Day 1
Scenic Caves Nature Adventures
Park · The Blue Mountains, ON
Explore the escarpment caves and cross the 420-foot suspension bridge high above Georgian Bay.
Open the pick →SummerFamily
Georgian Bay and Highway 11 loop
The Blue Mountains, ON to Severn, ON
National Geographic's Georgian Bay route, cut to six days: caves on the escarpment, glass-bottom boats over Tobermory's wrecks, the ferry to Manitoulin and the Big Nickel in Sudbury. Come home down Highway 11 with a charcoal burger at Webers.
- Best months
- Late May to October
- Stops
- 9 stops · 7 of them picks
Stop by stop
Day 1
Naagan
Indigenous · Owen Sound, ON
Book Zach Keeshig's progressive Indigenous tasting menu in Owen Sound; look for the smoked freshwater fish.
Open the pick →Day 2
Fathom Five National Marine Park
National marine park · Tobermory, ON
See Flowerpot Island and the shipwrecks; the visitor centre is open May 16 to October 31.
Open the pick →Day 2
Bruce Anchor Cruises
Boat tour · Tobermory, ON
Ride a glass-bottom boat over the wrecks, with daily trips out to Flowerpot Island.
Open the pick →Day 3
Manitoulin Island
Take the Chi-Cheemaun ferry from Tobermory to South Baymouth, then join a foraging tour on the island.
Day 4
Killarney
Hike the Crack, the Killarney climb National Geographic picks out on this route.
Day 5
The Big Nickel at Dynamic Earth
Landmark · Sudbury, ON
Pose under the replica of the 1951 Canadian nickel, built in 1964.
Open the pick →Day 5
Science North Nature Exchange
Science centre · Sudbury, ON
Bring a natural find and trade it for points toward new specimens.
Open the pick →Day 6
Webers
Burger stand · Severn, ON
Break the drive south on Highway 11 for charcoal-barbecued burgers, served north of Orillia since 1963.
Open the pick →
Before you go
- National Geographic's full Georgian Bay loop is 840 miles and takes around two weeks; this version keeps the highlights. Source ↗
- Book the Chi-Cheemaun directly with the Owen Sound Transportation Company (1-800-265-3163) to avoid fraudulent booking sites. Source ↗
- Riding a motorcycle? National Geographic suggests the Highway 637 detour toward Killarney. Source ↗
Sources
- From ice roads to the Klondike Highway: 6 of Canada's most adventurous road trips · National Geographic
- Chi-Cheemaun ferry · Owen Sound Transportation Company
- Webers · Webers
More summer road trips
Photo: Florian Fuchs · CC BY 3.0 AdventureJune to mid-October
Icefields Parkway: Banff to Jasper
Canmore, AB to Jasper, AB
Dinner in Canmore, a night in Banff's grand park hotel, then the lakes: Moraine by shuttle and a night beside Lake Louise. Day three is the parkway itself, past the Columbia Icefield all the way to Jasper.
6 stops · every stop a pick
Photo: Taxiarchos228 · CC BY-SA 3.0 FoodieJune to September
Lighthouse Route: Halifax to the lobster rolls
Halifax, NS to Barrington Passage, NS
Leave Halifax and keep to the coast: Peggy's Cove first, then the churches of Mahone Bay and Old Town Lunenburg. The road ends near Barrington, the self-styled Lobster Capital of Canada, at a three-time champion lobster roll.
7 stops · 5 of them picks
Photo: Michael Kogan · Unsplash License FoodieJune to September
Maritimes feast: St. Andrews to Halifax by way of PEI
St. Andrews, NB to Halifax, NS
Three provinces, four dinners. An inn on Passamaquoddy Bay, an Acadian bistro in Moncton, a four-hour fire feast on Prince Edward Island, then the ferry across to Nova Scotia for a nightcap in Halifax.
5 stops · 4 of them picks
Photo: Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble · CC BY 2.0 AdventureJune to September
Newfoundland: Gros Morne to St. John's by way of Fogo Island
Gros Morne National Park, NL to St. John's, NL
Cross the island west to east: a boat up the fjord at Western Brook Pond, a ferry to the Fogo Island Inn, then three tables in St. John's. Long days on the road, rewarded every evening.
5 stops · every stop a pick
