12 Best Thunder Bay Hiking Trails You Need to Visit

Thunder Bay is a hiker's paradise, and I've got a list of the 12 best Thunder Bay hiking trails you need to experience. These are parks and preserved greenspaces within the city of Thunder Bay or within a short driving distance from Thunder Bay in northwestern Ontario.

It's easy to spend a week or longer in Thunder Bay hiking all of the nature trails. The Top of the Giant is one of the most famous hikes in the region, and you'll need to devote a full day of hiking to it. You can also do shorter hikes at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park and pair it with several other shorter hikes in the Thunder Bay area.

Even if you only have a day or two in the city, you can still enjoy some incredible Thunder Bay hiking trails through the boreal forest. I'll describe each trail or park and its trails, and you can pick and choose from the list depending on what's right for your trip and hiking abilities.

Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is about an hour's drive from Thunder Bay. It's located on the Sibley Peninsula. The park is named for the Sleeping Giant, also known as Nanabijou (Spirit of the Deep Water). Sleeping Giant is a massive rock formation that looks like a giant lying on its back, as viewed from Thunder Bay across Lake Superior.

The most well known trail at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park (and one of the best Thunder Bay hiking trails) is the trek to the Top of the Giant. This can take anywhere between six and ten hours, depending on your personal abilities. Many people bring or rent a bicycle to ride the first several kilometres until the portion where you begin the climb. The Top of the Giant Trail is a 22km hike round trip and it's rated as difficult.

One of the most popular hikes at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is the Sea Lion Trail, via the Kabeyun Trail. It's a 2.4km round-trip trek from the parking lot, and you'll have the chance to view the beautiful sea lion rock formation. Some other popular hikes at Sleeping Giant include the Middlebrun Bay Trail and the Tee Harbour Trail (via Kabeyun Trail). The Thunder Bay Lookout is another beautiful place that you can reach by car (not accessible in the winter).

If you plan to visit in the winter, I've got a fantastic Sleeping Giant Provincial Park winter guide to help you plan your adventures. Please note that the Top of the Giant isn't really accessible in the winter, unless you are incredibly experienced, though it doesn't come recommended. There are some other areas to visit at the park, and they look truly stunning in the ice and snow.

One more quick detail to note: you will likely lose all of your cell phone reception at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. If you are going to do wilderness hiking here away from the main trails, I suggest bringing a satellite communication device in case of an emergency. A GPS watch can also be helpful when tracking your hikes or finding your way back to the car without the use of online maps or hiking apps.

Thunder Bay Hiking Trails: Ouimet Canyon

Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park lies an hour northeast of Thunder Bay, and it's one of the top Thunder Bay hiking trails. While the hike itself is pretty short (it's a 1km loop trail), the scenery is spectacular. You'll likely spend a fair amount of time admiring the views of Ouimet Canyon from two lookout platforms.

Ouimet Canyon is a 150 metre wide gorge with dramatic 100 metre tall cliffs. These rugged cliffs drop straight to the canyon floor below, which offers a unique microclimate. The environment on the canyon floor provides life to arctic plants, typically found 1000km north of Thunder Bay in the Arctic Circle.

From the parking lot, you'll walk through the forest on a mostly flat path. You'll hike across some boardwalks and bridges on this loop trail. There are two expansive wooden platforms where you can enjoy panoramic scenery of the canyon. Ouimet Canyon is open from the May long weekend until the beginning of October.

Eagle Canyon Adventures

Eagle Canyon Adventures is only a short drive from Ouimet Canyon, so I recommend combining your trip to Eagle Canyon with one to Ouimet Canyon. The experiences at both canyons are quite different from one another. While at Ouimet Canyon, you'll be hiking to platforms overlooking the gorge, you will be walking across two magnificent suspension bridges at Eagle Canyon Adventures.

Eagle Canyon Adventures is home to Canada's longest suspension bridge. It's a very thrilling experience to walk across both suspension bridges (yes, there are two!), and the views from up above are nothing short of breathtaking.

The loop hike itself is about 2.5km long. Starting at the parking lot, you'll hike uphill towards the first suspension bridge. Walk across that bridge, and then up to Canada's longest suspension bridge. For the suspension bridges alone, this is one of the most amazing Thunder Bay hiking trails.

