By Sault Tourism
The Ojibway Park Nature Trail is a beautiful, easily-accessible, hiking trail located in Garden River, just east of Sault Ste. Marie. This trail offers visitors an opportunity to explore the natural beauty and cultural significance of the region.
The trail, which is a mixture of gravel footpath and wooden boardwalk, leading to a scenic lookout, winds through lush forest and wetland ecosystem, creating plenty of opportunities for getting close to wildlife. There are also interpretive signs and markers that share the knowledge and history of the region, offering a unique educational experience. Keep reading to learn more about this nature trail.
Ojibway Park Nature Trail is located 20km east of Sault Ste. Marie, in Garden River, on highway 17b.
The parking lot is located just south of highway 17b, on the right as you approach from Sault Ste. Marie and Garden River.
The hike is 2.5km if you do the full loop, so leave around 1 hour for it from start to finish. You will be on flat paths and boardwalks the whole way, so it is suitable for hikers of all fitness levels!
A large map of the trail system is located at the trailhead, near the parking lot. Shortly after the sign you’ll see a fork in the path to give you the choice of which direction around the loop you want to take. To get to the scenic lookout gazebo, you’ll need to be aware of second T-junction in the trail.
Along the trail you will come across a number of information signs that speak of the history and cultural significance of the area as well as what wildlife you may see along the way.
The trail ultimately leads to a scenic lookout gazebo, with views over the grassland, beach, the most northerly part of Lake Huron, and with views all the way to Sugar Island in the US.
The trail, built in 2016, is part of the Trans Canada Trail. Get more information, including a link to the map here.
Two local tour guides can help enhance your experience by giving you cultural teachings, indigenous storytelling, culinary delights and information during the hike.
Check out Thrive Tours, and Walk Among The Trees‘ websites.
By Sault Tourism
Whether you’re here for a tournament, camp, coaching course, or race, you’re in for a treat. Beyond your main event, there’s plenty to explore and enjoy in Sault Ste. Marie.
We understand how hectic traveling for sports events can be, so let us make your visit smoother and more enjoyable in a way your team and team managers will appreciate. Read on for help with:
Let’s start with some essentials – food. Sault Ste. Marie has a wide range of restaurants, cafes, pubs and breweries. You’ll find all the information you need here.
Below is a specially selected list categorized of establishments known to welcome groups, organized in a way that hopefully relates to your needs. If you see an asterix*, it means that establishment also has private rooms.
Centre Ice
The restaurant inside the Pee Wee Hockey Arena.
Hard Line Grill*
The restaurant inside the YNCU Curling Centre.
Ice Breakers*
Inside the John Rhodes Community Centre
Northcrest Lanes
Ten-pin bowling with pub-grub food
Soo Blaster
Eat, drink, play. A fun-zone with a restaurant. Pool, air hockey, video games and more!
Wacky Wings
Family-friendly wings and pub style menu with entertainment arena.
* = private rooms or areas available
The Blockhouse Pub
All day breakfast, gourmet sandwiches and grilled cheeses and pub fare.
The Boiler Room*
Specializes in wood fired pizzas with other gastropub style meals
Casey’s Grill Bar*
Casual pub style dining located inside the Water Tower Inn.
Chuck’s Roadhouse Bar & Grill
Chuck’s is known for their laid-back sports bar atmosphere and savory steaks.
Chummy’s Grill
Indigenous owned and operated offering daily features, hearty portions, all day breakfast and pub favorites.
Gino’s Fired Up Kitchen*
Wood fired pizzas, build your own pasta dishes and a wide range of classic pub fare.
Montana’s BBQ & Bar
The home of BBQ and pub fare featuring a large atmospheric dining room with waterfront views.
Aurora’s Restaurant
Family owned and operated Italian restaurant.
Giovanni’s Restaurant*
Family and group friendly restaurant featuring authentic Italian cuisine.
North 82 Steak and Seafood*
Famous for seared steaks, seafood and Greek inspired menu items.
