Go a little further – It’s worth it, and it’s not as hard as you think
The rest of the province —and the country, for that matter— love to make fun of Toronto’s tendency to think of itself as the centre of the universe. This criticism is well-earned. I’m proving it right now even bringing this up! I don’t even live in Toronto anymore, but I still feel the weight of its gravity. Our media and commerce are mostly centred there, as well as most of the province’s people. When we do venture to “the north” or to “cottage country”, many of us only scratch the surface, to our own detriment.
I am doubly cursed with this sort of self-centredness. Having grown up out west, not far from the Rockies, and then spending most of adulthood in and around the GTA (see how I just assume you all know what GTA means?), I live a sort of bi-polar existence. I don’t mean medically, although some of my exes might argue this. It’s hard. Ontario itself is HUGE, with a lot of nooks and crannies. There’s just a lot of ground to cover, so you’ll forgive me if I sometimes have to stick to the highway. However, the vastness and the complexity of Ontario is one of its great opportunities; it’s so easy to find your own little slice of heaven here. Contrast that with many other areas where lakefront is harder to come by, and sometimes tourists get funnelled to the same handful of accessible areas. Have you been to Moraine Lake in Banff lately? You’re going to want to plan ahead. In Ontario, you can and you should hit the “highlights.” But, then you should also get out there and navigate yourself to that far-off cottage, trail, waterway, or campsite that is often just around the corner. We’re lucky, with the geographical advantages that we have, it does not take much. This brings me to Lake of The Woods, the perfect destination for such things.
Better than I thought possible.
I recently had the opportunity to visit Lake of the Woods by way of Kenora, Sioux Narrows, and Nestor Falls while checking out the Heart of Canada Touring Route via RV with my Mom. The Trans-Canada cuts right through the latter two communities, which are gorgeous by the way. It once cut right through the heart of Kenora, as well, along the north shore of the lake. Kenora is a larger hub, and for entirely understandable reasons they eventually created a bypass for the highway. Great for traffic to keep those big trucks out of the downtown, but tragic for those of us who will no longer serendipitously discover one of the most beautiful communities in this province while we’re passing through.
As mentioned, my typical Torontonian sensibilities were on full display when I booked the trip. It’s just so far from my personal “centre(s) of the universe” (about halfway between Toronto and the areas of Alberta where I grew up). Knowing little else other than that the fishing is really, really good. I half expected it to be little more than a grouping of far-flung seasonal cabins and accommodations, with sparse available services. I’m the first to admit I can be a total dumbass, and wow, was I ever wrong about this one. Not only did I find a beautiful, historic, culturally vibrant community, but it was actually very easy to get to. I flew directly into Winnipeg where my RV rental was delivered to the airport, and then we drove a little over two hours to the first stop at Anicinabe Campground. I’ve taken longer just to get out of Toronto, and that is no joke. Having only ever driven through the Lake of the Woods area (and completely around Kenora via the bypass) I truly had no idea exactly what we were in for.
I’m not a complete blockhead, I knew the area would prove beautiful. Lake of the Woods famously holds over 14thousand islands and 65 thousand miles of shoreline (that is almost three times the circumference of the Earth, by the way). As one of our hosts; Josh Nelson, who runs the Lake of The Woods Discovery Centre in Kenora, said, “You can travel the lake for years, and never see all of it.” I’m pretty sure he is speaking from experience.
Stuff we checked out, which you should too
My mom, a retired nurse, experienced artist, photographer, and adventurer, was able to fly out from Lethbridge to join me for the trip. I’m lucky enough to have done a lot of backcountry canoeing and camping with my mom in recent years, and there are few I know who really appreciate the beauty of Ontario’s natural areas better than her. We’ve done backcountry canoe trips to Temagami, Killarney, and Algonquin. She adores a giant Eastern White Pine. If she sees one, she cannot NOT say something about how beautiful and rugged they are. She likes to say that she knows she’s near Ontario when she starts to see them. She was a natural choice for the trip, and, somehow equally as ignorant about the Lake of the Woods area as I was! (See! It’s a Lethbridge thing too!).
We quickly discovered the rich culture and amenities of the area. In this regard, Kenora punches far above its weight when compared to other similarly sized cities I have been to. First off, a stop at the Matiowski Farmer’s Market. Kenora’s waterfront boasts some gorgeous architecture. The beautiful and well-maintained main street with its stone and brick buildings is now the backdrop for a newer development along the waterfront that includes a gorgeous boardwalk and the stunning “whitecap” Jarnel Contracting Pavilion, which houses the vast market that gathers each Wednesday from mid-June to early October. The farmer’s market was great, and we had many nearby patios and food trucks to choose from. But, on a hot mid-summer day, we opted for the comfort of the A/C in HoJoe’s Coffee & Eatery, which had excellent sandwiches. As an aside, the food was great throughout the entire trip. Make sure to check out Snackhouse in Sioux Narrows also, right near the Northern Ontario Sportfishing Centre, which is an absolute must-see while you’re here. We then had time to catch the nearby MS Kenora boat cruise, which is another must-see. Not only do you get out on the water in a floating restaurant, but you also get a ton of great local history and information all along the way. Captain Kelly’s interesting tidbits of information kept me guessing. Pictographs and sacred rocks, or incredible cottages frequented by professional athletes and Hollywood elite? Who knew? I soon discovered that Lake of the Woods is no big secret to many of it’s US neighbours. The Lake actually dips into both countries, as well as Manitoba, but the Ontario portion is where things get really interesting with most of the islands and accomodations. Many of the other tourists were visiting from places in neighbouring Minnesota, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, as well as many Canadians, of course. It seems as though the area has become a pilgrimage site for anyone who is serious about boating and fishing, and it was easy to see why.
