After a long Covid19 break, it was time for us to resume overnight travelling. Half of the summer was already wasted and we didn’t want the other half to meet with the same fate. Hence, we started to look for safe travel destinations and plans to make the most out of the remaining summer days.
We decided not to fly, take a bus or a train as, to tell the truth, it scared us a little to be enclosed with people indoors. So, making it a road trip was the best option. Also we tried to restrict our travel destinations to the great outdoors only. Fortunately, Ontario has no dearth of natural beauties and a great many of them are accessible by road.
After long research, we decided on a south Ontario road trip along Georgian Bay. We chose three places to cover in our road trip, Bruce Peninsula, Manitoulin island and Killarney (Sudbury as anchor). All these three places are pretty popular in summer and are known to be absolutely gorgeous in their own way. So we made the reservations, packed our bags, put on our hiking shoes and off we went for our road trip.
This was our South Ontario road trip itinerary along Georgian Bay. We are a roaming couple who likes short trips and budget travel. We generally don’t spend a long time in a particular place. As our blog name suggests, we hop around quite frequently. So if we suit your travel style please subscribe to us or connect with us on the social network of your choice.
South Ontario Road Trip itinerary Along Georgian Bay
Day 1: Toronto to Bruce Peninsula
The drive from Toronto to Bruce is not a long one, and if you are sticking to the road without any detours it will hardly take three hours. The roads are beautiful through gorgeous countryside settings. Prices of hotels in the peninsula are a bit on the higher side though and so we stayed at an airbnb south of there, at a place called Hepworth. Another town where you might find comparatively cheaper accommodation is Wiarton.
On the way from Toronto to Bruce, we took two detours to visit a couple of interesting places. Our first stop was Bruce’s Caves Conservation Area. This place has some unique rock cave formations and is actually a short visit.
Second stop was not so far away and was called Spirit Rock Conservation Area. This site features the historical Corran Ruins, remains of an old mansion, and some really pretty hiking trails along the Colpoy’s Bay.
After we checked in our Airbnb towards evening, we headed to Sauble Beach for dinner.
Day 2: Bruce Peninsula National Park – Grotto Caves
Today we started our journey to see the main attraction for Bruce Peninsula, the Grotto Caves. Due to Covid19 situation, the entry to the park was only on a reservation basis and fortunately we had done that well over a month ago. Each reservation slot was for four hours, but it was enough for covering all the major attractions.
Now we had heard a lot about the natural beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, but truly speaking, when we saw it for real, we realised that words and photos cannot do justice to the place. It was beyond expectation. Beautiful green water merging with the serene rocky shoreline under the clear blue sky was a sight to behold. The water was a bit colder than comfort but was clear and perfect for swimming. There was a small cave behind the Grotto cave that could be reached from the Indian Head Cove Beach, but it was packed with people and we avoided it.
After leaving the National park around noon, we had some lunch and headed for Lion’s Head Provincial Park. This place is known for a rock formation that resembles the head of a lion. Although the shore looks almost like what we saw in Grotto, the hike was beautiful in it’s own way through a forest.
After a long day, we returned back and after having food at Sauble beach, we called it a day.
Day 3: Fathom Five National Marine Park – Flowerpot Island
Near the town of Tobermory, there is another amazing attraction of Bruce Peninsula, the Fathom Five National Marine Park. This area is full of ancient rock formations, cliff-edge forests, fascinating dive sites with shipwrecks and the famous Flowerpot island. To reach the flowerpot island, there are cruises operated by two companies, Blue Heron and Bruce Anchor and tickets should be bought online beforehand.
The cruise to flowerpot island takes around 4 hours to complete. The cruise ship leaves you at the island to roam on your own and then picks you up at a designated time. Whilst aboard the cruise ship, they also show you around some of the shipwrecks. The water is so clear that shipwrecks actually look surreal below the lake. While the whole island is beautiful, the major attraction is always the tall rock structures that resemble flowerpots.
After returning from the trip, we roamed around the beautiful town of Tobermory. While being there, don’t miss the famous fish and chip places.
Day 4: Bruce Peninsula to Manitoulin Island
Now before we start writing about this day, you must know that the easiest and fastest way to reach Manitoulin island is the MS-Chicheemaun ferry from Tobermory. But due to Covid19 situation, we couldn’t get a reservation and so we had to take the roadway. But it was not that long a drive and in between we took a wine tour in Muskoka as well. So it was a fun day altogether.
We stayed in a pretty little town called Little Current in Manitoulin island. There were a few really good restaurants and food joints in the town though and not to miss the famous Manitoulin Brewing Company.
Day 5: Manitoulin Island
Our main purpose of being in Manitoulin island was to hike the famous Cup and Saucer Trail, and we did that the first thing in the morning before the crowd set in. There are multiple trial options to take, but just to see the amazing cup and saucer lookout, it took us around two and a half hours for the complete to and fro journey with lots of time dedicated to photography.
After completing the trail, we headed for the Bridal Veil Falls. The entry of the falls was from the Kagawong Park Centre and it took around 10 minutes to reach the falls from there. Since it was almost noon, the place was quite crowded, so we didn’t spend much time there. While there, don’t forget to indulge yourself in some treats from the the Manitoulin Chocolate Works.
Our next stop was Providence Bay towards the south of the island. The beach was clean and we had some delicious fish and chips at the Lake Huron Fish & Chips joint.
Day 6: Manitoulin island to Sudbury
After our short but sweet stay in the Manitoulin island, we bade it goodbye to drive to Sudbury. In between we had a wholesome breakfast at the Roger Rabbit’s Diner in the town of Espanola.
Since we had some time to kill before our check in time at our Airbnb in Sudbury, we headed to the A.Y. Jackson Lookout. It was an easy hike there but so pretty along the river and could be completed within an hour.
There is another famous and quite interesting site we visited in Sudbury after that. It was the Big Nickel and the Dynamic Earth science museum along with that. the museum was closed though due to Covid19, but the huge coin replica was free to visit.
There are a lot of really good restaurants in downtown Sudbury. We tried the Laughing Buddha and the food and vibe there was amazing.
Day 7: Trip to Killarney Provincial Park
The Killarney Provincial Park was around an hour journey from Sudbury. Though this park is famous for its backcountry camping, there are a few really beautiful day hikes too. Just keep in mind that Killarney park is a huge area and there are multi-day hikes. So stick to the trails and follow the maps if you don’t want to get lost.
Just south of the park, there is the town of killarney where you can get some food. One recommended place is the Herbert Fisheries.
After a long tiring day, we returned back to Sudbury and had a heavy dinner at the Towne House Tavern.
Day 8: Sudbury to Toronto
Today we drove back to Toronto after our amazing trip. It took us around five hours to drive back with a breakfast break at the Jack’s Pancake Factory in Barie.
If you liked our post about South Ontario road trip itinerary along Georgian Bay, please check our other posts related to Canada here:
To Check our other Destinations, please click here.
