Road Trip North Bay to Temagami – Old-Growth Forest
North Bay
Temagami
110
km
1h18
drive
Summer
season
The Itinerary
Temagami is a byword in Ontario for old-growth white pine. Roughly a hundred stands of red and white pine over two centuries old survive in the district, one of the largest concentrations left anywhere, and the tall-pine landscape here was the subject of long and bitter conservation battles through the 1980s and 1990s. Lake Temagami itself is a many-armed body of water holding around 1,200 islands, and its shoreline is so convoluted that the lake has far more coast than its area suggests.
The drive from North Bay is about 110 km straight up Highway 11, through Marten River and past a string of smaller lakes. The Temagami Fire Tower stands on Caribou Mountain above the village, a 30 m steel tower on the highest ground in the area, reachable by a short climb from the parking area or on foot from town; the platform looks out over a very large expanse of forest and water. Finlayson Point Provincial Park sits on the lake at the edge of the village and provides the campground and beach.
This is canoe country above all. The district carries an extensive network of historic Anishinaabe routes and portages, and outfitters in the village handle rentals and shuttles. Bear Island, out in the lake, is the community of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai. Old-growth stands can be walked at White Bear Forest, adjoining the village. Access to the lake's islands is by boat only. Summer and early autumn are the seasons; the black flies peak in June.
The drive from North Bay is about 110 km straight up Highway 11, through Marten River and past a string of smaller lakes. The Temagami Fire Tower stands on Caribou Mountain above the village, a 30 m steel tower on the highest ground in the area, reachable by a short climb from the parking area or on foot from town; the platform looks out over a very large expanse of forest and water. Finlayson Point Provincial Park sits on the lake at the edge of the village and provides the campground and beach.
This is canoe country above all. The district carries an extensive network of historic Anishinaabe routes and portages, and outfitters in the village handle rentals and shuttles. Bear Island, out in the lake, is the community of the Teme-Augama Anishnabai. Old-growth stands can be walked at White Bear Forest, adjoining the village. Access to the lake's islands is by boat only. Summer and early autumn are the seasons; the black flies peak in June.
Points of Interest
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✦
Temagami Fire TowerA 30 m observation tower with a panoramic view over the region.
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✦
Old-Growth White PineWhite pines more than 300 years old, with interpretive trails.
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✦
Lake Temagami1,200 islands, canoe camping and lakeside cottages.
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✦
Bear IslandTeme-Augama Anishnabai community, with art and culture.
Protected areas along the route
🌿
White Bear Forest
Enhanced Management Area
🌿
FINLAYSON POINT PROVINCIAL PARK (RECREATIONAL CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
Urban Areas
General Use Area
🌿
Town of Temagami
General Use Area
🌿
WHITE BEAR FOREST CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
🌿
Nipissing and Himsworth Area
General Use Area
🌿
Rabbit Lake/Cassels Lake
Enhanced Management Area
🌿
MANITOU ISLANDS PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
RABBIT LAKE WEST CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
🌿
CALLANDER BAY WETLAND CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
🌿
Jackpine Lake
General Use Area
🌿
Lorrain Lake
Enhanced Management Area
Take this route offline
Cell coverage thins out fast once you leave North Bay. Export the map as a geo-referenced PDF before you go and open it in BorealMaps — your GPS position shows on the map with no signal at all.
Try PDF Export How geo-referenced PDF maps workPractical info
- Departure North Bay
- Destination Temagami
- Distance 110 km
- Duration 1h18
- Category Medium (100–250 km)
- Best season Summer
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