The Root (golf course)
A variety of hearty and elegant meals from pastas and seafood to steaks and roast beef.
Sandro’s Restaurant
Handmade Italian pasta dishes and North American comfort food.
The Mill Steakhouse & Wine Bar
The fine dining option in the Canal District
Mulligan’s Irish Pub
Features classic Irish specialties like fish and chips, cottage pie and an array of burgers and sandwiches.
Embers on the Ridge*
Unique up-scale fine dining options located on Crimson Ridge golf course
Golden Dragon
A wide selection of Chinese food and specializing in their dinner buffet.
Peace Restaurant
Vibrant Asian Fusion based bar and restaurant with an ever-changing menu
Quattro Vinotecca
Upscale dining featuring steaks, fish, pastas, and wide range of elegant entrees
Shogun Sushi
Offering a wide selection of fresh, authentic Japanese food.
Sunset Noodle House
Authentic Vietnamese Cuisine in a cozy atmosphere.
The Taj
High quality Indian Cuisine in a modern up-scale dining atmosphere.
Looking to eat-in? The Soo has plenty of great caterers / take-out options for you!
Absolutely Delicious
Homemade…serving breakfast and lunch daily!!! Desserts…frozen meat pies, homemade lasagna ready
Alina’s Kitchen
Family owned Italian Restaurant
Take-out only
Aurora’s Pizza and Spaghetti House
Delicious Italian and American fare – all made fresh and in-house – for the whole family
Feeding Your Soul Cafe
Homemade…serving breakfast and lunch daily!!! Desserts…frozen meat pies, homemade lasagna ready
Giovanni’s Restaurant
Authentic Italian cuisine.
Grand Gardens
Delicious Italian take-out and catering establishment
Marconi Multicultural Centre Classic Italian menu
Paesano Foods
Italian food and takeout menu
Primavera Catering and Banquet Hall
Serving traditional Italian food, handmade ravioli, or something like a double burger.
Sandros
Delicious Italian take-out and catering establishment
Maybe you have a few hours been between games, or maybe you want to extend your stay by a day or so. Depending on when you visit, there will be a wide range of options to make your trip to the Soo fun and enjoyable.
Does your team need to stay active between games? Are you looking for a fun activity that everyone can take part in? Here are some team building suggestions.
KBX Performance Club is a sports training facility that offers gym and on the field/ice training for sports such as hockey. Goat Yoga is very popular with visiting teams who want to try something different and fun. Swing Away Batting Cages operates out of Strathclair Park. Bellevue Park is 17 hectares big, so plenty of space to run around in. It includes a splash pad, 4 play area and there are also picnic tables and benches – perfect for outdoor lunches. A great team building event is attending a hockey game at the local OHL team, the Soo Greyhounds – catered boxes can be booked too!
Sault Ste. Marie also has has 24 lanes of ten-pin bowling at North Crest Lanes. Soo Blaster has video games, pool, air hockey. There’s golf simulators Up and Down Lounge and axe throwing!
Sault Ste. Marie is one of Ontario’s best adventure towns. Mountain Biking, hiking, paddling, boat tours, sandy beaches – and that’s just within the city limits! There are plenty of activities you can do in just a couple of hours, and more if you have half a day or more to spare. The summer months is also when our outdoor events really ramp up – classic car cruises, beer festivals, poutine and rib fests… when you visit, visit our Events page for all the latest happenings.
Here are a few ideas to hopefully get you inspired.
Searchmont is one of Ontario’s best ski hills with over 700 feet of vertical. Hiawatha Highlands is a winter wonderland with cross-country skiing, fat biking and snowshoeing available. The City maintains a number of outdoor rinks in winter months, and The Rink at the Canal District has bookable as well as free public skating options.
For indoor activities check out the always-popular Bushplane Museum or the excellent Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site. y and more and Station Mall has a number of stores, a big Galaxy Cinema and a food court.
