Camping trip to Sault Ste. Marie and Mackinac Island, Lake Superior Provincial Park, Ivanhoe P.P., Kettle Lakes P.P., Marten River P.P. and Killbear P.P. Our 2017 camping trip to north and north east Ontario was a soggy one at times with the entire region experiencing significantly cooler temps and much more rainfall than normal. Fortunately our new Flagstaff 26RBWS kept us plenty dry, though our sheltie Ranger seemed to always enjoy chasing the rain drops.
Our first stop was just a short one at Grundy Provincial Park. There had been so much rain that our booked site was unusable, but being June, there were dryer alternatives available. From there we travelled to the KOA in Sault Ste. Marie. This is the nicest private campground we've ever encountered and they offer an amazing service - they will care for your dog while you take a day trip. So with Ranger in good hands we headed south of the border to Mackinac Island. It was like stepping back in time. Beautiful, and well worth the trip.
From the Sault we headed north to Lake Superior Provincial Park, Agawa Bay Campground. This is a huge and incredible park with ancient pictographs and water falls to hike. The weather on Canada Day (July 1) was 10 degrees with a constant drizzle, but the hike along the Sand River was heartwarming.
Next stop was Ivanhoe Provincial Park, The waterfront site was beautiful, unlike the hiking which was far less picturesque.
Kettle Lakes Provincial Park east of Timmins was our next stop. From there we visited Cochrane and the Polar Bear Sanctuary, and Dream Acres Alpaca Farm. The polar bears were fantastic and we got to spend 20 minutes alone with one of the bear keepers - amazing. At Dream Acres a sign directed us to call the farm owner's cell number as he was working in the pens and fields. Less than two minutes later he arrived and gave us a private tour of the farm and a history lesson on Alpacas. He then opened the small store they have on site stocked with mittens, socks, sweaters etc made from the fleece of their Alpacas.
Next stop, Marten River Provincial Park between Temagami and North Bay. Marten River is a nice park but the highlight for us was its logging museum. It was a quiet day so the park staffperson working took it upon herself to give us a private tour and history lesson. North Bay itself is a very nice town with a beautiful waterfront on Lake Nippissing.
From Marten River we headed south to Killbear Provincial Park. Killbear is a fantastic park, if not a little busy at times. There's beautiful hiking, sandy and rocky beaches (your choice), and lots of wildlife including the elusive Massassauga rattle snake.
Despite the exceptionally soggy weather at times, and the much cooler than normal temps, this was a fantastic camping trip. Our Ram Copperhead and Flagstaff 26RBWS Ultra Lite trailer (sister to the Rockwood 2606WS) performed exceptionally well. We hadn't traveled to many of these locales before and now look forward to returning.
