Road Trip Thunder Bay to Sleeping Giant
Thunder Bay
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
100
km
1h30
drive
Summer
season
The Itinerary
The Sleeping Giant is the landform that defines Thunder Bay: a mesa formation roughly 11 km long lying across the entrance to the harbour, whose profile from the city reads unmistakably as a reclining human figure with folded arms. Ojibwe tradition identifies it as Nanabijou, turned to stone. Geologically it is a diabase sill capping softer sedimentary rock, and its cliffs are the highest in Ontario and among the highest in Canada east of the Rockies, standing about 250 m above Lake Superior.
The drive from Thunder Bay is about 100 km, east on Highway 11/17 and then south down the Sibley Peninsula on Highway 587, a dead-end road that runs the length of the park. Top of the Giant is the signature hike and should not be underestimated: roughly 22 km return with a steep final climb, a full day for a fit walker, ending on the cliff edge with the lake spread out below. Shorter options include the Sea Lion Trail, an easy 2 km walk to a narrow rock arch on the shore, and the Thunder Bay Lookout, which is reached by road and has a platform cantilevered over the drop.
On the way out of the city the Terry Fox Memorial stands above the highway near the point where the Marathon of Hope ended in September 1980, with a view back over the giant. The park has a campground at Marie Louise Lake. Black flies are serious in June; September is the ideal month.
The drive from Thunder Bay is about 100 km, east on Highway 11/17 and then south down the Sibley Peninsula on Highway 587, a dead-end road that runs the length of the park. Top of the Giant is the signature hike and should not be underestimated: roughly 22 km return with a steep final climb, a full day for a fit walker, ending on the cliff edge with the lake spread out below. Shorter options include the Sea Lion Trail, an easy 2 km walk to a narrow rock arch on the shore, and the Thunder Bay Lookout, which is reached by road and has a platform cantilevered over the drop.
On the way out of the city the Terry Fox Memorial stands above the highway near the point where the Marathon of Hope ended in September 1980, with a view back over the giant. The park has a campground at Marie Louise Lake. Black flies are serious in June; September is the ideal month.
Points of Interest
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Top of the GiantA demanding 22 km hike to the summit and a 360-degree view.
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✦
Sea Lion TrailEasy 2 km walk out to a rock arch on Lake Superior.
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Thunder Bay LookoutDrive-up lookout with a view of the Giant.
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Terry Fox MemorialWhere the Marathon of Hope came to an end in 1980.
Protected areas along the route
🌿
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Waterlot Addition
Recommended Provincial Park
🌿
SLEEPING GIANT PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
Thunder Bay Urban Area
General Use Area
🌿
Rural Areas
General Use Area
🌿
EDWARD ISLAND PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
PORPHYRY ISLAND PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
SLEEPING GIANT WILDERNESS AREA
Wilderness Area
🌿
Lake Superior
General Use Area
🌿
Pie Island and Flatland Island General Use Area
General Use Area
🌿
THOMPSON ISLAND PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
KAKABEKA FALLS PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
Western Lake Superior Conservation Reserve
Recommended Conservation Reserve
Take this route offline
Cell coverage thins out fast once you leave Thunder 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 Thunder Bay
- Destination Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
- Distance 100 km
- Duration 1h30
- Category Short (< 100 km)
- Best season Summer
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