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Planning the perfect Circle Tour

For a great vacation, follow the shores of a great lake.

Of all the vacations a person can take in this region, a Circle Tour of Lake Superior may be the best.

It appeals to waterfall watchers, lighthouse fans and history buffs. It's a magnet for kayakers and hikers. It makes a great honeymoon and also a great family trip, because small children adore the many pebble beaches.

You can do it in a car or a motorcycle; you can camp or stay in motels. It’s all things to all people, the perfect vacation for anyone who loves the outdoors.

However, planning a Circle Tour isn't easy, because you need a new place to stay every night or two. It would be nice to stop when you feel like it, but in summer, you risk being turned away or getting the worst place in town. Now is the time to reserve.

I've gone on the Circle Tour twice, once in late June and early July, once in late July. I went clockwise the first time, counterclockwise the second. Both worked; how you plan depends on what you want to do along the way.

Here are tips to get you started. Below, you'll find a sample itinerary with a hard-won list of the best places to stay.

How to plan: First, get Lake Superior magazine’s annual Travel Guide. It’s free with a subscription, $22.95, or $8.95 at newsstands and bookstores. You can order it at 888-244-5253, www.lakesuperior.com; shipping is $4.95.

Consult the guide's map chart and decide how much time you want to spend driving each day. Then, see if there's an event you want to catch and build your itinerary around that.

Events: Canada Day is July 1 and celebrated in Canadian towns everywhere. People who like to watch Great Lakes freighters should be in Sault Ste. Marie June 27, for Engineers Day, when the public can walk across the lock walls, and June 28, for the International Bridge Walk and Tugboat Parade through the lock.

In Thunder Bay, events include Blues Festival, July 4-6; Great Rendezvous at Fort William, July 10-14; and Dragon Boat Race Festival, July 18-19.

In Grand Marais, watch for the Art Fair, July 12-13; North Shore Dragon Boat and Kayak Festivals, July 25-27; and Fisherman’s Picnic, July 31-Aug. 3.

In Grand Portage, the Rendezvous and Powwow is Aug. 8-10, and the surrounding area books up early.

In Superior, Wis., the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival is Aug. 22-23.

When to go: Late May and June are least crowded and rates usually are lower, though weather is unpredictable and black flies are heaviest. From mid-June, festivals, attractions and tours are at full throttle. On the south shore, swimming is best in July and August. Fall colors are spectacular.

What to bring: You need a passport or birth certificate to drive across the border and return. If you’re bringing a child who is not your own, you need notarized consent from both parents.

Information: Duluth, 800-438-5884, www.visitduluth.com.

Thunder Bay, 800-667-8386, www.visitthunderbay.com.

Ontario’s North of Superior, 800-265-395, www.nosta.on.ca.

Ontario Parks, 800-668-2746.

Superior Outfitters in Rossport, 1-807-824-3314, www.superioroutfitters.on.ca. Full-day tours are $80. 

Pukaskwa National Park (pronounced PUCK-a-saw), 807-229-0801. Campers shouldn't miss this large lakefront park. Most people in cars do because it's a good distance off the Trans-Canada Highway.

Lake Superior Provincial Park, 705-882-2026, www.lakesuperiorpark.ca.

Wawa, 800-367-9292, Ext. 260, www.wawa.cc.

Sault Ste. Marie, 800-647-2858, www.saultstemarie.com on the Michigan side, 705-949-7152, www.sault-canada.com on the Ontario side.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 906-387-3700, www.nps.gov/piro.

Keweenaw Peninsula, 906-337-4579, www.keweenaw.info.

Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, 906-885-5275, www.Michigan.gov/dnr, www.porcupinemountains.com.

Bayfield, 800-447-4094, www.bayfield.org. For tickets to Big Top shows, 888-244-8368, www.bigtop.org.

Superior, 800-942-5313, www.visitdouglascounty.com.

Last updated on May 20, 2008