Roundtrip: 10 km
Difficulty: Moderate
Location: Schreiber, ON
Hike from Hwy 17 to a rugged Lake Superior beach at Worthington Bay. Worthington Bay is located on Lake Superior between Schreiber and Terrace Bay.
From Thunder Bay drive East on Hwy 17 for 190 km until you reach the town of Schreiber.? Continue along Highway 17 for 5km and turn right onto Worthington Bay Rd.
Worthington Bay road is not maintained but it is possible to drive a 4×4 vehicle down to the beach.? Otherwise, park near the start of the road — the hike or bike down the road to the beach will be well worth it.? It is a great place to spend the day.? A picnic table and fire pit are available on the beach.
Worthington Bay is an access point for the Casque Isles trail joining the Mount Gwynne and Death Valley segments. Worthington Bay is also a popular spot for kayakers and surfers.
Also in the area is Mt. Gwynne, which is the highest point in the area. You can see the remnants of the once productive North Shore gold mine. Abandoned machinery, building foundations, and old rails are signs of the 1930’s mining activities.
The bay features one of the few historic pictograph sites on Lake Superior. The pictographs are located on the inside face of the rocky outcrop toward the lakeside of the noticeable old mill site.
There is now a formal parking area about 1-1.5km down Worthington Bay Road and is marked (Casque Isle trail people have a sign that says “Park here – 4km to Wothington Bay in the blue signage you see around the rest of the trail). The road is still not maintained after that but is passable but a high clearance truck or ATV/Dirt Bike.
Thanks for the great info Bonnie! Sounds like you had a good trip. I have heard some rumblings about that wind farm project, it would sure be a shame if it went in!
Had a chance to hike the Mt Gwynne portion this September. 2 ladies and 4 dogs. The drive into Worthington Bay requires a high clearance vehicle and or park and walk another 3 km in to the bay. The shore of the bay is an absolute delight. Be sure to stay and enjoy the wave action. Found the pictographs with the help from some guys on quads who were working in the area on a wind farm project!? The climb to the top of Mt Gwynne is worth it. 360 degrees views of the Slate Islands to the SE, Rossport Is in the W; Schrieber in the NW and Terrace Bay in the NE. What a view on a clear day, like we had.
Not many spots for water for the dogs on this section of the Casque Isle trail so bring along extra water for the pets. Came across an old cabin near Fourth lake and a lot of moose tracks. Cool suspension bridge just before the trail end at Schrieber beach.
Thank you for this comment Michael! I was not aware of this threat to Worthington Bay!
Beautiful Historic area! We need to raise awareness to protect
Worthington Bay and Mt. Gwynne!
Strike Minerals Inc. has gold strike claims starting December 2010 35km sq
If they find enough they willl start to mine thus destroying the precious habitat!
Also they will put up gates and will make sure us nature lovers will never be able to explore and enjoy the area!
North shore is a very precious area we need to all get together to protect it!
Good article. Very well written