake, shallow, and is reputed to be one of the finest beaches in Ontario. In addition to swimming, Pancake Bay offers a couple of hiking trails that weave through a sand dune ecology and provide panoramic views of the surrounding area.
Killarney Provincial Park
Located on the crystal clear waters of Georgian Bay, Killarney Provincial Park is nestled in untamed wilderness, which include forests, mountains and wetlands. The landscape is so incredibly scenic that it inspired many members of Canada’s Group of Seven painters. It is also fitting that Killarney became a provincial park in large part because of the conservation efforts of these painters.
Grundy Lake Provincial Park
Since travel options are limited these days, we thought we might as well explore our home province of Ontario. We planned a nine day road trip around part of Lake Superior, which is an area of the province neither of us have visited. We were a bit concerned about the bug situation given that it was still early in the season, but the weather forecast for calling for no (or very little) rain for the week. Besides, it would only build character. The first stop on our itinerary: Grundy Lake Provincial Park.