This will be by far the most extravagant (I think!) of the microadventures in my summer 2025 microadventure challenge. Four days on the road, 2500 km of driving, waterfalls and hiking trails and museums, two great lakes and three provincial parks… that’s a heck of an adventure to call it “micro”. But it was designed with the concept of microadventures in mind – rather than a busy and rigid agenda of things to see and boxes to check, each day held just one or two key destinations and held lots of space for curious wandering and exploring. And since we’re doing our part to explore Canada this year, it was the perfect summer staycation.
Day 1: Ottawa to Parry Sound
With my youngest (age 17) and my eldest (age 23) along for the ride and the middlest staying home to work and take care of the pets, we set out from Ottawa on a warm Sunday morning that hinted at the possibility of late-day storms. We took the familiar (to us) road up through the Ottawa valley to Highway 60 across Algonquin Park. In Barry’s Bay, Vito’s Pizzeria made a perfect and recommended lunch stop, and we checked out Grumblin’ Granny’s Antiques to stretch our legs. The skies were beginning to look as grumbly as granny by the time we were done, and moving along seemed like a good plan.
By the time we arrived at the Grand Tappattoo Resort near Parry Sound, it was pouring rain so severely that we had to choose an alternate route because our planned route had flooded. Our check-in experience there was less than ideal, and our first impressions soggy, but it seems like it might be a nice place for a longer stay. We were in and out in one evening, making time for dinner with a dear old friend that I haven’t seen in 20 years on the patio of the Trestle Brewing Company patio. The view was spectacular and the company divine, but the overall experience was rainy and wet.
Day 2: Parry Sound to Sudbury to Little Current
Long-time readers of this blog will know that I have developed a curiosity for rocks, and it was my not-so-hidden agenda to base our entire vacation on two themes: rocks and the Group of Seven. In another lifetime, I spent a little too much time in Sudbury so I would have been happy to bypass it, had it not been the many many endorsements from fellow rockhounds of Dynamic Earth. So we planned for a diversion to Sudbury on our way to Manitoulin Island to check it out.
On the way, we stopped to explore the visitor’s centre at French River Provincial Park. It’s well worth the stop if you’re curious about the area, and we were. We had also heard there is a very cool suspension bridge over the French River gorge, but access to it was blocked and park staff were non-committal when we asked about it. Since it was also quite buggy, we decided to keep driving up to Sudbury after touring the small but lovely visitor’s centre exhibit.


Dynamic Earth was, in a word, awesome for someone recently fascinated by geology and geo-history. It’s relatively small, but being able to shape and polish our own rocks in their lapidary lab was well worth the price of admission in my opinion, and we enjoyed the underground mine tour as well. Even the kids, who are not quite so obsessed with rocks and geology, agreed that this was one of the highlights of our vacation.




The drive from Sudbury to Little Current on Manitoulin Island was less than two hours including a stop at the trading post shop near Espanola. This marked, for me, the first foray into new territory. I’d been to Sudbury and environs many times in my misspent youth, but I’d never been to the north channel or Manitoulin Island. I wasn’t prepared for it to be so beautiful!
Another highlight of our trip was staying at the Manitoulin Hotel and Conference Centre in Little Current. It was clean, well-equipped, and the staff were kind. Of the four spots we spent a night, this was our favourite by far. We had a gorgeous view out over the north channel of Lake Huron with a delightful view of both the sunset and the sunrise from the same single window! We also had easy access to walk the waterfront, and several of the hotel’s windows look out over the historic single-lane swing bridge that serves as the only land access point to Manitoulin Island.
The hotel featured the art of local artist Duncan Neganigwane Pheasant, and I was curious enough about his gorgeous depictions that I did a bit of research about him. He is from the nearby M’Chigeeng First Nation, and his paintings interpret Ojibwe legends and stories that surround the history of his ancestors and Manitoulin Island, according to his bio on the Perivale Gallery site. I don’t know much about Indigenous art, but I will be looking into purchasing a print of his work – it really captured my imagination.
Having arrived on Manitoulin Island in the late afternoon, we had enough time for one adventure during our one-day stay in Little Current, so we opted to drive approximately 45 km (35ish minutes) out to Kagawong to explore the Bridal Veil Falls. I love car rides on summer evenings and this one did not disappoint! There was no traffic, only many deer who watched us pass with careful interest. I’d heard that the Bridal Veil Falls are popular and can be busy, but at 7 pm on a Monday evening we found only a few other cars in the parking lot and to our amusement, what seemed to be an extended family taking a clothes-on swim in the pool at the base of the falls. Tristan, agile-footed and always willing to explore, made their way behind the falls along the stone path. Next time we’ll bring bathing suits and towels when we visit!



