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Exploring Thunder Bay

Beauty is all around Lake Superior's biggest town.

To know Thunder Bay is to love Thunder Bay.

Lake Superior's largest town is hard to get to know, though, in part because it was two towns until 1970. No downtown pops out of the landscape; people driving through see only the flat sprawl of Fort William, then the hillier sprawl of Port Arthur.

But Thunder Bay's surroundings are spectacular: Mount McKay on the south, Kakabeka Falls to the west and Ouimet and Eagle canyons to the north.

To the east, the Sleeping Giant stretches across the horizon. This 32-mile-long peninsula was voted No. 1 of Seven Wonders of Canada last year, when the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. polled its audience; it received twice as many votes as Niagara Falls, the runner-up. "I could sit and look at it for hours,'' said Sabine Leidums, one of those who nominated it.

At sunset, the view of Sleeping Giant from Port Arthur's Marina Park is mesmerizing. The breakwall light station gleams in the waning rays, and fleecy banks of pink and blue clouds float over the peninsula. Ojibwe legend identifies it as the spirit Naniboujou, who turned to stone when white men found the secret mine at Silver Islet.

Thunder Bay's best lies along water. On the south edge of town, old-fashioned Chippewa Park has amusement rides, a wildlife park, tourist cabins and a beach on Lake Superior. On the northern edge of town, Trowbridge Falls, Centennial Park and Boulevard Lake lie along the Current River, a favorite destination of paddlers.

My favorite part of Thunder Bay is Fort William Historical Park, on the Kaministiquia River west of town. It's the continent's largest reconstructed fur post, with a legion of living-history players amid 42 buildings on 20 acres.

The original post, moved from Grand Portage in 1803 to the mouth of the Kaministiquia, was a nerve center of the international fur trade. This post, nine miles upstream, is owned and run by the Ontario government, and it's a world-class tourist attraction.

When we were there, we joined families from France and the Czech Republic on the wooded trail to the post. At the wharf, we met Toronto couple Pat Viscount and Brooke Harrison, who were winding up a tourist itinerary that included hiking at Silver Islet and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, walking the suspension bridges at Eagle Canyon and visiting 120-foot High Falls on the U.S. border.

"We haven't stopped the whole week,'' Harrison said. "Now we have to go home to rest.''

The action never stopped at Fort William, either. A Montreal canoe was approaching, bearing a Métis women coming to accept a promise of marriage to a company clerk. A dance followed, accompanied by a bagpiper, and then a contract worker named Mr. Bassett confronted haughty William McGillivray, the company partner for whom the post was named. A duel ensued, and Mr. Bassett ended up with a musket ball in his arm.

Everyone stayed in character, unless we asked questions that couldn't be answered by someone living in 1815. We stayed until the place closed, then drove farther up the Kaministiquia to 128-foot Kakabeka Falls. It was no delicate northwoods cascade; it earns its nickname "Niagara of the North'' by roaring over a wide shelf into a large gorge lined with rock cliffs, which gave the falls its aboriginal name.

We still had plenty of time to go down to the old Canadian Northern depot and eat Chinese food at the Waterfront Restaurant. In Marina Park, a punk band was playing and families strolled along the lakefront eating ice-cream cones and kettle corn.

Thunder Bay's strength is in neighborhoods that still have one foot in the Old World. In the morning, we joined the pilgrimage to the Hoito in the basement of the Finnish Labour Temple, now the Finlandia Club. Founded in 1918 to supply young bushworkers with low-cost meals — Hoito means "care'' in Finnish — it now feeds both locals and tourists, many of whom come for the famous crepe-like pancakes.

There's always a big line on weekend mornings, but we slipped around it and sat next to Gordon Johnston at the counter. The Thunder Bay native, now a poetry professor in Peterborough, Ont., said even his lawyer asked about the Hoito when he heard Johnston was heading west.

In Canada, Thunder Bay also is known for Terry Fox, the 21-year-old athlete who lost a leg to cancer and began a run across Canada in 1980, completing 26 miles each day in a Marathon of Hope. Just northeast of Thunder Bay, advancing cancer forced him to stop. A memorial and visitors center mark the site and is a popular destination.

Johnston saw Fox running near Wawa, on the other side of Lake Superior.

"It was a thrilling moment in my life,'' he said. "He went by and lifted his hand as we applauded.''

Next to the Hoito, we stopped at Authentique, which carries many versions of an inuksuk, the rock cairn that is the symbol of the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver.

"They're sentinels to travelers in Canada's north country,'' said clerk Georgia Muncaster. "Every piece represents perfect balance; each part of the whole is crucial to its existence.''

Somehow, we started talking about bakeries, and Muncaster recommended three that serve the local favorite, a jam-filled doughnut called a Persian. Instead, we walked to the adjoining Italian neighborhood and bought a bag of cannoli and cream puffs at La Dolce Vita.

Then we walked to the Maltese Grocery and joined the queue at the meat counter, where eight people were busy making sandwiches and doling out salami and sausage. When it was our turn, a friendly young woman told us that first we needed to pick out freshly baked buns.

"First-timers, eh?'' she asked with a smile.

When I go to Thunder Bay, I eat. This trip, I also collected the local candy bars — Mr. Big, Eat More, Wunderbar. To an American, Thunder Bay is just exotic enough.