If you haven’t yet arranged accommodation, visit the Stay page of our website for a full list of hotels, motels and campsites within the city.
And of course, head to our home page, or our Travel Inspiration page for even more ideas of what to do when visiting the Soo!
T-shirts, keyrings, stickers… don’t leave without a piece of swag or a keepsake! You can pick up some great merch at the Bushplane Museum’s awesome (and large) gift shop, the Ontario Travel Centre, at the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site, or at the ‘Hound Pound’ of the Soo Greyhounds inside the GFL Gardens.
Here are the places where you can pick up some merch.
By Sault Tourism
Visit Stokely Creek Lodge and experience winter the way it should be; world-class cross-country skiing, heart-pumping snowshoeing, beautiful lodges and chalets, log fires, hot chocolate all in some of the most beautiful snow-lined countryside anywhere. Come and see why USA Today has described Stokely Lodge as one of the top 5 Nordic Ski resorts in North America. It’s the perfect place for an adventure vacation, a romantic getaway or if you are just longing to experience a true winter retreat.
Yes, winter! Stokely Creek Lodge is located in one of the largest snow belts in North America where it can get up to 17 feet of snow a year, this means there will be snow! Stokely snow is the awesome, white, cozy kind ideal for skiing or snowshoeing. There are also log-fire warming huts along the way, great for a lunch break to warm those hands or just to catch your breath.
Stokely Creek has more than 100km of groomed trails, on 8000 acres making it the largest Nordic skiing resort in the area. Check out the trail maps here! There are both skating and classic trails on a variety of terrain and elevation making it perfect for moderate to advanced skiers. Head out to Norm’s Cabin or one of the 5 other warming cabins including one at the top of King Mountain, or head to one of the faraway frozen lakes. You can ski for hours and not see another person!
Stokely Creek offers Scandinavian style accommodation for guests in the main lodge or in individual chalets. The main lodge has fireside reading rooms and a large dining room where meals are served. There is also a clubhouse with a log fire where guests can relax or warm up.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner is offered with hot and cold options available. Communal dinner is served in the main dining room, with special considerations being made for the 2021 / 2022 season. This includes options for separate tables for groups, more spaces for guests, or food being brought to the Club House. Learn more here!
Absolutely! Stokely Creek is located just 35 minutes north of Sault Ste. Marie and so is great for a day trip. Visitors are welcome to enjoy all of Stokely Creek’s awesome facilities such as fireside reading rooms, the clubhouse, the waxing room, and the 6 warming huts on the trails! Ski or snowshoe passes are available as well as ski lessons. Scroll to the bottom of this page for all the information. Day visitors can purchase meals and drinks at the main lodge and packed lunches are available for a day on the trails.
Stokely Creek Lodge and the surrounding trails and countryside is the perfect place in which to experience a true winter. It is open from December 26th through March. Visit the website for more information.
For more travel inspiration read ‘Stokely Creek Lodge for Cross-country Skiing’ by Leigh McAdam and ‘Stokely Creek Lodge’ by Martin Lortz.
And visit our Ski page for information on other cross-country ski areas, downhill resorts and backcountry skiing!
By Toronto Life Magazine
Remember how much you loved winter when you were a kid? Eagerly awaiting every snowfall, playing outside in the snow for hours, and then hurrying in for supper — exhausted in the best way — before drifting off into the kind of deep, restful sleep that comes after a carefree day spent outdoors in the fresh air?
What if you could recapture that feeling, and trade slushy, sloppy city streets for pristine picture-perfect snow, boundless nature, and outdoor fun that recharges your spirit and rejuvenates your soul? In Sault Ste. Marie, you can.
A quick flight or scenic drive from Toronto, Sault Ste. Marie is Ontario’s premier winter destination — a nature and recreation paradise on the shores of Lake Superior, where you can savour the season as it should be.
