The Lake Superior Coastal Drive

By Sault Tourism

 

Sault Ste. Marie is the perfect destination from where to explore the beautiful Lake Superior Coast

What can you say about Lake Superior? It is wild, it is rugged, it is beautiful. It can be angry and violent, it can be calm with glassy water reflecting a perfectly clear blue sky. The sunsets can be some of most beautiful anywhere, and the maple forests that hug the coastline put on a fall colour display of bright reds, oranges and yellows so spectacular you’ll be telling your friends for years.

A drive along the coastline from Sault Ste. Marie will let you experience all of this. Get out of your car, RV or motorbike at any of the many stops along the way. Fill your camera up with countless shots of this beautiful coast. Visit in spring, summer, fall or winter for a different experience each season. Be inspired by the incredible Lake Superior coastal drive from Sault Ste. Marie.

Sawpit Bay
Highway 17 at Sawpit Bay. Photo by Colin Field
Sawpit Bay
Sawpit Bay in the fall. Photo by BrownVanLife
Lake Superior Coastal Drive
Click here for link to Google Maps

Haviland BaY

Driving north on highway 17 from Sault Ste. Marie, your first close up view of Lake Superior will be at Haviland Bay. Haviland is a small community with a public beach and a great eatery, the Havilland Shores Kitchen and Bar. As you drive through Haviland you’ll pass over a causeway, which offers spectacular views of the lake on one side, and rugged, forested hills of the Canadian Shield on the other. 

Haviland Bay
Haviland Bay. Photo by Elizabeth Rozario

Chippewa Falls

Continue driving north from Haviland and soon you’ll reach Chippewa Falls, the halfway point of Trans Canada Highway, highway 17. Chippewa Falls is also a significant spot on the Group of Seven driving tour, with the falls inspiring a number of famous paintings including “Streambed, Lake Superior Country”. and J.E.H. MacDonald’s ‘Batchewana Rapid‘.

The falls can be seen from the viewing bridge near the parking lot, or you can take a short hike alongside the waterfall. Please proceed with caution as trails can be challenging beside this fast moving water!

Chippewa Falls
Highway 17 and Chippewa Falls. Photo by Tony Felgueiras
Chippewa Falls
Chippewa Falls

Batchawana Bay and the Voyageur Lodge

Batchawana Bay, in Batchawana Bay Provincial Park, is another beautiful stop along the Superior coast. The 4km long sandy beach is the star of the show, with some of the warmest water in Lake Superior making it a popular spot for swimmers and beach goers. 

Stop by the Voyageur Lodge for some famous apple fritters, lunch, or a souvenir from the gift shop. 

Lake Superior Coastal Drive
Highway 17 at Batchewana Bay. Photo by Colin Field
Batchewana Bay
Batchewana Bay Beach
Voyageur Lodge
Voyageur Lodge
Voyageurs' Lodge and Cookhouse
Deli and coffeeshop
Voyageur Lodge
Giftshop

Pancake Bay, Agawa Crafts and the Canadian Carver

Just a few kilometers further along the highway from Batchawana you’ll reach Pancake Bay, Agawa Crafts and the Canadian Carver. Pancake Bay, also within a provincial park, is the perfect spot to get out, explore and stretch your legs if you wish. The beach is simply immaculate; 4km of perfect white sand and crystal clear water, great for swimming in and generally relaxing on. Then there is the Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout hike trail, a 2-3 hour round trip that takes you up to an incredible view of the Superior coast. You may even catch a glimpse of the resting place of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which tragically sunk during a November storm in 1975. 

Agawa and Crafts and the Canadian Carver is an impressive stop, with some beautiful one-of-a-kind carvings, painting and other crafts offering the perfect souvenir for visitors. 

Pancake Bay Beach
Pancake Bay Beach. Photo by Colin Field
Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout Trail
Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout
The Canadian Carver
The Canadian Carver
Agawa Crafts
Hand-made crafts
Agawa Crafts
One-of-a-kind carvings

Sawpit Bay and the Drive North

Continuing past Pancake Bay, highway 17 turns north again, and the coast leaves the relative shelter of Whitefish Bay. Now, more exposed to the westerly winds and storms of Superior, the shoreline becomes more rugged, more rocky but just as beautiful as further south. Sawpit Bay and the roadside Wilson Lake are perfect examples of the Superior coast’s fascinating landscape. 

Sawpit Bay
Sawpit Bay. Photo by Colin Field
Wilson Lake
Wilson Lake alongside highway 17

Alona Bay

Fifteen minutes north of Sawpit Bay lies Alona Bay, a beautifully rocky Lake Superior Beach. Alona Bay lies inside two of the additional, southerly parts of Lake Superior Provincial Park. A roadside rest-stop allows visitors to get out and enjoy the stunning scenic lookout across Alona Bay. 

Alona Bay
Sawpit Bay. Photo by Colin Field

Lake Superior Provincial Park Visitor Centre at Agawa Bay

Lake Superior Provincial Park Visitor Centre is located at the south end of ‘the Park’, as locals call it, roughly 90 minutes north of Sault Ste. Marie and just north of the Montreal River. The visitor centre is a great stopping point on the Superior coast, with lots of information about the area, paths to the beautiful Agawa Bay beach, helpful staff and a giftshop. The centre itself is filled with interactive displays that highlights the “Power of Lake Superior” as well as the park’s cultural history and natural ecosystems. You’ll also find a display about the Group of Seven, a replica lighthouse and more here. 

Lake Superior Visitor Cen
Lake Superior Provincial Park
Lake Superior Visitor Cen
The main entrance and information desk
Lake Superior Visitor Cen
Displays about the local ecosystems
Lake Superior Visitor Cen
A boardwalk to the beach
Lake Superior Visitor Cen
Agawa Bay beach
Group of Seven easel

Agawa Rock Pictographs

A short drive north from the visitor centre takes you to the Agawa Rock Pictographs. A clearly marked sign on the highway directs visitors to a parking area at the trail head – map coordinates here.

The Agawa Rock Pictographs is one of the most famous pictograph sites in Canada and is one of the most visited indigenous archaeological sites too. It is a sacred site where generations of Ojibwe have come to record dreams, visions and events. Please respect and preserve the pictographs by not touching the paintings.

The images visible today, include canoes and animals such as moose, deer, bear and caribou. The most recognizable painting consisting of a spined-horned animal said to be “Misshepezhieu”, or the Great Lynx, the spirit of the water. Read more about this important area here.

Guided Tours of the Superior Coast

Sault Ste. Marie has expert tour guides who can provide interpretive tours of the coast. Forest The Canoe operate a True North Adventure Bus in August and the fall months, and they also offer year round tours that can be tailored to visitor’s needs. Thrive Tours also offer tours of the local area including the Superior Coast, visit our Tours & Guides page for more information. 

True North Adventure Bus
Forest The Canoe
Explaining Powwow customs
Thrive Tours

The Lake Superior coast – something you have to explore. 

Lake Superior coastal drive
Photo by Colin Field