We have just returned from two weeks along Ontario’s section of the Lake Superior North Shore. If you have followed along for a while, you will know that we visited this area in 2024, but the entirety of our time spent in Ontario during that trip was at Pukaskwa National Park. At that time, we drove right past some of the other spectacular sections of the shore, so our goal on this trip was to see more of what we missed last time. In our effort to do so, we spent time in three of Ontario’s Provincial Parks. We are going to break each one into its own post, to keep this from getting too long. No one wants to read a novel length blog post, and the three parks each deserve some space! Our first stop on this journey…Neys Provincial Park!
We both agree, that of the three parks we visited, Neys is our favorite campground. We stayed in camping area 1 of the park’s campground, where the spaces are open with gorgeous views of the lake. Of course, this means that there is no privacy between sites, and they are pretty close together, but they are long sites that will fit any rig, and are fairly easy to get into. It was also very quiet during our time there. The area we were in stayed pretty full (though the campground as a whole probably wasn’t even a quarter full), but it seems that everyone was there for a peaceful experience, and no one made a lot of noise or was disruptive in any way! Our Verizon cellular coverage was usable here, and Starlink worked like a charm. Also, our site had 30amp electrical service, though it took both of the 30amp cords we carry to reach the power pedestal. There are bathrooms, showers, a dump station, and water fill station on site that campers can use at no additional cost.
Now, let’s get to the fun stuff!
The highlight here is definitely the beach! This is a nice, sandy beach strewn with driftwood, right up next to the crystal-clear, deep blue waters of Lake Superior. It was also a great spot to take in the sunset, though we didn’t have many clouds to make the sunsets interesting. It is difficult to complain about blue skies and sunshine, though! We really loved being able to see the gorgeous views, even while inside the Bigfoot!
Neys is a fairly small park, but there are still a few hiking trails that we took advantage of. First, is the 1.3km, easy Dune Trail. This is a nature trail, but unfortunately, there weren’t any nature trail guides at the beginning to explain what all the number markers meant. We were able to find a summary online that gave us some of the missing information about the trail, though. It starts in the dunes, then travels back into the boreal forest. Similar to The Ridges Sanctuary in Door County, Wisconsin (you can find a blog post about that if you look back a few posts) the dunes were formed by the receding shoreline of the lake. The further back into the trail you go, the older the dunes are, until you find yourself in the boreal forest. If you have never been to the boreal forest, you should try to get there someday. It is one of the most magical and peaceful places we have ever had the privilege of visiting. On this walk, we especially enjoyed learning about the plants of the area, and the large patches of reindeer lichen were spectacular. For it to be such a short trail, it felt like it transported us many miles away!
There are five other trails in the park. The only one we didn’t hike was the Lookout Trail, since it was closed during our visit. The other four can be combined (including a stretch on the road) into a large 14km loop, so that is what we did. Knowing what we know now, we probably would not have completed it as a loop. Instead, we would have taken two days and attacked it from each end, leaving out the Kopa Cove Trail in the middle. Let us explain…
We started at the campground, and first walked the section of the road taking us to the Pic Island Overlook Trail and trailhead. The road section was easy, as you would expect, but once on the Pic Island Overlook Trail, it turned uphill pretty quickly. Other than the uphill, though, this section is still relatively easy, since it is on an old road. The footing is good, but it can get pretty steep in sections. This trail ends at the Pic Island Overlook where there are some pretty interesting flat rocks and a gazebo looking out toward Lake Superior, and, you guessed it…Pic Island. This was a great place to stop for a rest and lunch while enjoying the view. We did see some bear tracks that looked somewhat fresh right beside the gazebo, so we had our heads on a swivel the whole time we were eating!