Speaking of, a neighbour of mine who fits this target demographic a bit further South and East in this province (near Lake Simcoe) had a full fangirl moment when I returned from my trip and told him just how I had been spending the last few days. “That is the BEST fishery in the province, bar none!” he would say. And, it turns out, I’d actually been cruising around with a tour guide who was featured heavily on one of his favourite Youtube channels while building an off-grid fishing cabin called “Uncle Mark’s Outpost”. I definitely scored some cool guy points with my neighbour that day.
We soaked in the local culture, as well
The MS Kenora boat cruise tipped us off to the Muse, which is a joint venture between the Lake of the Woods Museum and the Douglas Family Art Centre. One of the really special things about this area, which is highlighted at both sites, is how prominent Indigenous culture is here. Treaties, land acknowledgements, and Indigenous flags were prominently displayed, and the rich cultural artifacts and heritage of the Anishinaabeg laid the foundation for experiencing the area. For instance, we loved reading about the sustainable Indigenous-led fishery management that goes on here, highlighted at the Sport Fishing Centre which we would visit the next day.
We also had the incredible experience of touring one of the many pictographs sites on Whitefish Bay; with Jyles Copenase, who is a 3rd-degree Midewin from Naotkamegwanning First Nation. Jyles took us out via a pontoon boat from Tomahawk Resort, and I could’ve listened to the man speak all day long, I wish I had! This post could go on and on here, but short story long, while driving the boat and looking at the paintings of hand prints, canoes, and creatures all along the rock face there, he explained some of the history and cultural significance of the site. Turns out it was an area where they would take the young men as a right of passage, to commune with the spirits of their ancestors which are represented there. In that short boat ride, he went so much deeper. Jyles shared very personal stories of the area, how his people came to live there, and how they more recently survived years of cultural genocide. One of the most profound moments he shared, when talking about our joint penchant for wearing our hair long, was when he talked about how he tells his young son that he should feel proud to wear his hair long, “for all those little boys who didn’t get to.” If I am honest, I choke up still just thinking about those words.
Enough ecologic diversity to keep your head on a swivel
Throughout the next few days that we spent in and around the area, we toured some of the greatest hits. We had a beautiful stop in Rushing River to check out the falls and paddled from the beautiful beach near our campsite in Sioux Narrows Park. Because of the vastness of these areas, it often felt like we had them pretty much to ourselves, it was incredible.
And then there were the many boat trips out to explore the water. We only scratched the surface, but it was a blast cruising through the narrow channels and endless maze of islands. The ecologic diversity is just beyond anything I had ever experienced on a single lake system. From endless sandy beaches and sandbars like those at the Sable Islands (which proved great for paddleboarding) to the crystal clear waters and epic cliff faces of Kakagi Lake (aka “Crow Lake”), which we toured courtesy of Hanson’s Hideaway Lodge. We accessed these sites via the Nestor Falls area, which has a great public dock near the falls that gives the area its name.
The wildlife was everywhere. Not just the fish, or deer that roam casually like Torontonian squirrels. But, as we cruised around, we were nearly always pointing out the birds, in particular. I can’t tell you how many loons, bald eagles, flocks of pelicans, cormorants, and various waterfowl I saw either perched, floating or flying majestically above the water and the islands beside us.
Life is really centered on the water here. It dictates everything. Many of the residences are on islands which are clearly water-access only (or by ice-road or snowmobile in winter). In how many places can you go to Safeway or get your morning Starbucks by boat!? Arriving at Wiley Point Lodge via boat to grab another incredible lunch in the gorgeous log cabin dining room gave me full-on Twin Peaks vibes. Sort of like “One Eyed Jacks,” without the casino, or the brothel part. It’s pretty different, I guess, but you access it by boat! And it’s in Canada, with a lot of Americans, and it’s extremely woodsy! I should watch that show again… I digress.
This place is truly special
The take-home message here; Lake of the Woods is one of those really special places that forever changes your perception. It opens your mind to another way of living, perhaps a little nicer, definitely different, and probably somehow both more adventurous and relaxed at the same time. Sounds impossible, but I assure you. It stays with you. I’m not from there, but I sort of cherish the fact that I’ve “discovered it” for myself now. It’s the kind of place you visit, and then start looking at the local real estate, daydreaming about retiring to, or at a minimum, you start planning the next trip..
I can see why it’s popular with the boating crowd, in particular. One of the tour guides who drove us around as we took pictures of all the most incredible lakefront cabins had, in a previous life, worked on a fishing show. He proved to be very adept at situating his boat to help me set up certain shots. He talked about how easy it is to get what he called “local-itis”, a term he’d coined. Meaning that; because this glorious amphibious life in a culturally vibrant, outdoorsy, boating and fishing paradise is so normalized to him (he has lived there his entire life), he forgets how special it really is. Then, perhaps as he’s shuttling around a mouth-breather from Toronto who says “WHOAAAAA!” at all the amazing scenes every five seconds, he finds himself snapping out of it and realizing, that wow “I might live in the most beautiful place on the planet.” Regarding his last statement, you will hear no argument from me.
