We are driving north to Abitibi Canyon. No real reason other that the fact that we said we’ll go as far north as we can in a more-or-less straight line. Abitibi Canyon is that point, so that’s where we went.
The Abitibi Canyon settlement was established in 1930 to support the construction of the dam.
Abitibi Dam
In 1940s, 130 people lived in the Ontario Hydro settlement, which rose to 300 by 1982.
Abitibi Canyon
Unfortunately, this is when it shut down for cost savings reasons and the community was disbanded. You can read about the community here.
Today, you can drive up to the dam and take in the views of the canyon. We could see a few structures, all abandoned and fenced.
We are now 100km south of the actual polar bear habitat. and a few kilometres more to the shores of James Bay. So close, but no drivable road to take us there. Only the Polar Bear Express, but we’ll have to wait until it’s running again.
Polar Bear Express Railway Crossing
Not many people drive north to Abitibi Canyon and the drive north is a lonely one. We saw 3 only cars along the way. It’s more of a snowmobile destination nowadays.
A Lonely Road North
The 180 km drive back south to Timmins was uneventful until we reached the outskirts of Timmins and spotted a bear by the side of the road. Not a polar bear, just a big black one, but nonetheless, exciting!
And just like that, it walked away, so we moved on as well.
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Can you carry on with a 4×4? Would be cool to see the polars.
I don’t think so. There is a close private road after the dam and I am not sure where it goes.
Looks like you are really in the wilderness. It is certainly beautiful there. I bet that black bear does not see many people at this time of the year. Thanks for sharing this adventure – this is my kind of country. Reminds me a lot of Northern Idaho.
Funny thing about the bear, it was just as we entered town and right after we saw a sign that said “do not feed the bears”.
That is funny. They probably have trouble with the bears getting into their garbage in town.
I’m sure it’s a problem. I think that the issue with bears is that if they are being fed by human they seek contact and that can be dangerous.
Very true.
I guess you want to make sure you have reliable transportation. Looks like e true ghost town…
Absolutely! and it is deserted now. Funny thing, someone posted on our Facebook page that he used to work for OPG and they would send the troublemakers to Abitibi 🙂
I guess better that it is deserted than having a town full of troublemakers… 🙂
Haha, that’s right!
I get an eerie feeling when I’m around a place like this that’s been abandoned. I appreciate you including the map of your travels. 90% of the places you visit I’ve never heard of. I normally take the time to look them up because I’m curious.
I love that eerie feeling 🙂 My hope is that these posts will make readers curious about these places and try and find more, so thank you for saying that! BTW, I got your note – thank you! We just got back and I am trying to catch up with my 480 emails…
It looks a bit eerie with everything locked and fenced. Interesting.
Yeah, it was!
Although more and more people are piling up in southern Ontario, it seems that the north is becoming a desert.
This place is really remote. In contrast to that, we found that northern cities and towns seem to be developing!
Planning a camping trip up to Abitibi area Sept 10,anythkng to watch out for,any tips .
It’s a beautiful area with lots of crown land camping. The big thing to watch out for is the bugs, but I hope that in September they will be much better. I’m assuming that you are an experienced camper and know how to avoid attracting bears. Also, make sure that you have enough gas, as gas stations are scarce in that area. Enjoy your trip, we’d love to hear about it!
I used to live abitibi canyon and on the 47 mile drive from smooth rock falls to the canyon there are No gas stations no grocery stores or accommodations. Same with right in the canyon. Just be careful and make sure you stock up on everything before making the trip. But it is worth the trip as the scenery and the view from the dam is out of this world
Good advice. What a place to live, I can’t even imagine what it was like!