Trip Tips: Thunder Bay in summer

Getting there: It's four hours north of Duluth. Eastern Standard Time starts at the Minnesota border, so you'll lose an hour. Be sure to have a passport or a birth certificate with government-issued photo I.D. If you're bringing a child not your own, you must have notarized permission from parents. For complete information, check travel.state.gov.

2008 events: June 25 through Aug. 20, free Wednesday-evening Summer in the Parks concerts in Marina Park. July 1, Canada Day in Marina Park. July 4-6, Blues Festival in Marina Park. July 10-14, Great Rendezvous at Fort William Historical Park. July 18-19, Dragon Boat Festival on Boulevard Lake. July 26-27, Battle of Fort William at the historical park. Aug. 15-17, Anishinawbe Keeshigun at Fort William, northwest Ontario's largest competition powwow.

Accommodations: The 1911 Prince Arthur Hotel on Cumberland, overlooking the marina and Sibley Peninsula, is well-located and has fantastic views. It has nice rooms and a pool (if that is important to you, however, call to make sure it's open) and is near good restaurants and delis. Standard rooms have fridges and microwaves; ask for an upper-floor lake-view room. Some TripAdvisor reviewers savage the place, but I've stayed there three times and always had a pleasant experience. 800-267-2675, www.princearthurwaterfront.ca.

The White Fox Inn, at the foot of the Nor'Wester Mountains was built in 1962 for the president of the paper mill. Nine rooms, all with fireplaces and whirlpools, include a hot breakfast delivered on fine china and crystal; movies also are delivered to the door. Rooms go for $110-$219 Canadian; with a candlelit four-course dinner in the top-notch restaurant and a split of champagne, they're $180-$299. 1-800-603-3699, www.whitefox.com.

On the southern edge of town, Chippewa Park has cabins and camping, www.chippewapark.ca, 1-888-711-5094. 807-623-3912.

The Superior Motel at 446 N. Cumberland St. is a mom-and-pop operation that has excellent reviews on TripAdvisor, 807-345-1408.

Thunder Bay International Hostel is halfway between Thunder Bay and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and offers motel-style rooms for $20 per person. There's also a kitchen where guests can prepare meals and free use of bicycles. 807-983-2042, www.thunderbayhostel.com

From May through late August, Lakehead University offers lodgings. Single rooms are $30, $40 with mini-fridge, and basic doubles are $50 for two. Four-bedroom apartments and townhouses are $140, $200 with TV and all appliances and utensils. The apartments have two baths; the two-level townhouses have one bath and a back patio. To reserve, call 807-343-8485.

Confederation College also rents rooms, 807-475-6110. Sleeping Giant Guesthouse at 139 Machar Ave. is walking distance to the Hoito and marina, 866-424-5687. Thunder Bay International Hostel is outside town on the way to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, 807-983-2042.

On the Current River, on the north side of town, Trowbridge Falls is a wooded municipal campground that's close to Centennial Park and Boulevard Lake, 807-683-6661 in summer, 807-625-2313 in the off-season.

There are also many B&Bs in Thunder Bay, including two with convenient locations in Port Arthur: Little Pearl, in the Italian/Finnish neighborhood, 807-346-8700, and McVicar Manor, close to Marina Park, 807-344-9300.

Dining: For a splurge, go to Bistro One, 555 Dunlop St. It's open Tuesday-Saturday. Reserve at 807-622-2478, www.bistroone.ca.

The Hoito, 314 Bay St., is open daily and doesn't take reservations; on weekend mornings, prepare to wait in line (or walk right in and take a seat at the counter).

Armando Fine Italian Cuisine, run by gregarious Armando Volpe, is across the street from the Prince Arthur, 807-344-5833.

For microbrews, try Great White North Craft Brewery, 269 Red River Road, 807-767-1099.

Fort William Historical Park: It's on the west edge of town; from Canada 61, take Broadway Avenue west. Summer admission is $13.08, $11.21 for youths 13-17 and $9.35 for children 6-12. For a family of four, it's $35.51. Hotels often offer discounts. Its cafe has reasonably priced sandwiches, soups and pie. 807-473-2333, www.fwhp.ca.

Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park: It's not far north of Fort William and west of the airport off Arthur Street/Canada 11/17.

Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park: Ouimet is a gorge with viewing platforms about 40 miles northeast of Thunder Bay. Nearby, tourists can walk across privately owned Eagle Canyon on 600- and 300-foot-long suspension bridges, 807-857-1475.

Sleeping Giant Provincial Park: The park is an hour east of Thunder Bay and has 80 kilometers of hiking trails. The most popular is the hike to the Sleeping Giant, which takes six to 11 hours; many people rent mountain bikes from the cottage community at Silver Islet and ride the first section. Campsites can be reserved five months in advance, 807-977-2526.

Canoe and kayak rentals: Wilderness Supply Co., 244 Pearl St. in Port Arthur, rents and sells outdoors equipment, 807-684-9555.

Winter sports: See Downhill in Thunder Bay.

Information: 800-667-8386, www.visitthunderbay.com. On the north edge of town, stop at the Terry Fox Information Centre, 800-667-8386.

Last updated on October 22, 2008