Roundtrip: 5 km
Mary Island
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Thunder Bay, ON
Hike on the ice from the Silver Harbour conservation area to Mary Island.
Silver Harbour is a busy ice fishing spot in the winter. This year ice boat races are being held there.
Remember hiking out on the ice is not for beginners. You need to be able to determine if the ice is safe, have the proper safety gear with you and know what do if someone does go through the ice. You will also need to use a compass or GPS to navigate across the ice if it begins to snow or if the wind comes up and you can no longer see the shoreline.
Silver Harbour Conservation Area is located on Silver Harbour Rd. in the Township of Shuniah. From the City, drive east along Lakeshore Dr. to Silver Harbour Rd. Turn right (south) on this road and follow the signs.
Popularity: 11% [?]
Tags: ice hike, mary island, silver harbor, silver harbour
Roundtrip: 1 km +
MacKenzie Point
Difficulty: Easy
Location: Thunder Bay, ON
MacKenzie Point is one of those places that surprisingly few local people have visited. It is a small rock outcrop on Lake Superior that is perfect watching the waves crash in or for an evening picnic. The views of Lake Superior and the Sleeping Giant are beautiful, especially at sunset.
In the winter you can hike over the ice from MacKenzie Point up the MacKenzie River as far as you can –depending on the ice conditions.
From Thunder Bay, take Highway 11/17 east 20 km to Lakeshore Drive and turn right (west) onto Lakeshore Dr. After just 100 metres, turn left onto Coral Beach Rd. (at Fire Hall) and follow the road across the railroad tracks. Keep left and follow the road to where it ends at the parking area.
Popularity: 17% [?]
Tags: ice hike, lake superior, mackenzie point, mackenzie river
Roundtrip: 2 km
Misson Marsh
Difficulty: Easy
Location: Thunder Bay, ON
Mission Island Marsh is one of the places locals will take tourists to when they are showing them the sights. It is easy to get to and you are sure to see lots of deer. There are 2km of nature trails to hike and in the winter it is fun to hike out to Mutton Island on the ice –it’s way further than it looks!
Mission Island Marsh is the busiest local conservation area I have been to. There are always people here — taking pictures, having a picnic, walking the trails, launching a kayak, windsurfing, kite-boarding, and bird watching.
Mission Island Marsh Conservation Area is located on Mission Island in the south end of Thunder Bay. Travel east on Main St. (or Pacific Ave.) and then south on Island Drive. Cross the Island Drive bridge to the islands and continue on Island Dr. to Mission Island. Turn left on 106th St. and follow it to its end at the Conservation Area parking lot.
Popularity: 24% [?]
Tags: mission island marsh, mission marsh, mutton island, Thunder Bay
Roundtrip: 2 km
High Falls
Difficulty: Easy
Location: Grand Portage, MN
Click here for Google Map of trail.
The High Falls of the Pigeon River at 36 metres (150 feet) are the highest falls in Minnesota. We have already seen the High Falls falls from the Canadian side where the view is a little bit better. The trail to the falls on the American side is slightly shorter with three viewing decks and is wheelchair accessible.
The Pigeon River is one of the larger rivers on Superior’s North Shore. It flows in an easterly direction out of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for approximately 80 km until it drains into Lake Superior. As you can imagine the falls on the Pigeon River presented a serious obstacle to river travel resulting in the creation of the 14.5 km (9 mile) Grand Portage Trail from Lake Superior to bypass the High Falls.
Crossing the border from Canada, look for the entrance to the Grand Portage State Park on the west side of the highway just as you are exiting the U.S. Customs Station on the US/Canada border before you get to Rydens. There is also a trail to the American side of the Middle Falls in Grand Portage State Park.
Popularity: 24% [?]
Tags: falls, grand portage, high falls, pigeon river
Artist's Point
Roundtrip: 1 km
Difficulty: Easy
Location: Grand Marais, MN
“Artist’s Point” is the name of a small peninsula that forms the double harbour in the town of Grand Marais. This is a must-do whenever you are in Grand Marais — and in my opinion the windier the day the better!
Check out the shoreline rocks beneath the break-wall and see if you can find names of visitors dating back to 1892! You can walk along the cement pier out to the Grand Marais lighthouse.
At the one and only stoplight- turn right onto Broadway Avenue and keep going until you reach a large parking lot. Park and walk past the Coast Guard buildings to the trail on the left. You will see the sign for Artist’s Point at the start of the trail.
Join our Artist’s Point Flickr Group to add your pictures of this hike!
Popularity: 32% [?]
Tags: artists point, grand marais, lake superior
