Below you can find a trip summary for our August northern trip to Lake Superior. You can read more about each point of interest along our route by clicking on the links. At the end of the post, we included some trip metrics.
We hope it will help you plan your own trip!
Heading North
We left home in the afternoon and drove a couple of hours to our first boondocking destination at Torrance Barrens. This gave us a headstart for a rather long driving day the next morning, but not before we stopped in Bala for a short visit.
We found another wonderful and quiet crown land boondocking spot off Hwy 108, and continued the next morning to Elliot Lake for some sightseeing. There is more to see here and we would like to come back next summer.
We continued along the north shores of Lake Huron to our next (and favourite) boondocking spot near Pancake Bay.
The drive along Lake Superior is breathtaking and we finally made it to Pukaskwa National Park where we spent a couple of nights and hiked a bit before starting back south. The trip to our northernmost destination (about 1,000 km) took us about three and a half days.
Heading south
We made quick stop in Wawa and then continued on for the short hike to the Agawa Rock Pictographs. We later hiked the Edmund Fitzgerald Trail for incredible views of the lake.
Our next destinations were St. Joseph Island, Ripple Rock, and Mississagi Falls. All fantastic stops along the route.
We were back at the same Hwy 108 boondocking spot for a second stay and the next morning we went to Chutes Provincial Park for a hike.
Onwards to Sudbury where we found the largest mural in Canada and the lovely Lake Laurentian Conservation Area.
One more boondocking night at Torrance Barren and we were home! This was one of our favourite trips and we are planning to go back that way next summer. Perhaps for a longer stay.
BY THE NUMBERS:
- distance: 2336 km
- time: 9 days
- cost (includes gas, parks/camping fees): CAD$415 (about US$320)
- Fuel efficiency: 6.77 kpl (16 mpg)
- Average cost per day: CAD$46 (about US$35)
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I am amazed that you were able to have such an interesting, learning experience in such a short length of time on that budget! You guys are wonderful!!!
Thanks, Linda! It’s very enlightening for us to review a trip this way. And every time we do, we are amazed that we manage to see so much 🙂
I’d say you got your money’s worth, considering your daily average expenses. I appreciate posts like this that give us a sense of the distance and time. Jim Borden isn’t the only one who likes statistics. 😎
I am a sucker for stats and metrics 🙂 It really made a big difference that we were able to boondock for most of the nights on this trip. In my mind we are still travelling in Asia in the 80s and able to live on less than $5 a day 🙂 I am so shocked every time I see the cost of travel today.
Sounds like you had a great road trip. You’ve given me a few ideas for when we return to Northern Ontario next summer. I like that you’ve kept such a detailed record of distance travelled and your daily spending!!
The rods are long in this area, but there is a lot to see and do and to manage it at such an economical cost is just a bonus. Stay well. Allan