Yup, it's a long drive. And if you stop along the way, which we did for sanity and curiosity's sake, it's even longer. So when we left the SOO late in the afternoon, we knew we'd stop in a random rest area for the night. Our only goal was to get past Wawa, which we did. I had two stops planned for that day: Lake Superior Provincial Park and Wawa.
About halfway between the SOO and Wawa, we followed the signs on the highway to the Agawa Rock Pictographs, an incredible 500-meter hike that leads to impressive natural and man-made features! We saw a huge rock stuck between two cliffs, an amazing passage that made us feel like dwarves in the Lord of the Rings, and the sacred pictographs of the Ojibwe dating back to the 17th and 18th century. We've rarely been on a hike with such a high ratio of reward versus effort made! And my former students will easily imagine my surprise (and disgust) at seeing snow on the trail... ❄️😒 this was on May 29th!
This was really one of the best roadside stops, but you kind of have to know what it is to even consider stopping. Well, we definitely recommend it. There are also a lot of scenic viewpoints along the highway where you can pull over and just admire the scenery for a bit: I chose just one picture to give you an idea. For a really long time you can see Lake Superior on your left, and it makes the road so much more interesting. We arrived in Wawa close to sunset, and I got my picture taken with the famous Wawa Goose! It was in really good shape (I suspect it had been recently renovated), and the view on the lake below in itself would have been worth the stop.
Not too long after that, we found a picnic area to spend the night and called it a day. The next morning, our first stop was White River, home of Winnie the Pooh! Once again, we were alone, so we managed to take some really good pictures and stretch our legs a little. We also did an unplanned stop at Aguasabon River Gorge (once again, we just followed the signs on the highway), which ended up being yet another short but rewarding little hike. The volume of water that rushes through here is impressive. If you have more time, there are longer hikes that can take you along the river, too.
In the end, the road to Thunder Bay I think was more interesting than the city. 😛 But you'll get to read about that next time! Stay tuned, folks! 💜
TL;DR: Driving from Sault Ste Marie to Thunder Bay is really long, but a few stops along the way make it a lot of fun! Definitely recommended are the historical site of Agawa Rock Pictographs, the Wawa Goose, the Winnie the Pooh statue in White River, and the falls at Aguasabon River Gorge. Gorgeous scenery everywhere on the highway, too! Perfect for a picnic and stretching your legs.
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