Planning a Circle Tour of Lake Superior
For a great vacation, follow the shores of Lake Superior.
© Torsten Muller
Kakabeka Falls in Thunder Bay often is called the Niagara of the North.
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 the 1,300-mile Circle Tour isn't easy, because you need a new place to stay every night or two. It would be nice to be able to stop when you feel like it, but in summer, you risk being turned away or getting the worst place in town.
So it's best to reserve a place for every night. Late winter and spring is the time to start nailing down plans.
I've gone on the Circle Tour twice, once in late June-early July and 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.
For a 10-day, nine-night sample itinerary, with a list of the best places to stay, see Lake Superior's greatest hits.
For an overview of what you'll see on the trip, see Circling Superior.
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. Canadian schools don't get out until the end of June, so tourism is light there until then.
Blueberry-picking season starts in late July. On the south shore, swimming is best in August.
Fall colors can be spectacular — expect peak the last week of September and the first week of October — but
weather may be chilly and even blustery.
How to plan: First, get Lake Superior magazine’s annual Travel Guide, which comes with a map. The guide is free with a subscription or
available at newsstands and bookstores.
Or, call for the map alone (free, but postage and handling is $2.95).
© Beth Gauper
Pictured Rocks sightseeing boats pass the wooden lighthouse on Grand Island.
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.
The Great Lakes Information Network is another good
source of information, with many useful links to resources and recently published articles.
2012 events: People who like to watch Great Lakes freighters should be in Sault Ste. Marie June 24 for Engineers Day, when the public can walk across
the lock walls. On June 30, join the International Bridge Walk.
There's a Great Tugboat Parade through the locks July 1 and Great Tugboat Races July 2.
Canada Day is July 1 and celebrated in Canadian towns everywhere.
Madeline Island has a fun parade on July 4, followed by historical figures giving patriotic speeches.
In Thunder Bay, events include Blues Festival, July 6-8; the Battle for Fort William at Fort William Historical Park, July 28-29; and the Dragon Boat Race Festival in mid-July.
In Grand Marais, watch for the Wooden Boat Show, June 22-24; Arts Festival, July 14-15; the North Shore Dragon Boat Festival, July 27-29; and Fisherman’s Picnic, Aug. 2-5.
In Grand Portage, the Rendezvous and Powwow is Aug. 10-12, and the surrounding area books up a year in advance.
Paradise, Mich., near Whitefish Point Shipwreck Museum, celebrates Wild Blueberry Festival Aug. 17-19.
In Superior, Wis., the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival is Aug. 24-25.
For more, see Waking the dragon.
Crossing borders: U.S. citizens 16 and over need a passport or passport card. For details and updates, check government requirements.
Children need a birth certificate or other proof of citizenship. If you’re bringing a child who is not your own, you need notarized consent from both parents.
And don't bring the family pit bull — Ontario bans pit bulls.
Motorcyclists: Helmets are required in Michigan and Ontario. If you try to cross the Canadian border without one, you'll be turned away.
© Beth Gauper
The Sawtooth Mountains rise behind Grand Marais and its harbor on Minnesota's North Shore.
Bicyclists: It's a long slog on the more remote stretches in Ontario, especially between Marathon and Sault Ste.
Marie. People do it, but it doesn't look fun.
To do a partial Circle Tour on the less-isolated southern part and also see Isle Royale, take the ferry from Grand Portage, Minn., to Rock Harbor and then another ferry to Copper Harbor, Mich.
For more, see Isle Royale
reverie.
Information: Duluth, 800-438-5884. See Duluth stories.
Thunder Bay, 800-667-8386. See Exploring Thunder Bay.
Ontario’s North of Superior, 800-265-3951.
Ontario Parks, 800-668-2746.
Naturally Superior Adventures in Rossport, 807-824-3314. For more, see Kayaking the Rossport Islands.
Pukaskwa National Park (pronounced PUCK-a-saw), 807-229-0801. Campers shouldn't miss this large and beautiful park along Lake Superior.
Most people in cars do because it's a 40-minute detour each way from the Trans-Canada Highway.
© Beth Gauper
At the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, the Coast Guard crew's quarters now is a B&B.
Lake Superior Provincial Park, 705-882-2026.
Wawa, 800-367-9292, Ext. 260.
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 705-949-7152.
Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., 800-647-2858. See Locking through the Soo.
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, 906-387-3700. See Michigan's Pictured Rocks.
Marquette Country, 800-544-4321. See The beauty of Yooper land.
Keweenaw Peninsula, 906-337-4579. See Digging the Keweenaw.
Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State
Park, 906-885-5275. See Afoot in the
Porkies.
Bayfield, 800-447-4094. See Beloved Bayfield and Madeline's magnetism.
Superior, 800-942-5313. See Plainly Superior.
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