After you walk across that bridge, you will continue down a large staircase to the bottom of the canyon. Admire more spectacular views of the bridges and scenery from down below before you make your way back to the starting point. Please note that Eagle Canyon Adventures is open seven days a week from May 1st to October 15th.

Thunder Bay Hiking Trails: Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park

Kakabeka Falls is called "Niagara of the North" and it's one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Ontario. This 40 metre high waterfall is the second highest waterfall in Ontario. There are two viewing platforms on either side of the waterfall, and you can admire this gorgeous scenery all year long. Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park is 30 minutes west of Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park provides many opportunities to experience the waterfall and the Kaministiquia River. There are 1.6 million year old fossils at the base of the falls, and this was the historic route of the Voyageurs. It's a really beautiful natural wonder and historic place in Ontario to visit.

In the summer, there are some of the best hiking trails near Thunder Bay, and they transform into groomed cross-country ski trails in the winter. Go on a loop hike from the Mountain Portage Trail to the Little Falls Trail (about 3.5km round trip). You'll have the opportunity to see a second waterfall, Little Falls, as well as pretty scenery of the river itself.

Thunder Bay Hiking Trails: Cascades Conservation Area

Cascades Conservation Area is another great place to go hiking in Thunder Bay. This conservation area is right within the city of Thunder Bay itself. Similar to how it sounds, there are a stunning series of cascades that flow into the Current River. It's one of the best conservation areas in Thunder Bay.

There is a collection of interconnected, colour-coded Thunder Bay hiking trails at Cascades Conservation Area. These vary between 0.5km to 1.5km in length. The yellow trail is just under 1km long and it's a direct path straight to the river rapids themselves. Once you reach the cascades, you can enjoy the sunshine and relax on the massive, flat rocks of the Canadian Shield.

The remainder of the trails meander through the beautiful poplar and birch forest. These are relatively quiet trails as most visitors head straight to the little waterfalls. Take the time to also savour the views of the impressive geologic rock formations on the Current River as well. You can spend an hour hiking here or make a day out of it, too.

Quetico Provincial Park

Quetico Provincial Park isn't all that close to Thunder Bay as it's about a two hour drive, but it's an amazing place that's worthy of being included in this blog post. Thunder Bay is the closest city to Quetico Provincial Park, and many visitors to Thunder Bay will make the trip out to see this brilliant natural space.

From the Ontario Parks website, "Quetico is an iconic wilderness class park renowned for its rugged beauty, towering rock cliffs, majestic waterfalls, virgin pine and spruce forests, picturesque rivers and lakes." It has 460,000 hectares of remote wilderness, 2000 lakes, and 35 km of hiking trails. Quetico Provincial Park is also recognized as an International Dark Sky Park and one of the best places in Ontario to view the night sky.

While Quetico is first and foremost a paddling destination, there are many hiking trails to explore, too. The Pickerel River Trail starts at the main parking lot and parks store on the Sheila Hainey Boardwalk (less than 1km hike). Other trails at Quetico Provincial Park to wander are the French Portage Trail, French Falls Trail, the Pines Hiking Trail, and the Teaching Trail.

Pigeon River Provincial Park

Pigeon River Provincial Park sits on the border of Ontario and Minnesota. In fact, you'll be able to wave across to our friends in the USA while viewing High Falls! Both High Falls and Middle Falls are shared between Canada and the USA. Using the trails at Pigeon River Provincial Park (on the Canadian side of the border), you can hike to both waterfalls.

Park your car at the Ontario Travel visitor's centre right before the border crossing. From the parking area, start your hike. You'll walk through a tunnel beneath the road that takes you the trails. You can hike on the loop trail that traverses along the shores of Lake Superior and up a steep hill to the spectacular High Falls. From there, you can continue to walk to Middle Falls or embark on a shorter hike and head back to the car.

Pigeon River Provincial Park is a day-use park and it's open all year long. It's part of the Voyageur Boundary Waters Canadian Heritage River, and there are historic plaques on the way detailing some significant spots. This is one of the best Thunder Bay hiking trails, and it's located approximately 45 minutes from the city.

Silver Falls Provincial Park

Silver Falls Provincial Park is an amazing place to go hiking near Thunder Bay. The park is best known for its Holocene-era features from the last 10,000 years, like the Dog Lake marine, kettles terraces, spillways and outwash deposits. This park is open from the May long weekend until Thanksgiving, closing for the winter months.