We read afterward that Kagawong is considered one of the prettiest villages in Ontario, and it’s easy to see why. After visiting the falls, we followed signs to see the old mill (Tristan works at the heritage mill here in our village) and found the cutest, shortest lighthouse ever at the harbour in Kagawong, and then had lovely sweet treats at the Buttercup Ice Creamery and Candy Store – you should go! The next morning, Lucas and I were up early enough to enjoy watching the sunrise through the famous swing bridge.


Manitoulin Island definitely captured our hearts, and we’ll make a return trip to explore more one day.
Day 3: Manitoulin Island to Lake Superior
The final outbound leg of our journey brought us back to the Trans Canada Highway heading west and then north through Sault Ste. Marie and toward Lake Superior Provincial Park. I had expected the drive along the north channel of Lake Huron to be desolate and busy with traffic, but the drive was very pleasant. Driving through small towns I’d only heard of like Blind River, Bruce Mines and Elliot Lake was like fitting pieces into a puzzle, and the drive reminded me more of cottage country than the barren north. And the traffic was negligible, though I’m not sure I’d be so laconic about the drive in the depth of winter.
After a few hours of driving, we stopped to explore Sault Ste. Marie and stretch our legs. Thanks to a bit of pre-trip research, we found ourselves at The Breakfast Pig Badass Eatery for lunch – and had the best meal not only of the trip, but memorable enough to make us plan for a return trip to the Soo just so we can eat there again! I had jalapeno popper eggs benny and Beloved had french toasted banana bread that he talked about for days. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
We poked around the Soo a bit more, hitting a few shops and checking out the historic canal, but I was excited to get on to the pièce de résistance of this trip, Lake Superior. Needless to say, it did not disappoint. The resort I’d chosen was not ideal and I won’t name them here, but it did not live up to our expectations. The location was stunning, but the property itself was run-down and did not offer much in the way of amenities that we’d been expecting based on their website. Still, we made the most of it.
But never mind that, let me tell you about the rocks! I’ll admit, I chose this particular resort because of a few photos on their website that showed the stunning pebble beach on their property, and I’d been reading about the wonder of Lake Superior rocks for months. I still literally gasped in wonder and delight when I saw the plentitude and spectacular quality of the rocks on the beach.
I am not a traditional rockhound. I am learning, and can recognize some basic rocks and minerals: feldspar, granite, quartz, amazonite, tourmaline. But I mostly collect rocks for their shape and colour and how they’d look wrapped in leather or cord. (I wrote an entire book on How to Wrap Rocks!) I had the feeling that I was woefully unprepared for the bounty of the rocks before me, like a hungry peasant at a Michelin star restaurant. I wish I had known more what I was looking at as I perused the spectacular array of colours and forms, and billions of years of geological history.




Stunning, right? So! Many! Rocks! And every single one of them would have been of a sort that would make me gasp with delight and been my “find of the day” had I stumbled across it anywhere else. And the lake was calm like glass – barely a ripple, let alone a wave.
Day 4: Lake Superior Provincial Park to Sturgeon Falls
I had heard that the drive along the Trans Canada Highway from Sault Ste. Marie to Wawa was among the most spectacular drives in Canada, and from what we saw, that is not hyperbole. We didn’t make it as far as Wawa, but we did spend a morning finding small adventures in Lake Superior Provincial Park and gasping at the wondrous views from the highway.
We stopped at the Lake Superior Provincial Park visitor’s centre to get a day pass, and spoke briefly to the staff about the one place I had most wanted to see, the Agawa Pictographs. The staff weren’t exactly discouraging, but reminded us that the pictographs are a sacred site, and we must be respectful – no touching, no photographs, and if a ceremony were to be taking place, we’d have to alter our plans. All of that seemed perfectly reasonable to us, as we want nothing more than to respect those that have been stewards of this land since time immemorial.
What I didn’t realize is that where the literature says the pictographs are a “short hike” they really mean hike, one rated moderate. This is no stroll from the parking lot – you follow a trail down steps carved from the stone between granite walls soaring high above your head. It’s a breathtaking hike, especially on a calm summer morning when the fronds and moss are thick and green against the ancient rock. We picked our way carefully down the trail, occasionally allowing others to pass respectfully without rushing us. I’d go back again just for that hike alone!


