Wrapping Up Our Time "Up North" in Thunder Bay

Now that we all have non-expired passports, we couldn’t resist heading all the way north and crossing the border into Canada! We set our sights on Thunder Bay, with a few fun and fascinating stops along the way. 

Our first stop was a natural rock formation called Hollow Rock. It was a stormy day, which I thought added to the atmosphere, but the kids were disappointed they couldn’t walk out to it due to the weather. 

Next, we stopped at a fantastic visitor center, where we finally got to learn more about the Ojibwe people and their central role in leading the fur trade along Grand Portage. I was genuinely surprised by how interested Sayer was, he can sometime be a tough cookie to please, but he soaked it all in! 

Before crossing the border, we made one last stop at Grand Portage State Park, which features a stunning overlook of High Falls. The kids thought it was so cool to see the lookout point on the Canadian side across the river. 

Once in Canada, the highlight was definitely seeing the Sleeping Giant from the harbor in Thunder Bay! It's one of the "Seven Wonders" of Canada (yes that's a thing) and Ojibwe legend says that it was a giant, Nanabijou, turned to stone when the secret location of a rich silver mine was disclosed to white men. We tried to visit Fort William Historical Park but forgot about the time change and arrived just as it was closing…oops! 

We ended our journey in Thunder Bay, the city that became a key fur trade hub after Grand Portage was shut down. This was an interesting little city with clear sign of revitalization. We especially loved the waterfront park along Lake Superior, which featured a fun splash fountain the kids couldn’t get enough of! By chance, we were there on a Wednesday evening, just in time for their weekly Music in the Park, a fun surprise and a lovely way to wrap up our time “up north”!