Northern Ontario Travel Guide

Still rugged after all these years

The vast northern regions of Canada's second-largest province offer a unique experience - outdoor adventure with all the comforts of home close by.

Northern Ontario represents about 90 percent of the province's landmass, but less than 10 percent of the population. This leaves lots of room to enjoy such rustic winter sports as dog sledding, snowmobiling, cross-country and downhill skiing, as well as canoeing, backpacking, fishing, hunting and trailblazing in the spring, summer and autumn.

The beauty of it all is that major cities with populations of 50,000 to 100,000 or more tie the remote northern areas together, from Thunder Bay in the West to Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury in the center to North Bay in the East. Scattered along the Trans-Canada Highway and the two trans-continental railroad lines that cross the province are communities with such intriguing names as Sioux Lookout, Nipigon, Wawa, Chapleau and Kapuskasing.

Float Planes and Snow Trains

Float planes and resort cottages in the far North give the sport fisherman a chance to bring home some of the finest trophy fish this side of the Caribbean. And speaking of water adventures, there are spectacular mini-cruises available aboard the Chief Commanda II on Lake Nipissing out of North Bay, as well as a trip across Georgian Bay from Tobermory to Manitoulin Island on the gigantic car ferry, the Chi-Cheemaun.

With 400,000 lakes and rivers, Northern Ontario promises outdoors enthusiasts a fair chance of spotting moose, bear, wolves, beaver and deer as they paddle through the wilderness or cast a line to catch a trout or walleye for their evening meal. And there is nothing quite so thrilling as waking up to the sound of a loon calling to its mate across the mist-shrouded lake where you've pitched your tent or rented a snug cabin.

Various man-made and natural attractions provide a break from outdoor adventure - delighted tourists ride the Agawa Canyon Tour Train, a daylong trip through the timberland north of Sault Ste. Marie, offering a multicolored view of red, yellow and orange leaves in the fall and a wonderland of snow-covered evergreen trees in winter.

Sudbury serves up such delights as the Science North Museum and the Big Nickel mine tour. Country and western fans will want to take a walk along Shania Twain Lane in Timmins. And for the thrill of a lifetime, climb aboard the Polar Bear Express for a train ride from North Bay to Moosonee on James Bay.

Northern Ontario Travels

The Thunder Bay to Wawa to Sault Ste. Marie section of Northern Ontario meanders along the shores of Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. The rugged shoreline presents opportunities for deepwater fishing, spelunking and swimming in summer, as well as ice fishing, skiing and snowshoeing during the long, cold winter months. Also look for:

• Northern Ontario Native Tourism Association draws on the vast knowledge of its members to offer the finest fishing experiences of a lifetime.
• The Sleeping Giant Provincial Park on the northern expanse of the Lake Superior shoreline is a great place for fishing and swimming, and offers a panoramic view of the world's largest freshwater lake, including a huge island named after the legendary "Great Spirit" of the Ojibwa.
• The Algoma Central Railway's Camp Car is a thrilling new concept where you can actually stay in the rugged Agawa Canyon for four days in a sleeper car detached from the train.
• Temagami is a rugged Northern Ontario community whose very name conjures up images of bygone days when the wilderness was almost at your doorstep. Some of the activities available include dog sledding, canoeing, fishing, fly-ins and hiking.