On Sep 6 we left Ottawa to start our journey back home to BC. We had said our goodbyes the night before leaving because we planned on an early start. Our good friends, and long-time camping buddies, Moe & Paul (and their dog Sunny) are joining us part of the way through Ontario. We pre-booked our camping for 6 nights and will be staying in Provincial Parks.
Our first stop stop is Grundy Lake for one night, a large Provincial campground with many lakes, swimming areas, and interior camping. We drove Hwy 17 northbound most of the way – an easy drive and not too busy on this holiday Monday. On the way we stopped at a lovely scenic spot overlooking Lake Nippissing to have a bite of lunch. The drive from Ottawa to Grundy is about 5.5 hours driving time, and with a few stops on the way, we arrived in late afternoon. Being Labour Day weekend the park was fairly busy.
Pancake Bay, our next stop, is a small campground just off Hwy. 17 and has a beautiful sandy beach, part of which is dog friendly. If camping on the row of sites near the Hwy it can be noisy from traffic. Having booked ahead we had reserved sites for 2 nights, both lakeside with great views. The wind was up and the lake churning some decent sized waves. The next day we hiked the 3.5 km. nature trail from the campground which follows the lake for a bit, then takes you over ancient beach ridges, a boardwalk through wetlands, and you will discover a billion year old conglomerate boulder.
After 2 nights at Pancake Bay, we had a quick morning shower in a really nice comfort station then left for our third and last destination to be spent with our friends. We stopped briefly at Old Woman Bay which is part of Lake Superior Provincial Park to stretch our legs – it’s a nice spot to picnic. It was named for the shape of a woman’s face in the cliffs, although hard to see after many years of erosion.
The drive to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park near Thunder Bay was a longer drive of 6.5 hours on Hwy 17, half the drive being inland and half with some great lake views.
The campground is a 30 minute drive off the highway on a well maintained paved road, and at the junction there is a Circle J truck stop with a small store, ice, etc. Along the road into the camp you will pass a village with a grocery & LCBO. This is a campground we have been wanting to visit for some time as it boasts some great hiking. It is a fair size campground with the sites situated in circular sections – and they have interior walk-in sites as well. We weren’t too impressed with many of the electrical sites as they are all lined up close together with no privacy. We were quite happy to be in the no utilities area with increased privacy and much larger sites. We arrived late in the day and set up camp. We are here for 3 nights.
We came for the hiking …… so we did a hike of 20+ km. The loop started at the South Kabeyun trailhead, then along the Talus lake trail, and Sawyer Bay trail, with a side trail up to a lookout and it was a gruelling day. Our hike took us to the shoulder area of The Giant and along the way we passed some keen hikers going to the Head of the Giant who said that hike is a tough one – Oh to be young again! Our hike had a little of everything – it started with an easy walk to a view of Lake Superior and some walk-in campsites, then through wooded and steep sections, bouldering, a beaver dam walkway, along some creeks, a steep climb to a lookout and back, then an easy walk back on the road to the parking lot. A hot shower was definitely in order and felt soooo good. The comfort station here is decent and has pay laundry as well (loonies needed).
After the long hike the day before we chose some easier hikes for the next day. First we drove up the steep Thunder Bay lookout road which ends at cliffs looking out over the bay and there is a walkway that hangs over the cliff edge for the brave souls. From here you get a good look at the bay and can see the city of Thunder Bay in the distance. Heading back down the same road we stopped to do the Piney Wood Hills trail – a short 2.8 km. trail through a pine forest to an viewpoint over Joeboy Lake. We sat to have a bite and a beer before heading back. A quick short stop at Marie Louise Lake provided a perfect place to snap photos of the ‘sleeping giant’. The last night together with our travel companions we had a fire and went to bed fairly early. Next morning we parted ways and continued on our way through Ontario.
