Camp at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

We drove into Marie Louise Lake Campground in the afternoon of the off season and found the campground office closed. Luckily for us, there is a pay kiosk that takes credit cards (bonus) so after we drove around to find a walk-up site we came back to pay for one night and then planned to talk to the ranger in the morning.

There are a variety of campsites in this particular campground. All campsites have designated fire pits and picnic tables and are walking distance to water taps and vault toilets. Some are designed for tents while others an accommodate larger recreational vehicles, so its worth it to take a loop or two around the campground and pick out the best one.

We were able to snag site #165 that backed up to the water, was very level, and fit our 27' Airstream rather nicely. We were able to watch the sunset over the lake and had great views of the Sleeping Giant across the water. In late September, the campground was fairly empty and quiet.

Since we love hiking, we were tempted to try to the Top of the Giant Trail but from the campground it would have involved a long bike trip, followed by a fairly steep ascent and we eventually decided we weren't prepared enough for that.

Instead, we drove out Thunder Bay Lookout Road where they've placed a cantilever observation deck at the top of some of the highest cliffs in Ontario, CA. We had sweeping views of Lake Superior and the town of Thunder Bay across the large lake. Looking down was fairly dizzying as we were pretty high up! We also walked along the Kabeyun Trail for a half mile or so and found our stone friend and some other great spots overlooking the lake.

Another easy day hike is the Sea Lion Trail - a 2.5km round trip trail to a lookout over Lake Superior and the rock formation named "Sea Lion". Unfortunately the Lion's head dropped into the lake years ago, so now it just looks like an arch, but its still a pleasant walk!

There are also plenty of backcountry camping sites (all first come, first served), and the visitor center rents out canoes when its open during peak season.

Sleeping Giant Provincial park is a beautiful example of Ontario's amazing park system and I high recommend visiting!