Road Trip Toronto to Cochrane – Polar Bear Express
Toronto
Cochrane
700
km
8h
drive
Summer
season
The Itinerary
This is one of the longest drives in southern Ontario and it ends where the road network effectively stops. Cochrane sits about 700 km north of Toronto in the clay belt, and it is the southern terminus of the Polar Bear Express, the passenger train that runs north to Moosonee near the shore of James Bay. Moosonee has no road connection to the rest of Canada; it is reached by rail or by air, and the train is the practical link for the communities along the line.
The drive follows Highway 400 and then Highway 11 north through Barrie, Huntsville and North Bay, then on through Temiskaming Shores, the silver-mining town of Cobalt, Kirkland Lake and Iroquois Falls. Plan it as two days rather than one; the distances between services stretch considerably north of North Bay, and the highway carries heavy truck traffic. Cochrane itself is home to the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, a large sanctuary that houses polar bears which cannot be released to the wild.
The train takes roughly five hours each way and is best treated as an overnight rather than a same-day return. Moosonee sits on the Moose River, and a short boat crossing reaches Moose Factory Island, a Cree community established around a Hudson's Bay Company post founded in 1673 — one of the oldest English-speaking settlements in Ontario. Book train seats and accommodation well ahead, check the seasonal schedule before committing, and expect genuine subarctic weather.
The drive follows Highway 400 and then Highway 11 north through Barrie, Huntsville and North Bay, then on through Temiskaming Shores, the silver-mining town of Cobalt, Kirkland Lake and Iroquois Falls. Plan it as two days rather than one; the distances between services stretch considerably north of North Bay, and the highway carries heavy truck traffic. Cochrane itself is home to the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat, a large sanctuary that houses polar bears which cannot be released to the wild.
The train takes roughly five hours each way and is best treated as an overnight rather than a same-day return. Moosonee sits on the Moose River, and a short boat crossing reaches Moose Factory Island, a Cree community established around a Hudson's Bay Company post founded in 1673 — one of the oldest English-speaking settlements in Ontario. Book train seats and accommodation well ahead, check the seasonal schedule before committing, and expect genuine subarctic weather.
Points of Interest
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✦
Polar Bear HabitatThe largest polar bear sanctuary in the world.
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✦
Polar Bear ExpressTrain to Moosonee, five hours into the subarctic.
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✦
Moose FactoryCree community on James Bay, and a national historic site.
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✦
Tim Horton MuseumCochrane is the birthplace of founder Tim Horton.
Fishing Spots Along the Route
Protected areas along the route
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Urban Areas
General Use Area
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Nipissing and Himsworth Area
General Use Area
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MANITOU ISLANDS PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURE RESERVE CLASS)
Provincial Park
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CALLANDER BAY WETLAND CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
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WIDDIFIELD FOREST PROVINCIAL PARK (NATURAL ENVIRONMENT CLASS)
Provincial Park
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SOUTH BAY PROVINCIAL PARK (RECREATIONAL CLASS)
Provincial Park
🌿
FISH BAY CONSERVATION RESERVE
Conservation Reserve
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Critical Aggregate Areas
General Use Area
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South River-Veuve River Area
General Use Area
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Trout Lake Mattawa-River Area
General Use Area
🌿
Lake Nipissing Area
General Use Area
🌿
Tomiko Lake Area
General Use Area
Take this route offline
Cell coverage thins out fast once you leave Toronto. 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 Toronto
- Destination Cochrane
- Distance 700 km
- Duration 8h
- Category Very long (500+ km)
- Best season Summer
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