Here are five reasons “the Soo” in Algoma Country makes for a fantastic winter getaway:
Click here to continue reading
By Sault Tourism
Sault Ste. Marie is a true winter paradise with so many outdoor activities to choose from. We have one of the highest vertical downhill ski hills in Ontario, over 150km of incredible cross-country Skiing, an abundance of stunning snowshoe trails… Plus we have beautiful woodland skating trails, a new snowmobiling day loop, groomed fat biking trails and Sault Ste. Marie has some iconic, and awe-inspiring ice caves. This winter visit Sault Ste. Marie for your true winter experience.
Getting to Sault Ste. Marie is easy too with several flights a day from Toronto, Sudbury and Thunder Bay and rental cars waiting at the airport. And course you can drive on the Trans-Canada highway, which is well maintained over the winter months.
Big vertical, rugged terrain, Searchmont Resort has some of the best downhill skiing in Ontario. And… new snowmaking equipment means a planned November opening day – one of the earliest in the region!
On top of the 703 feet of vertical, 26 runs, 100 acres of rolling mountain, terrain park, 4 lifts, snow school, Searchmont is also a fully equipped resort with a restaurant, bar, shop, ski and snowboard rentals and accommodations. Escape the crowds and the lift queues of jam-packed southern Ontario ski hills and get away to this stunning, adventure-packed mountain.
If you like your vertical off the beaten track, check out the incredible backcountry skiing at Bellevue Valley Lodge.
Sault Ste. Marie offers some of the best cross country skiing in North America. Stokely Creek Lodge has 100km of trails, groomed for both classic and skate skiing and spread over 12,000 spectacular acres of the Algoma Highlands.
Breathtaking scenery including frozen lakes and waterfalls, endless forests, and amazing vistas like the one at the top of King Mountain, make Stokely a bucket-list destination for nordic skiers. Enjoy Scandinavian lodging and stay warm in one of the six warming huts along the way; it’s an experience that will bring you back year after year.
Situated just 10 minutes from downtown, Hiawatha Highlands offers more than 50km of beautiful skiing in towering Pine forests. Click here for a link to all trail and maps or read more about all that Hiawatha Highlands has to offer! Top-tip: enjoy a nighttime lantern ski, which happens a few times a season!
The Bon Soo winter carnival is back for its 62nd edition! Join from February 7th to 15th for this iconic Sault Ste. Marie event!
Check back for details on the 2025 program soon!
Sault Ste. Marie is on its way to becoming an epicentre for Fat Biking, one of the fastest growing winter sports, and has perfectly groomed trails at Hiawatha Highlands and Crimson Ridge.
We also have some awesome fat bike races! The Frozen Toe race happens on February 8th, and the Beaver Freezer happens March 8th.
Ice Climbing is a truly unique winter experience and one that you can do just outside of Sault Ste. Marie. Shaun Parent (Superior Exploration) and Steve Foster (Steve Foster Adventure Instruction) are certified, highly experienced, expert ice climbers who will help you have the best possible adventure. Visit their websites for details on how to enjoy these beautifully frozen ice structures.
Sault Ste. Marie has a number of some skating rinks and trails, all within a walk or drive of downtown. Check out our new downtown plaza and it’s brand new skating rink (pictured)!
The City also maintains five over outdoor rinks including the popular waterfront Clergue trail.
Sault Ste. Marie has a new day loop for riders! The Soo Highlands Loop starts in the city and goes north to Searchmont and the surrounding area. Sledders can explore the natural beauty of Algoma Highlands, and its rugged landscapes just north of Sault Ste. Marie, in this 169 km loop.
For inspiration watch Cristy Lee enjoy her recent sledding experience in the Soo here!
Sometimes you just need a break from the snow and cold. Well, have you ever tried axe throwing? Check out one of our newest and most fun indoor activities!
Missing golf and still need a fix? The Up and Down Lounge has state of the art golf simulators, which can be booked by the hour. You can also grab a drink and some food to be able to make an evening of this fun winter activity!
