Thunder Bay travel guide
Sleeping Giant hikes, Kakabeka Falls and a fur-trade fort on Lake Superior
Northwestern Ontario's biggest city, at the head of Lake Superior, with Sleeping Giant across the bay, Kakabeka Falls nearby and a rebuilt fur-trade post. June to September is the season for hiking and the lake. Allow two or three days, with a car. Costs are very high, and an eTA is needed for visa-exempt air arrivals.
Thunder Bay sits at the head of Lake Superior, where the Great Lakes shipping route ends; locals call it the Lakehead. It is the largest city in Northwestern Ontario. Fort William and Port Arthur merged in 1970, and the place still feels like two downtowns joined by a strip of malls known as Intercity.
The landscape is the draw. Across the bay, the Sleeping Giant peninsula looks like a man lying on his back, and its provincial park has trails including the 25 km return hike to the Top of the Giant, with cliff-edge views over the lake. Kakabeka Falls, the second-highest waterfall in Ontario, is 30 km west, with an easy 750 m boardwalk to the viewing platforms. East of town on the Trans-Canada Highway, a memorial marks roughly where Terry Fox had to end his Marathon of Hope.
Back in the city, Fort William Historical Park rebuilds a North West Company fur-trade post of about 1815 across 225 acres and more than 40 buildings. A large Finnish community has made saunas and Finnish pancakes local institutions, and the pink-iced persian is the pastry to try. Plan on a car: the city is spread out.
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Top things to do in Thunder Bay
Big Lake Superior landscapes, a waterfall, a fur-trade fort and a Finnish food streak.
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Best time to visit Thunder Bay
Month by month, so you can pick the weather and the crowds you want.
Highs of 19C to 25C with cool nights; long days for the Top of the Giant trail, Kakabeka Falls and the waterfront at Marina Park.
Highs of 11C to 16C and frost possible at night; quiet trails, and the birch and aspen turning gold in early October.
January averages -8C by day and -19C at night; the city turns to cross-country skiing, with the Sleeping Giant Loppet in March.
The Sleeping Giant Loppet, a cross-country ski event, is a Thunder Bay tradition held each March.
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Getting there
YQT flights and the long Trans-Canada drive
Fly into Thunder Bay International, 15 minutes west of downtown, with direct flights from Toronto (about 2 hours), Winnipeg, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, and seasonal WestJet from Calgary. There are no direct US flights. Transit route 14 runs to the City Hall terminal, and Diamond-Lacey's and Roach's taxis wait.
- Airlines
- Air Canada, Porter, WestJet, Flair (seasonal), Bearskin, North Star Air and Wasaya, the last three serving northern and regional routes
- Highway 11/17
- The Trans-Canada, the only road east to Sault Ste. Marie and west to Winnipeg; expect long empty stretches
- Highway 61
- Runs south to the Minnesota border at Pigeon River for drivers coming up from Duluth
- There is no passenger train to Thunder Bay, so do not plan around one.
- Fill the tank before leaving town on the Trans-Canada; gaps between services are long.
- Highway 61 runs south to the Minnesota border at Pigeon River.
Where to stay
Port Arthur north end or Lakeshore Drive
Stay in Port Arthur, the north end, to walk to restaurants near Red River Road and Marina Park, or east along Lakeshore Drive if Sleeping Giant is the point of the trip. Fort William, the south end, is quieter at night and closer to the historical park and airport. Check that rural lodges open outside summer.
- Port Arthur (north end)
- The livelier base near Red River Road and Marina Park, with the Sleeping Giant Guesthouse on Machar Avenue and the Prince Arthur Hotel
- Fort William (south end)
- The business district, quieter in the evening, closer to Fort William Historical Park and the airport
- Lakeshore Drive
- Rural lodging east of the city along the lake, handy for the Sleeping Giant drive; check that any place you pick is open outside summer
- Sleeping Giant and Fort William campgrounds
- Tent or RV sites near the trailheads, or serviced pitches at the historical park from May to October
Getting around
Intercity buses between Port Arthur and Fort William
Thunder Bay was two towns until 1970, joined by the big-box strip of Intercity, so the city is long and thin. Each downtown is walkable from spring to autumn, but not the gap between them; Thunder Bay Transit buses link the two. Sleeping Giant, Kakabeka Falls and the Terry Fox lookout all need a car.
- Thunder Bay Transit
- Buses linking Port Arthur, Intercity and Fort William
- Taxi
- Diamond-Lacey's and Roach's cover the city and the airport
- Car
- Needed for Sleeping Giant, Kakabeka Falls and the Terry Fox lookout, none of which has a bus
- Bike
- The city is adding cycle paths, best used within the north end along the waterfront
- Hire the car at the airport; you will want it from the first day.
Know before you go
What makes Thunder Bay worth the trip, and what catches visitors out.
Why travelers love it
- The Top of the Giant trail, a long day's hike to cliffs high above Tee Harbour.
- Kakabeka Falls from both sides, via a short boardwalk to the viewing platforms.
- Finnish pancakes for breakfast, a legacy of the city's large Finnish community.
Good to know
- Thunder Bay has a high violent-crime rate, though most incidents are tied to the drug trade and rarely involve visitors; use normal city caution at night.
- Distances are long: the two downtowns are split by Intercity, and the big parks lie well outside town.
Trip fit
BookingMentor editorial ratings out of 5, based on a first-time visitor's experience.
Weather in Thunder Bay, month by month
At Thunder Bay airport, January nights average about −19°C and February gets only around 21 mm of precipitation. July highs reach about 25°C.