After about 20 minutes of hiking in decreasing elevation, the trail opened up to the turquoise lake. I had been prepared to edge my way out onto a narrow rock ledge, but was unprepared for the slippery, sloping angle of the ledge. I made my way anxiously to the first of the pictographs, but the second time I felt my running shoes slip on the smooth granite ledge was a clear enough message to me that I would be happier on flat ground and I crab-walked on my bottom back to the more stable platform with my heart in my throat, trying to suppress visions of tumbling down into the cold water below me. When you’re nearly 56, you learn to respect your own limitations!

Even though I didn’t make it out for a proper view, I really appreciated this insightful explanation of the significance of the Agawa rock pictographs from an Indigenous perspective. And I enjoyed the hike back up the steep stairs and through the soft green moss even more than I enjoyed the hike down – up is always easier!

For our last adventure, we chose something a little more accessible to the parking lot: the stunning waterfalls at the mouth of the Sand River. A testament to how water and rock play off each other to constantly shape and change the environment, the Sand River Falls are simply stunning. The water cascades loudly in places, flows gently into pools in others, and the sun bakes down on the bedrock. We could have spent hours here, following the tumbing falls for quite a few kilometers up stream. Alas, a long drive beckoned and we had to be content with exploring only the final few hundred meters before the falls opened out into the lake.




One of the things I had been worried about when planning for this trip was the bugs. We’re urban folks, and though of course we deal with mosquitos and black flies in the spring and early summer, I’d heard they are another breed entirely in the near north. I’ve been swarmed by deer flies when kayaking and will go out of my way to avoid them because when I do get bitten, the swollen itchy bump lasts for days. On my trip to Quadville and the Beryl Mine in May, I’d had a bit of a sneak peek what black flies in the bush can be like – so thick you’re literally breathing them in – and I was concerned enough that I’d bought bug nets and extra spray to try to ameliorate the worst of it. I’d been eyeballing bug forecasts and cringing. And it was a complete non-issue. I have not a single bite! We certainly saw bugs, quite a few deer flies on the rocks at Sand River Falls and mosquitoes any time we were near the trees. But the piactive spray we used was more than enough to keep them away. I get more bites mowing the lawn than I did on this vacation!
The last thing we did before a long drive back toward Ottawa to spend the night in Sturgeon Falls was to stop for lunch at the Agawa fish and chips stand in Batchawana Bay. We’ve had some pretty good fish and chips over the years, but this was top tier.
The drive to Sturgeon Falls and then on to Ottawa the next day was uneventful, but it did give me a reminder that my beloved Ottawa River is a huge body of water – we followed it for nearly three hours, and it gave us some of the most stunning vistas this side of Lake Superior.
We’ve now driven the entire eastern half of the Trans Canada highway, except the bit up Cape Breton and the part across Newfoundland. If we manage to follow through on the nascent idea for next summer’s vacation, we’ll be ticking one of those off the bucket list next year. And maybe one of these years, we’ll keep going westward, too. Though I’ve flown to BC a few times, it’s long been a dream of mine to drive the whole way. It amazes me that from our home in Ottawa, we can drive the same distance we usually drive to get to PEI — and still be in Ontario!
We didn’t make it quite to Thunder Bay and the Manitoba border this time, but the tiny piece of Lake Superior we did see, we loved. This was the perfect summer adventure for us – probably a little more driving than the kids would have preferred, and maybe a little disappointing in a few of our choices for accommodations, but absolutely stunning and full of learning opportunities.
And rocks – now I have bins full of pretty rocks to remind me of our perfect summer microadventure!