• Get in
• Get around
• See
• Do
• Buy
• Eat
• Drink
• Sleep
• Get out

Thunder Bay [1] lies at the far northwestern point of the Great Lakes of North America, and is a transportation bridge between the rich agricultural Prairies of Canada and the Atlantic Ocean and the rest of the world. The population of Thunder Bay is 122,907 (2006 census).

[edit] Get in

[edit] Get around

[edit] See

[edit] Do

• Raven Ecoventures, 807-933-5241, [2]. Take a guided wilderness canoe trip or ecotour in this land of lakes, trees and moose.
• The area has a large Finnish population, so saunas are common and popular.
• Fort William Historical Park, [3].

Enjoy a day at this large-scale reconstruction of an 1815 fur-trading post. Take a tour, visit the farm, observe historic tradesmen (blacksmiths, tinsmiths, canoemakers and more) at work, walk along the Kaministiquia River.

• Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, [4].

Enjoy a hike along one of the beautiful trails at Sleeping Giant. Take Top of the Giant, a challenging 25km return (I think) trail to a spectacular lookout over Tee Harbour, Lake Superior, and a rugged cliff's edge. In March, Sleeping Giant hosts the Sibley Ski Tour[5], a Thunder Bay tradition.

• Silver Islet, [6].
• Kakabeka Falls, [7].
• Take a walk around the harbour.
• Visit the amethyst or agate mines.
• Visit Ouimet Canyon and/or Eagle Canyon.

Walk across the suspension bridge at Eagle Canyon for beautiful views.

• Drive west of Thunder Bay to Quetico Provincial Park[8] - some of the best canoeing in the world awaits!
• You can also canoe on White Otter Lake, near Quetico and Atikokan. Visit White Otter Castle[9], a 3-storey wooden cabin single-handedly built by Jimmy McQuat on the shores of the lake. Legend is that Jimmy built it for his sweetheart and then got jilted. There is a walking trail from the castle area that leads to an abandoned WWII POW camp, but this has not been restored for tourists. Be careful of rusted metal and sharp edges in the camp.

[edit] Buy

[edit] Eat

For a unique dining experience, visit Thunder Bay's famed Finnish restaurant, The Hoito. On weekend mornings, it is packed with locals of all ages, families and friends eating together, delicious Finnish pancakes. The Hoito is a beloved Thunder Bay institution!

Calico is a charming independent coffee shop next door to the Hoito, with fair-trade coffee and locally baked treats.

Up In Smoke BBQ and Grill is a fabulous little Cajun gem. Take home a family pack, as it is both delicious and plentiful.

Bistro One offers excellent fine dining.

Prospector, in downtown Port Arthur, is a good steakhouse.

Thunder Bay has a couple of sushi places: Wasabi and Sushi Bowl. They are tasty, but visitors from larger cosmopolitan centres or the coast will likely be disappointed as sushi is much more expensive than they may be accustomed to. Sushi is approximately twice the price here as in Toronto.

Thunder Bay is also famous for a unique pastry called a Persian. A Persian is similar to a danish with a mysterious pink icing. Some say the icing is strawberry, others say it is cherry, but it certainly is pink. Most people eat their persians just as they are, but for a special treat, have yours cut, buttered and grilled/toasted.

[edit] Drink

[edit] Sleep

Try a remote, rustic wilderness cabin powered by the sun on its own private lake and trail network to get a sense of the wild beauty of Northern Ontario.

• Thunder Bay International Hostel, Longhouse Village, RR 13, 1594 Lakeshore Drive, +1 807 983-2042, fax +1 807 983-2914, [10]. Located 18 km east of the city. If travelling by Greyhound, tell the driver ahead of time to drop you off at the hostel; call Greyhound ahead of time to be picked up. Beds are $20 per night. Camping is $12 for one person or $19 for two people.

• Sleeping Giant Guesthouse, 139 Machar Avenue, +1 807 683-3995, toll free +1 866 424-5687. Located on the north side of downtown Thunder Bay. Beds start at $21 per night.

[edit] Get out

Isle Royale, a wilderness park, lies within sight in Lake Superior. Commercial ferries from Grand Portage, Minnesota provide the nearest official access to the island, but it's accessible from Thunder Bay by private boat.