Trip chapter 03
Sault Ste. Marie to Thunder Bay
A very long day around Lake Superior, broken up by a waterfall, two northern Ontario icons and one final spectacular gorge.
This was a very long travel day, so we left the Soo bright and early. Thunder Bay was the destination, but the road around Lake Superior supplied four very different reasons to get out of the car.
An unplanned waterfall
Our first stop was not planned. We saw a small rest-area and point-of-interest sign from the highway and pulled over to discover Chippewa Falls. It was cool to look at and made a pleasant ten-minute break and walk.
Trying to photograph Tilly with the Wawa Goose
The next stop was the famous Wawa Goose. I wanted a nice photograph of Tilly sitting in front of it, but she was far too excited to sit still. I had to settle for a slightly blurry photograph from behind.
The small store was dog friendly, and the clean, free bathrooms made this a genuinely useful road-trip stop rather than just a photograph.
The Wawa Goose
An essential northern Ontario road-trip photograph with useful facilities and a dog-friendly visitor store.
Read our Wawa Goose stop notes →Winnie-the-Pooh in White River
In White River we stopped at the Winnie-the-Pooh park. It is a fun place to walk around for five minutes and forms part of a small highway rest area with nearby food and fuel.
It was very hot, there was no shade, and none of the nearby food options were dog friendly or had a drive-through. I decided not to eat there rather than leave Tilly in the car.
Winnie-the-Pooh Park
A fun five-minute roadside walk with a famous bear, but little shade or dog-accessible food nearby.
Read our White River stop notes →One last waterfall
Our final stop before Thunder Bay was Aguasabon Falls near Terrace Bay. There was ample parking and working bathrooms, making it a practical rest stop as well as a spectacular one.
There are stairs down toward the falls. Tilly was not entirely sure about them, but she was happy to be out of the car, and the view into the gorge was amazing.
Aguasabon Falls & Gorge
A spectacular waterfall viewpoint with parking and bathrooms, reached via stairs that gave Tilly some pause.
Read our Aguasabon Falls notes →A quiet night in Thunder Bay
We rolled into Thunder Bay fairly late in the afternoon and checked into the Holiday Inn Express & Suites. It delivered the familiar Holiday Inn Express standard, and the staff gave me a small goody bag for Tilly containing waste bags and a treat.
The hotel was a little removed from downtown, so after such a long day we did not explore much. I ordered food in, and we used the evening simply to rest our heads before continuing west.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Thunder Bay
A familiar, comfortable road-trip hotel where the staff welcomed Tilly with a small practical goody bag.
Read our Holiday Inn Express notes →