When you are in our area why not spend a day enjoying the majesty of Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes.
From secluded bays on the shoreline to sandy beaches, campgrounds and ancient Aboriginal paintings, the drive along the Trans Canada Highway (Hwy 17) from Sault Ste. Marie to Wawa will amaze you and cause you to fall in love with Northern Ontario. There are numerous stopping points on the way but these are some of the highlights:
1. Chippewa Falls
This is a spectacular landmark and is the half way
point for the Trans-Canada Highway. The waterfall
is easily accessible and is a popular rest spot and
photo opportunity. The falls are over 300 feet wide during high flows with a drop of 60 feet over several sets of waterfalls. Although not as spectacular, when river flows are low, this is the best time to get out and explore.
| Facilities: | Parking, Toilets, & Restaurant (across road) |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 125 kilometres |
2. Batchawana Beach
Batchawana Beach on Batchawana Bay is a 1.6km long sandy beach with some of the warmest swimming on Lake Superior. With hotels, restaurants, picnic areas and gift shops nearby, Batchawana is a perfect beach for a day trip or overnight stay.
| Facilities: | Parking, Camping, Toilets, Picnic Areas & Restaurant (across rd) |
| Distance from Batchawana Beach: | 12 kilometres |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 137 kilometres |
3. Agawa Indian Crafts & The Canadian Carver
Family owned for over 30 years Agawa Indian Crafts & The Canadian Carver remain dedicated to providing a wide array of authentic and unique crafts and artwork by Canadian and American First Nation artisans.
The Canadian Carver features “cottage-themed” home décor, woodcarvings, whittling and sculpture of animals, people, scenes, ESSO Gas Bar and items by some of Canada's best-known artisans whereas Agawa Crafts specializes in Canadian native crafts, furs, moccasins, pottery, jewelry and much more.
| Facilities: | Parking, Toilets, Gas Station, General Store |
| Distance from Batchawana Beach: | 9 kilometres |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 146 kilometres |
4. Pancake Lookout Trail
Pancake Bay Provincial Park is located on the eastern shore of Lake Superior, and is an ideal place for a short stop over or picnic lunch. On the shores of the bay there are approx 3 kilometres of sandy beaches perfect for walking, hiking, building sand castles or simply relaxing and soaking up the sun. Within the park is the Pancake Lookout Trail which provides great views of Pancake Bay and Whitefish Point where the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in a fierce November gale in 1975.
| Facilities: | Parking, Toilets, Picnic Areas, Walking Trails, Beach |
| Distance from Agawa Crafts: | 1 kilometre |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 147 kilometres |
5. Lake Superior Provincial Park Visitor Centre
The Visitor Centre is located at Agawa Bay and is
just off Hwy 17. The displays in the Visitor Centre highlight how "The Power of Lake Superior" has influenced both the cultural and natural features of
the park area.
Within the park there are moose, bears, wolves, lynx and many smaller species of
animal and bird. There are hiking trails, walking
trails to waterfalls/scenic lookouts and canoe
routes ranging from several hours to several days
in length.
Contained within the Centre is an information desk, a gift shop and various displays and exhibits.
| Facilities: | Parking, Toilets, Picnic Areas, Walking Trails, Beach and WiFi |
| Distance from Pancake Lookout: | 62 kilometres |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 209 kilometres |
6. Agawa Pictographs
The Agawa Rock pictographs are believed to have been drawn between 150 and 400 years ago by Ojibwa spiritual leaders. Shamans used a mixture of crushed rock, fish oil and animal fat to create long-lasting blood-red paintings of caribou, canoes, horse and rider and Misshepezhieu the Horned Lynx Spirit of the Lake.
A short scenic hiking trail, wedged between massive split boulders, leads to the lakeshore and Agawa Rock, a cliff-face rising 30 meters above Lake Superior. When viewing the paintings, visitors are reminded to EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION as the rock can be slippery. Be sure to wear hiking boots or heavy tread shoes. The trail is open from mid-May to mid-September and the paintings can only be viewed when the lake is calm.
| Facilities: | Parking, Toilets, Picnic Areas, Walking Trails |
| Distance from Lake Superior PP: | 7 kilometres |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 216 kilometres |
7. Sand River Trails
The Sand River is a designated canoe route. Stop at the picnic area at the mouth of the river just off Hwy17 to enjoy a view of the cascading falls. Or follow the Pinguisibi hiking trail along the right bank from the river mouth.
The trail takes you along the Sand River past a series of cascading waterfalls. The trail has some steeper sections and some wet areas that can be slippery. The river and the falls look very different in the spring than in the fall, so be sure to visit more than once.
| Facilities: | Parking, Toilets, Picnic Areas, Walking Trails, Camping |
| Distance from Agawa Pictographs: | 8 kilometres |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 224 kilometres |
8. Katherine Cove
Katherine Cove has some of the most unusual rock striations extending from the land into the crystal clear waters of the lake and is an absolute must for any photo album. The shallow waters and fine sand beach make Katherine Cove especially appealing to children and families.
| Facilities: | Parking, Toilets, Picnic Areas, Walking Trails, Beach |
| Distance from Sand River Trail: | 2 kilometres |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 226 kilometres |
9. Old Woman Bay
Stop at Old Woman Bay on the northern end of Lake Superior Provincial Park for breathtaking views of
Lake Superior. Look out over cliffs that tower more than four hundred feet above the lake or scan the
cliff face for Peregrine Falcons, once thought to be extinct in the area. The nearby Nokomis Hiking trail provides scenic lookouts over the bay and can be
done in 2-3 hours.
| Facilities: | Parking, Toilets, Picnic Areas, Beach |
| Distance from Katherine Cove: | 45 kilometres |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 271 kilometres |
10. Wawa
The drive finishes in the town of Wawa, famous for its 26 foot tall sculpture of a Canada goose, (reported to be the most photographed landmark in North America) as well as its small town charm. Wawa’s history is steeped in the mining of minerals. Although it was gold that first attracted many prospectors to the area, it was the discovery of hematite ore that provided the mainstay industry for Wawa and was a major contributor to its growth as a community.
| Facilities: | Parking, Toilets, Restaurants, Motels, Shopping |
| Distance from Old Woman Bay: | 24 kilometres |
| Distance from Bruce Mines: | 295 kilometres |