There is one hiking trail at Silver Falls Provincial Park, rated as difficult. The Silver Falls Trail is a 10km trail maintained by the Thunder Bay Hiking Association. Hike along the Kaministiquia River and the gorge to a small set of cascades called the Silver Falls. The main attraction is the picturesque Dog Falls. Then, you'll hike to the top of Dog Falls and to a scenic lookout point over the river valley. This is a linear trail, so you can choose to hike out and back or park one car at either end of the trail to avoid hiking it twice.

Thunder Bay Hiking Trails: Mount McKay

Mount McKay - Anemki Wajiw is located on the Fort William First Nation, and it's one of the most beautiful places in Thunder Bay. You can choose whether or not to go for a hike or simply enjoy the panoramic views from the boardwalk.

You'll need to pay a small admission fee at the gates to access the property. From there, it's only a short drive to the lookout point where you can enjoy sweeping view of Thunder Bay, Lake Superior and beyond. It is possible to hike to the top of Mount McKay. It is a challenging uphill climb that involves some scrambling up rocks. Make sure you wear the proper hiking boots and perhaps bring some hiking poles as well.

Thunder Bay Hiking Trails: Mink Mountain

The Mink Mountain Trail is located about 40 minutes south of Thunder Bay, and you'll fall in love with the magical views from this Thunder Bay hiking trail. It's a 5.6km loop trail that climbs to an elevation of 600 metres above Lake Superior.

Admire stunning views of Michigan's Isle Royale, as well as many other smaller islands in the archipelago. This is an intermediate hike with some steep climbs, but it isn't terribly challenging. The trail winds around the edge of the cliff, offering incredible scenery throughout the trek.

Best Thunder Bay Hikes: Trowbridge Falls

Trowbridge Falls has made an appearance on this blog in the past as one of the most haunted places to hike in Ontario. There are quite a few horror stories and paranormal sightings at Trowbridge falls.

First, it’s possible to encounter some phantom runners on the hiking trails themselves who like to push hikers out of the way. Next, there’s a ghost known as the “woman in white”. Visitors to the area have witnessed this woman in white floating across the park’s wide open spaces.

Aside from the potentially haunted encounters you could have at Trowbridge Falls, it is one of the best Thunder Bay hiking trails. This conservation area is connected to Centennial Park, the next spot on my list, so it's possible to hike between both spots. There's a short walk to a bridge and the waterfalls (0.6km). You can also walk the entire loop within the park, which is 3.5km long.

Thunder Bay Hiking Trails: Centennial Park

Centennial Park is a 60 hectare park in Thunder Bay that has an impressive network of recreation trails. There are 10km of trails in total, including the main path that connects to many side trails through the forests and down to the Current River. The trails in this park also join the Trans Canada Trail.

For a decent hike in Thunder Bay, venture on the Centennial Park Red and Blue Trails. Starting at the parking lot, you'll make a 10.5km loop through the park, along the Current River, and past Trowbridge Falls. The park also features the 1910 Logging Camp and Museum and a mini-train ride called the Muskeg Express.

Getting to Thunder Bay

While many people choose to drive to Thunder Bay from all over Ontario (for a huge road trip adventure!), I decided to fly to Thunder Bay and rent a car in order to make the most of my time in the region. That way, I could spend the week hitting up all of the trails in the Thunder Bay area.

For your flight, I recommend doing a search on Skyscanner to find the best deals on flights to Thunder Bay. There are numerous flights daily from Toronto and other Ontario cities to Thunder Bay, so it won't be a problem to find one. Find the best flight deals here.

For your car rental, I recommend using Discover Cars to compare car rental prices from multiple car rental agencies to find the best price. Start your search here!

Where to Stay in Thunder Bay

When I travelled to Thunder Bay, I stayed at The Courthouse Hotel in the downtown core. It's a really unique property in a great location. The hotel is situated inside a historic building that used to be the city's courthouse. Nowadays, it's a luxurious hotel.

My room had big windows facing Lake Superior. The bed was really comfortable, and you'll have everything you need for a comfortable stay. It's always great having a little fridge in the room to stay hydrated and even store some snacks.

Follow Ontario Hiking on Social Media! Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Newsletter | Join the Community