N. Ontario Travel Times?

[dustink]

I'm working on planning our annual fishing trip, and exploring some options.

 

 

 

We won't be coming up this year until September (baby #3 is coming to my house in June!), so I think Fushimi PP is out because they close Sept. 3 or 4. If possible, we'd like just to head back to Fushimi, but....we'll see.

 

 

 

So, I'm looking at heading back to the Atikokan area. I was there last September with my family and some friends who have a cottage on Little Turtle lake. While there we took a tour over to the White Otter Lake....to see Jimmy McQuat's castle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm thinking that may be a good guys trip this year. Brown's Clearwater Lodge can shuttle boats to the White Otter Lake, and we could camp anywhere on the lake.

 

 

 

I know the drive to Atikokan is about 17 hours from here if I go through Int'l Falls, but how long would the drive be to go around the Northern shore of Superior (I'm 9 hours from Wawa, ON), and I'm thinking we'd plan on spending a night in Thunder Bay, then heading onto Atikokan.

 

 

 

Also, anyone ever fish / camp in White Otter Lake? It's a BIG body of water, and I'm sure has Walleye, Pike, Smallies, and I know Lake Trout (we saw some folks cleaing some).

 

 

 

Thanks in advance! Half the fun of this trip for me is planning it!!

 

 

 

dk

[Whopper]

Dustin, I have made that trip along the north shore of Superior a few times and absolutely love the drive, very scenic. If memory serves me correctly it's about 450miles from "The Soo" to Thunder Bay and about 8 to 9 hours of travel time. It's a great drive during the day and beats the heck out of driving thru Wisconsin. Gas will cost you a little more though. Good luck in your planning!

 

Whopper

[dustink]

Thanks, Phil.

 

That's about what I expected. Not sure where we'll end up, but looking forward to it already!!

 

dk

[danc]

Dustin, the distance from Wawa to Atikokan is about 400 miles, so it looks like it's about the same time wise as going through International Falls. You may also consider driving from Duluth Minnesota up to Thunder Bay. A beautiful drive as well along Superiors north shore. Or head up one way and drive back the other. Lots of choices there..

[tjsa]

Those distances and times sound about right. I made the drive from Orillia to TBay in 16 hrs. basically on the dot, including about a 1 hr. stop in Sudbury for dinner, and a half hour in the Sioux going into town looking for an Esso station for our gas card this past august. Also filled up with some Timmies joy juice to keep us awake.

 

One thing Dustin, if you and your party drive after the sun goes down, watch out for moose up here.

Really, really big animals, especially down between Wawa and the Sioux. Thats Lake Superior Provincial Park territory, and since there is no hunting there, they get very big, found that out first hand about 11:30 pm at the top of the hill before the Old Woman River. I think we missed her by about 10 ft. at 80 kmh. Would have seriously ruined our night, especially with the transport coming at us in the other lane.

Actually, it is the transport we have to thank, its lights gave me the silouette of the moose, and I yelled out loud

"moose" which allowed my bud enough time to hit the breaks.

Biggest cow moose I have ever seen.

 

And, don't forget, lots of the gas station places on the highway up here are closed after 10pm. Thats why we had to go into the Sioux to find a station, the ones on the highway were closed. Same thing in Wawa, but probably was a station or two open in the town, just not on the highway.

I think one was open in White River, nothing open in Terrace Bay, Nipigon is a big truck stop area, so they are open. Between Nipigon and TBay, there is the Pass Lake truck stop 25 min. east of us, open 24 hrs., but west of us a place called Sistonen's corners is closing completely(unless another company buys it).

Then, I don't know of anything between us and Atikokan open after 10 pm.

Course, Atikokan is only 2 hrs. and 10 min. at speed limit from us.

[dustink]

Thanks, guys!

 

Yeah, I've made that trip from Soo to Wawa in the dark, and you're right the moose can be scary. Deer down here in Indiana are bad enough, but a moose would seriously put a dent in the truck!!

 

Thanks for the tips on Gas, etc. When we make this trip, we usually leave on Friday night, and drive through the night, getting to Wawa about 5 or 6 am. Last year we stoped near Hornepayne for Breakfast on the way to Fushimi. I'm guessing we'd do the same thing in '07.

 

And you're right Dan, I'd love to take the drive from Duluth to TB, and that may be an option as well.....just don't like the Chicago traffic (especially pulling a boat).....Michigan is much better! But if we drive through the night, that is an option as well.

 

We'll see where we end up going, and hopefully that will be decided in the next few weeks.

 

Thanks again for the feedback!

dk