Sudbury, ON
This is most northern point in Ontario we’ve visited! Our purpose for coming here was as a convenient, amenity-filled stopping point in our tour of the surrounding provincial parks. We stayed in Microtel by Wyndham, located amongst box stores and chain restaurants. It was a welcome reprieve from cabins and glamping. We opted for a Deluxe Queen with kitchenette, which was very spacious but also quite sparse, and had nods to the mining industry history of the city via the artwork. Rita was happy to have a comfortable bed after all the hiking. The hotel seemed relaxed about pets, with no strict rules. I believe I could have left Rita in the room if I’d wanted to avail of the breakfast, gym or pool. There were a few grassy areas outside for bathroom breaks, and the placement of the hotel amongst rocky outcrops was quite striking.
On the evening we arrived, we stretched our legs in Bell Park, named after William J. Bell who had donated the 110 acres of land alongside Ramsey Lake to the city in 1926. Tis was a strange park…in some aspects, it feel stuck into a enclosed spot between the highway and the lake, framed by an abandoned building which has now become “Canada’s largest mural”. Yet at some points, the views over the lake were breathtaking, more so as we were witnessing the pink skies of sunset, and it felt like being miles away from the city. There was a short trail through the park, which connected to a boardwalk leading to the science centre. We enjoyed the flower garden, the information board about planets and the impressive sculpture tributing the miners.
A 45-minute drive north-west of Sudbury is Onaping Falls, a must-do! This beautiful scenery was the focal point of Group of Seven artist A.Y Jackson’s painting “Spring on the Onaping River”, which was stolen soon after his death in 1974 and has never been recovered. We parked at the welcome centre off Highway 144 and took the 1km trail to the bridge and back, with several lookouts and views of the magnificent falls. There is a further 2km on the other side of the river but we decided to save our hiking legs for later.
Back in Sudbury, we stopped at the Big Nickel, erected on 1964. The artwork for the 1951 five-cent coin was the outcome of a competition launched by the Bank of Canada to commemorate the bicentennial of the chemical isolation of nickel and was won by artist Stephen Trenka. This was a quick photo stop for us, but if you are dogless you can check out the Dynamic Earth Science Museum at which it’s located.
Lake Laurentian Conservation Area, south-east of the city, is deceptively large. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can tackle the 10km trail right around the lake. We opted for a few shorter trails, beginning with the NASA trail, named so as it leads to the location of a former satellite observatory, used by NASA to track the Geos B satellite.
We continued onto the Point Trails, which took us along a rocky ridge to attain far-reaching views over the lake. The first part of this trail was a bit rocky and awkward, but each of the loops were pleasant. We then joined a short section of the Lake Loop before returning to the Nature Chalet parking lot via the Link Trail. We finished our hiking with the Chickadee Loop, an easy trail which features a lakeside boardwalk.
We were too exhausted from our hiking to get to them, but the pretty year-round patio at The Laughing Buddha welcomes dogs, as does inside the Cross Distillery Taproom. We did take the drive-thru at Salut Coffee and pick up a Puppacino.
We left Sudbury and headed to Killarney Provincial Park. This “wilderness park” is a must for any hiking enthusiast. We went directly to the most popular hike in the park, The Crack, known for its steep boulder-strewn paths. Due to its popularity, you are required to make a reservation. The parks service does not particularly recommend taking dogs on this trail but I knew Rita was fit and agile, and I had done this hike once before without Rita so knew what to expect.
The hike is around 7km out-and-back, but the clamber up to the viewpoint takes most of the time. Rita was happily jumping up the rockpiles, but any struggle was certainly worth it for the views over Kakakise Lake and beyond. We completed the hike in 2.5 hrs, including time spent admiring the scenery.