Climate figures are approximate long-term averages for Thunder Bay Airport (Environment Canada, via Wikipedia).
Sleeping Giant one day, Kakabeka Falls the next
Two days cover Thunder Bay's big outdoors. Drive east on Highway 11/17 to the Terry Fox Memorial and then down Highway 587 into Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, where fit hikers can take on the 25 km Top of the Giant trail and others drive to Silver Islet. On day two, head west to Kakabeka Falls.
Day one belongs to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Leave early, drive east on Highway 11/17 and stop first at the Terry Fox Memorial and Lookout, just off the highway, where a statue marks roughly where his Marathon of Hope ended in 1980. Then turn south on Highway 587 down the peninsula. Fit hikers should commit the whole day to the Top of the Giant, a 25 km return trail that ends at cliff edges above Tee Harbour; bring more water than you think. Everyone else can pick shorter trails, then follow the road to its end at Silver Islet, an old mining settlement on the shore.
Day two heads west. Kakabeka Falls, 30 km out, is the second-highest waterfall in Ontario, and the 750 m boardwalk from the main car park reaches platforms on both sides, wheelchairs included. Longer trails up to 4 km run beyond it.
Drive back by early afternoon for Fort William Historical Park, where the North West Company post of about 1815 is rebuilt on the Kaministiquia with more than 40 buildings, costumed staff and farm animals. Spend the evening in the north end: watch the light go off Lake Superior at Marina Park, then eat on Red River Road.
Finnish pancakes, pink persians and Syndicate Avenue souvlaki
Finnish settlers shaped Thunder Bay's breakfasts: thin, eggy Finnish pancakes come with butter, syrup or berries all over town. Then try the persian, a cinnamon roll with sweet pink icing found almost nowhere outside the Lakehead. For lunch, Cronos Cafe on Syndicate Avenue South serves chicken souvlaki with Greek salad.
For lunch, Cronos Cafe on Syndicate Avenue South, near city hall, is a Greek diner that has drifted toward burgers. Order the chicken souvlaki with Greek salad, ask for extra fries since portions are lean, and specify thick if you want a milkshake. In the evening, Red River Road in the north end is the main eating street; The Sovereign Room, a pub around the corner from the Prince Arthur Hotel, is a regular stop; it closes on Mondays.
Tea drinkers are well served. The International House of Tea on Fort William Road sells loose-leaf tea, and Steepers, two blocks from the Victoriaville centre on May Street, is a proper tea room.
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How we research our Thunder Bay travel guide
Flights, transit routes and park access around Thunder Bay were checked with the city website and Destination Canada.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Quick answers to the questions travelers ask most before visiting Thunder Bay.
Getting there
Air Canada and Porter handle most of the Toronto flights, Porter also flies from Ottawa, and WestJet links the city with Winnipeg and, in season, Calgary. Bearskin, North Star Air and Wasaya fly the regional and northern routes.
About 30 km west. A 750 m boardwalk leads from the main car park to the viewing platforms.
Fly into Thunder Bay International, 15 minutes west of downtown, with direct flights from Toronto (about 2 hours), Winnipeg, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury, and seasonal WestJet from Calgary. There are no direct US flights.
General
Not sensibly; Intercity's malls fill the long gap between them. Walk within each downtown in the warmer months and ride Thunder Bay Transit between the two.
A reconstruction of a North West Company fur-trade post around 1815, with over 40 buildings on 225 acres. Hours vary by season.
It sits at the western end of Great Lakes navigation, at the head of Lake Superior.
On the Trans-Canada Highway east of the city, close to where his Marathon of Hope ended in 1980. The exact spot is about 4 km west of the monument.
Rarely. The city has one of Canada's highest homicide rates, but the violence is tied mostly to the drug trade, so ordinary night-time caution is enough.
A sweet cinnamon roll with pink icing, invented locally and sold in bakeries and cafes around the city.
It follows the rest of Ontario's populated south on Eastern Time, the same clock as Toronto, so summer evenings stay light very late.
Thunder Bay was two towns until 1970, joined by the big-box strip of Intercity, so the city is long and thin. Each downtown is walkable from spring to autumn, but not the gap between them; Thunder Bay Transit buses link the two. Sleeping Giant, Kakabeka Falls and the Terry Fox lookout all need a car.
Timing & weather
About 25 km return, a demanding full day ending at a cliff-edge lookout over Tee Harbour and Lake Superior.
The best time to visit Thunder Bay is Jun to Sep. The reliably warm months for Sleeping Giant's trails, the waterfront and Fort William Historical Park.
- Best overall: June - September (Highs of 19C to 25C with cool nights; long days for the Top of the Giant trail, Kakabeka Falls and the waterfront at Marina Park)
- Shoulder: May, October (Highs of 11C to 16C and frost possible at night; quiet trails, and the birch and aspen turning gold in early October)
- Winter: December - March (January averages -8C by day and -19C at night; the city turns to cross-country skiing, with the Sleeping Giant Loppet in March)
July is the warmest month in Thunder Bay, with average highs of 25°C, and January the coolest, with lows of -19°C. August is the wettest month, at about 90 mm of rain; February is the driest. At Thunder Bay airport, January nights average about −19°C and February gets only around 21 mm of precipitation.
Visa & documents
Visa-exempt travelers, including citizens of the UK, the EU and Australia, need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to or through Canada. US citizens need only a passport. Other nationalities need a visitor visa.