From the Pic Island Overlook Trail, we headed down the Kopa Cove Trail, and this is the section we would probably skip if we had it to do over. It is rated very difficult, and we absolutely agree with that rating. It immediately gets very steep and very rocky. On this trail we had to be super mindful of every foot placement and we were traveling EXTREMELY slowly. It put a good amount of wear and tear on our knees and ankles, and the section isn’t all that scenic to make it worthwhile. We did attempt to use our trekking poles to help take some of the strain off our legs, but the ground is so spongy that the poles often collapsed way down into the ground. We kept them out and continued to try to use them, but probably would have been better off to just put them back in our backpacks. We were at least glad that we traveled the direction we did, so we were traveling down the steep rocks and not up! This trail ends (or begins, depending on your direction) at Kopa Cove, which is a nice section of rocky and sandy beach.
From Kopa Cove, we continued on to the Under the Volcanoes Trail. Honestly, this trail was not much easier than the Kopa Cove Trail, but we did at least get a few more glimpses of Lake Superior, and were able to navigate a section of very rocky beach as part of the trail. Traveling across these stones was tricky (think rounded basketball-sized rocks stacked on top of each other that you have to make your way across), but we think you could get around this section if you don’t want to risk the rocks.
The Under the Volcanoes Trail ended for us at Prisoners Point, where there are the remnants of some old boats used during the days of logging in the area. We haven’t talked about it yet, but during World War II, Neys was a prisoner of war camp for mostly German prisoners. These prisoners provided labor for the area including on the logging boats that are deteriorating on the rocks of Prisoners Point. The climate around Lake Superior can be pretty unforgiving, so we found it fascinating that there is anything at all left of these old boats from the 1940s! By this point in the day, we were pretty exhausted, but from here, the campground was just a short walk away, down The Point Trail, and then a short walk along the road. We were tired and sore, but felt pretty good about the miles we had covered and all we had seen along the hike! And to make a great day even better, on our entire 14km, 6 hour hike, we only saw one other person. It seems like late May is a great – and very uncrowded – time to visit!
On our final day in the area, we decided that we could stand to give our legs a break, so we opted to leave the park and drive about 45 minutes west to the town of Terrace Bay. This little town hadn’t even really been on our radar, but it turned out to be a pretty great day trip for us. We started with a visit to Aguasabon Falls, which is just a short walk on a boardwalk from the parking area. We aren’t sure what we expected from this waterfall, but it blew us away! It is huge and was absolutely roaring while we were there. On a really warm day, the mist from the falls would serve as great air conditioning! We also loved that we could see Lake Superior in the background! From there we drove back into town to the Terrace Bay Lighthouse. Honestly, this isn’t terribly exciting. It isn’t a real lighthouse, but instead a lookout tower modeled after a lighthouse that is located on the Slate Islands. At any rate, walking to the top is free and gives you a decent view of the town and the lake beyond. Our final stop in Terrace Bay was the Terrace Bay Beach. We were expecting a small beach on a cove with no other amenities, just like the dozens of other beaches along Lake Superior, but this one is actually a pretty big deal! It is part of the Lake Superior National Marine Conservation Area, which means that the government has put some money into it. It is located where the Aguasabon River empties into Lake Superior and has tons of parking, restrooms, a nice boardwalk along the beach with chairs and benches to sit in, picnic tables, a kayak launch, and a beach volleyball court. We even explored beyond the beach a bit and followed a trail that led to some Parks Canada Red Chairs. These are chairs that Parks Canada (Canada’s national park system) places in some of the most beautiful areas of the country to encourage people to slow down and enjoy a gorgeous place, and that is just what we did. We were seemingly alone on the trail, so we gave ourselves permission to sit still and absorb the peace for over an hour.
When we originally booked Neys Provincial Park for 4 nights, we were concerned that it would be too much. That we would get bored. That we wouldn’t find enough to do to occupy our time. We were wrong. We stayed busy for our entire stay and found ourselves wishing for more time to revisit some spots we loved, like the Dunes Trail, and time to just sit and take in the area. If we are guilty of one thing on these trips, it is of falling victim to FOMO; of trying to stay too busy and not really relaxing in the spaces we are in. That is something we need to work on!
Until next time!
