In this blog post, we’ll take you on a 5-day Lake Superior road trip from Toronto to Lake Superior Provincial Park. We’ll be sharing our experiences, from the vibrant natural landscapes to the serene beauty of the park. Our journey aims to offer practical ideas and inspiration for your own road trips.
So, let’s hit the road together and explore the natural wonders of Lake Superior, from the beginning of our journey to the park’s untouched wilderness.
Lake Superior Road Trip Summary
Total Distance driven: Approximately 1700km in 17 hours (including return to Toronto)
Travel Period: Beginning of July (Canada Day weekend)
Road trip style: We spent our first night in a motel, and slept in a make-shift campervan (VW Tiguan SUV) for the rest of our trip.
Total Days: 5 days (including our return back from Lake Superior to Toronto)
Itinerary Summary:
- Day 1 – Sudbury
- Day 2 – Pancake Bay Provincial Park
- Day 3 & 4 – Lake Superior Provincial Park
- Day 5 – Return to Toronto
Day 1 – Sudbury
We departed from our home in Toronto at 5pm and drove non-stop to Sudbury on our first day. We wanted to cover as much ground as possible (there’s not much to see on the way to Sudbury, anyway!). We opted to spend our first night at a motel since we couldn’t find many campgrounds in Sudbury.
Drive Time: 3.5 hours
Day 2 – Pancake Bay Provincial Park
We left our motel early in the morning, and headed to the Sault Ste. Marie boardwalk, where we made our first pit stop to enjoy the view and give our legs a break. An interesting aspect of the boardwalk is its proximity to the US, where you can actually see Michigan across the river.
On our way to our campsite at Pancake Bay Provincial Park, we came across a stop on the side of the road for Chippewa Falls off the Trans-Canada Highway. It was definitely worth it—a short hike to the falls revealed incredible natural beauty. We stumbled upon this place by a happy accident. 😊
By 3pm, we arrived at our campsite in Pancake Bay Provincial Park (Hilltop Campground, Site #3), had a quick lunch, and strolled down to the beach to relax.
Drive Time: 4 hours
Day 3 – Lake Superior Provincial Park
We went for a short hike, enjoyed an early breakfast at our campsite in Pancake Bay, packed our SUV, and set off for Lake Superior Provincial Park.
We arrived at our campsite in Lake Superior by 11am. Fortunately, we had managed to secure a last-minute site booking at Agawa Bay South Campground with an uninterrupted view of Lake Superior (Site #A344).
After setting up, we spent some time hiking to see the Agawa Rock Pictographs (a short trail with great views – highly recommended!) and then returned to our campsite to relax and watch the sunset.
Drive Time: 1 hour
Day 4 – Lake Superior Provincial Park
We spent the morning cooking breakfast and lounging at our beachside campsite. In the afternoon, we hiked the Pinguisibi (Sand River) trail for approximately 2 hours, enjoying incredible views. We highly recommend this trail! In the evening, we returned to our campsite, relaxed, and once again, enjoyed the beautiful sunset.
Day 5 – Drive back to Toronto
On our last day, we woke up super early to begin our 8-hour drive back to Toronto. We made a pit stop at Batchawana Bay and another stop for lunch.
Drive Time: 8 hours
