Lake Superior

[GordonThree]

I'm thinking of taking a week or so to make a 'fall color' drive around Lake Superior late Sept or mid-Oct with my travel trailer.

I have to check the web to see when the provincial parks call it quits for the season, and I imagine most of the private campgrounds would be closed by then?

Any suggestions on towns or campgrounds of particular interest along routes 17 and 11? Anything to watch out for?

[Timber]

A nice route for someone from Michigan could be a circle route by crossing at the Sault, travelling north to Wawa on 17, then take 101 from Wawa over to Chapleau and 129 from Chapleau to Thessalon where you're back to highway 17, 50 miles east of the Sault.
You get the colour most of the way to Wawa along with some decent views of Lake Superior, then from Wawa to Chapleau 101 levels out for an easy drive and there's a good opportunity to see moose, from Chapleau to Thessalon the Mississauga River area provides some nice scenery.

[RangerJay]

Sorry - guess I should have attached the operating dates ....

http://www.ontarioparks.com/operatingdates/2014

Jay

[RangerJay]

Here are your Provincial Park Operating Dates. Note that Obatanga is not on the list - it has been closed year round.

Snow is a remote possibility only - and if it does come it won't stay on the ground. We usually count Halloween as the time you can expect snow to stick around till spring ....

Have a great trip.


Jay

[63-Coupe]

There is always the Algoma Central Agawa Canyon Fall Colour Train Tour out of Sault Saint Marie;
Agawa Canyon


Here is the 2014 list of operating dates for Ontario Provincial Parks;

Operating Dates

[kodiakcanuck]

As others noted, snow can fall from mid October and on in this area, but rarely accumulates to much on the ground.

Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park near Thunder Bay is great, as is Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Both close on Oct.14th, as do almost all provincial parks.

Should be a beautiful drive, watch for moose :B

[hclark]

We made the trip Sept 24 to Oct I from Konora to Sault St Marie last year ( 2013 ). The provincial park at Fort Williams was still open on September 27, but most of the other provincial parks and private campgrounds were closed. It was a beautiful trip, but we boondocked on several occasions. Check your map against the gas gauge. sometimes gas stations are only in the towns, and you don’t want to run short. Call ahead to see if a campground is open. We did not see any sign of snow.

[Gruffy]

Snow can fall but it usually does not accumulate before Halloween. Best color is between Wawa and Sault.

Interestingly enough a stretch of hwy 11 between Fort Frances and Shabaqua also gets some nice color.

Just depends on the type of vegetation I guess.

[rexlion]

There's a nice waterfall a few miles SW of Wawa. It was just a mile or so W of 17, "High Falls" I think it was called.

[poncho62]

Most parks in Ontario are generally open until the Canadian Thanksgiving, which is mid Oct. I have seen snow on Thanksgiving as far south as North Bay

[pianotuna]

Hi,

The provincial parks may be open--but there will be no water and no dump sites. There may, or may not be, power.

[naturist]

Kamakazee deer and of course, suicidal bear as well as rampaging moose. Also, snow. Although my daughter lived in the UP for 5 years working on her PhD, she claims she never saw a moose. Of course, the one you don't want to see will be smack in the middle of the road as you round the bend.

She said it often starts snowing there in mid to late September, although there have been snows recorded every single month of the year. So I'd start my visit on south side of the lake, around Sault St Marie so that by the time you've gotten to the west end and the lake effect snows kick in, you'll be headed around the "dry" side.