Considered by the locals The Beach, Providence Bay is famous for an obvious reason.
About 6 hours north from Toronto, located on a picturesque, southern side of Manitoulin Island, Providence Bay is the perfect place for a getaway. Looking upon Huron Lake, one of the Great Lakes of North America, the bay offers one of the longest sandy beaches I’ve ever seen in Ontario. Early natives, Ojibwe people called the place Bebikodawangog, which translates as ‘where the sands curve around the bay’.
Canadians love outdoors. At least half of them, who can’t wait to get their outdoor belongings every weekend and scatter to various destinations.
Our excitement actually started when we began making plans to have a road trip around Lake Huron, one of the five Great Lakes in North America.
Part of the UNESCO heritage, Niagara Escarpment goes through Tobermory. The escarpment that runs from New York through Ontario (Canada), Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois is mostly famous for the cliff where Niagara River plunges at Niagara Falls. But today I will talk about Tobermory, located right between Huron Lake and Georgian Bay, and which is the most northerly town in the Bruce Peninsula. Continue reading
Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 5 – Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Grand Sable Dunes and Sable Falls – Grand Marais
Coming from Munising on County Rd H-58, we passed by the famous Log Slide Overview. The location was used originally in the 19th century by the local loggers to slide the logs from the top of the dunes to the base of the banks, to Lake Superior, in order to facilitate the transportation of timber from this area. Now this place is a wonderful spot to admire the blue and to lose yourself in an ecstatic reverie.
Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 4 – Lake Superior’s Graveyard and Au Sable Light Station
20 km West of Grand Marais, Au Sable Light Station can be visited following the 2.5 km trail that start at the Hurricane River mouth, where the big red food storage box is located. The trail goes through the forest for a while, until the path splits in two and one way goes toward the beach. Along the shoreline lays some of the coastal graveyard, where we saw several parts of the old wrecks that washed ashore. You probably guessed which way we took, since both ways were heading to the light station.
Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 3 – Pictured Rocks Cruise
After about 10 km in the Beaver Basin, we headed straight to the Munising Marina, hoping for happy winds and a tranquil evening. Wish granted, we happily purchased our new tickets and headed to the boarding line. We couldn’t stop noticing everyone’s excitement, while a sailor was asking people where they were from.
Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 2 – Beaver Basin Hiking – Twelvemile Beach
Hiking in the Beaver Basin can start from the trailing parking lot beside the Little Beaver Lake Campground, after a 5 km of unpaved, narrow, twisting, and size restrictive road.
Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Best of UP, Part 1 – Munising – Munising and Miners Waterfalls
We left behind the soggy morning at Tahquamenon Falls, and by the time we arrived in Munising the clouds were letting the sun show up in the sky. We headed straight to the marina, where we had the evening cruise booked in advance, ready to enjoy the sunset and the Pictured Rocks. Even though the sky was not without clouds, the weather was beautiful, and we didn’t expect to hear that the evening cruise is cancelled due to rough waters. Jaw dropped, really? Yes, the boat cruise can be cancelled anytime and without notice, as the weather is unpredictable on Lake Superior.
Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Seney National Wildlife Refuge
Even though we wanted to be at the Refuge entrance before sunrise, we were not able to be there. We were wondering if the late barbeque we had the night before or the stars I couldn’t stop gazing at in the middle of the night had something to do with this. Anyway, with a fresh enthusiasm we got to the Refuge gate around 10 am, an hour drive from Munising, where our host was living. The late August sun was up in the sky, and I knew the wildlife was well hidden at that late hour of the morning. The refuge is vast, and has several trails for hikers, or bikers, and needs a lot of time to have it explored. Since we were late already, we decided to have only the drive-through ride, with few stops along the way.
Around Huron Lake in 8 days: Sault Ste Marie vs St Marys River
Pursuing our road trip around Huron Lake after leaving Manitoulin Island, our next destination was Sault Ste Marie. Passing cities like Espanola, and Spanish, or reservations such as Mississauga First Nation, I couldn’t stop noticing the French hint of Sault Ste Marie’s name. Anyone can sense from the distance how rich in history this whole area is, isn’t it? But more intriguingly, between the French name of Sault Ste Marie, and the English name for St Mary’s Rivers, I couldn’t stop asking myself which one came actually first?
1000 Places and Memories 