Snowshoeing is one of the best ways to experience winter in Sault Ste. Marie. We have well-marked and beautifully scenic trails all over the city, including at Hiawatha, Crimson Ridge and Stokely Creek.
We also have some expert tour guides who can not only show you the way, but can also provide information about the area and its cultural significance… you may even be treated to a cup of hot chocolate 😉
Check out our Tours & Guide page for all the info!
After a day in the snow and ice you’ll want to refuel and recharge, and we have some great restaurants serving some fantastic food to warm you right up!
From Syrian Shawarma to spicy Indian, delicious Italian or sizzling steak, the Sault has so many great restaurants.
By Sault Tourism
Hiawatha Highlands IS winter. Take the 10-minute drive from downtown Sault Ste. Marie on any winter’s day and discover this for yourself. The parking lot outside the iconic Soo Finnish building will be buzzing with activity; people hurrying to get skis on, unloading fat bikes from trucks, lacing up boots and snowshoes. There will also be an unmistakably buoyant and friendly atmosphere because whatever your chosen activity is, you’re about to experience winter the right way.
The favourite activity at Hiawatha is cross-country or Nordic skiing. Over 50km of professionally groomed trails, for both classic and skate skiing, on three unique systems offers something for all abilities.
The Pinder system has 10km of green and blue trails with just a hint of elevation; perfect to learn those cross-country skills. The beautiful Red Pine system is more of a challenge for those looking for some hills and climbs, and with up to 15km of trails, this system is great for a workout! The third system is the stunning Crystal Creek trail network, which offers a variety of graded trails surrounding the creek and waterfalls. You can choose to ski up to 23km of green, blue and black trails, including the extension to Mabel Lake, making this system a favourite.
If you like night skiing then check out the 2km Kinsmen lit section of the Crystal Creek system, perfect for an evening workout. Hiawatha Highlands also runs lantern ski events at various times of the year. Keep an eye on the website or on social media for details of this beautiful event!
A fun activity and a great way to experience winter is to snowshoe! There is more than 9km of snowshoe trails at Hiawatha that run parallel to the ski trails. The Pinder trails are relatively flat and take you through the beautiful Hiawatha forests. If you are looking for a real winter-workout then head to the Crystal Creek trail for 4km of vigorous ups and downs and heart-pumping exercise!
Check out the ski trail map here or above for more info.
Fat Biking has grown in popularity in the last few years and there is now over 9km of trails at Hiawatha Highlands to enjoy. Trails are located within the Crystal Creek system (within Kinsmen Park) and are keenly maintained by the Sault Cycling Club. For a longer ride, you can choose to head out to Mabel Lake on trails shared with skiers. Fat Bikes are also now available to be rented at the clubhouse also.
Hiawatha Highlands has a cozy clubhouse where you can buy passes, refreshments, or warm up before or after your activity. The clubhouse is also where you can rent skis, poles, boots or snowshoes. Visit the ‘Passes’ page to get all the information on daily and seasonal passes and rental equipment.
Come and see for yourself why Hiawatha Highlands is one of the most popular places to experience winter in Sault Ste. Marie. And be sure to check out our ski page for information on other cross-country skiing areas, downhill and backcountry skiing areas!
By Narcity
Say hello to ice-frosted trees and streets, snuggly scarves, puffy jackets and cozy nights in by the fire. The snowy season is nearly here, which means Ontario is about to transform into a winter wonderland.
In Sault Ste. Marie, you can truly embrace the best of the cold weather. Located seven hours north of the GTA by car (or a short plane ride), this action-packed Ontarian town is one of the province’s best destinations for a snowy getaway.
Nestled between Lake Superior and Lake Huron on the banks of St. Marys River, Sault Ste. Marie (affectionately known as “the Soo”) is packed with opportunities to ski, snowboard, skate, snowshoe and even surf (yes!) your way through the winter.
Whether you arrive by plane or by road trip, these nine activities will keep you busy on your adventures through Sault Ste. Marie’s idyllic winter landscape.
