Staff Pick
Road Trip Sudbury to Sault Ste. Marie – North Shore of Lake Huron
Sudbury
Sault Ste. Marie
300
km
3h30
drive
All seasons
season
The Itinerary
The stretch of Trans-Canada Highway 17 between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie follows the North Channel, the arm of Lake Huron sheltered behind Manitoulin Island. It is about 300 km of Canadian Shield: granite roadcuts, birch and pine, and repeated openings where the highway swings close to water that runs a startling pale turquoise over limestone shallows. Sailors rate the North Channel among the finest cruising grounds in fresh water, and much of the drive looks out over it.
Heading west from Sudbury you pass Espanola, the pulp-mill town that is also the junction for Highway 6 down to Manitoulin Island. Beyond it come Blind River, Thessalon and Bruce Mines, the last of these the site of one of the earliest copper mines in Canada, worked from the 1840s. Serpent River and the Mississagi River cross the route, and the roadside picnic areas along the channel are the natural stopping points. Services thin between towns but never disappear.
Sault Ste. Marie at the western end sits on the rapids of the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, and its lock system carries shipping around them. The Agawa Canyon Tour Train leaves from the city and runs 183 km north into the Shield to a canyon floor, operating roughly June through October; the autumn departures, when the hardwood turns, are the ones that sell out first. Book those weeks ahead. Late September is the best time to drive this whole route.
Heading west from Sudbury you pass Espanola, the pulp-mill town that is also the junction for Highway 6 down to Manitoulin Island. Beyond it come Blind River, Thessalon and Bruce Mines, the last of these the site of one of the earliest copper mines in Canada, worked from the 1840s. Serpent River and the Mississagi River cross the route, and the roadside picnic areas along the channel are the natural stopping points. Services thin between towns but never disappear.
Sault Ste. Marie at the western end sits on the rapids of the St. Marys River between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, and its lock system carries shipping around them. The Agawa Canyon Tour Train leaves from the city and runs 183 km north into the Shield to a canyon floor, operating roughly June through October; the autumn departures, when the hardwood turns, are the ones that sell out first. Book those weeks ahead. Late September is the best time to drive this whole route.
Points of Interest
-
✦
Agawa Canyon Tour TrainAn eight-hour return trip into a spectacular canyon, at its best in autumn.
-
✦
Lake Huron North Shore300 km of empty beaches and turquoise coves.
-
✦
Bridal Veil Falls (Manitoulin)An accessible waterfall you can walk behind.
-
✦
Sault Ste. Marie CanalNational historic site, and the smallest operating lock in the world.
Fishing Spots Along the Route
Protected areas along the route
🌿
MISSISSAGI DELTA PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
Highways No 6 and No 17 Hinterlands
General Use Area
🌿
Aggregate Areas
General Use Area
🌿
Moose Mountain / Worthington / Coniston
General Use Area
🌿
DAISY LAKE UPLANDS PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
Urban Areas
General Use Area
🌿
Matinenda/Lauzon System
General Use Area
🌿
SHAKESPEARE FOREST CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
🌿
LaCloche Mountains
General Use Area
🌿
NORTH CHANNEL INSHORE PROVINCIAL PARK (WATERWAY CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
LA CLOCHE RIDGE CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
🌿
TILTON FOREST CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
Take this route offline
Cell coverage thins out fast once you leave Sudbury. 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 Sudbury
- Destination Sault Ste. Marie
- Distance 300 km
- Duration 3h30
- Category Long (250–500 km)
- Best season All seasons
Plan your adventure with our interactive map
Open the map