1st Lake Superior tour - Toronto to Sault St Marie - difference between HWY and Ferry | GTAMotorcycle.com

1st Lake Superior tour - Toronto to Sault St Marie - difference between HWY and Ferry

mrefaat

Member
Hello
Planning a lake superior tour in July (first week) and looking for guidance on what worked well for you.
Basically 10 day trip, leave Thursday morning and back Saturday.

The first question that came to mind is how to get to SSM? can we get there in one day while taking the ferry? or are we better off taking the HWY? it is 700km on the map, so riding the HWY is doable, but not sure how long through the ferry.

on a different but related topic, what other insights can you share with us on where to stay around the lake (which towns)?
The goal is to ride more or less 200-400km per day and actually enjoy being up there. Dont mind skipping a day of riding to rest and do local activities.

Of course any maps or trip desription you can share would be great.


Thnx
 
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Given you have 10 days to enjoy the trip, is there any particular reason you need to make it to the Soo in one day?

You can always end your first day at Massey and stay there, or camp at Chutes Provincial Park. This makes it less of a boring highway slog to SSM, and best part is, the next day you can take 129 to 556 then reconnect back to the Trans Canada by Lake Superior, bypassing SSM completely...unless you have a compelling reason to visit it.
 
Chichiman (sp?) is frequently fully booked, so reservations are a good idea. But, this leads to having to be at specific places at specific times, which can suck some fun out of a tour.

If your camping, it can be cold up north. Around Pancake Bay (100km NW of SSM) was chilly in August...
 
Taking the Cheecheemaun to Manitoulin is slower and more expensive than riding through Sudbury but is a great, fun experience.
 
If on a fun motorcycle tour, CheeCheeman is the only way to go. I'd even consider going to Meldrum Bay for lunch, visit GoreBay, then stay in Espanola that night. The Queesnsway beside Timmies is dirt cheap and cheery. Then up to Elliot Lake, and if you can stand it, the abandoned logging road to HWY 129 up to Chapleau. No need to pound pavement to SSM.
 
If on a fun motorcycle tour, CheeCheeman is the only way to go. I'd even consider going to Meldrum Bay for lunch, visit GoreBay, then stay in Espanola that night. The Queesnsway beside Timmies is dirt cheap and cheery. Then up to Elliot Lake, and if you can stand it, the abandoned logging road to HWY 129 up to Chapleau. No need to pound pavement to SSM.


I'm guessing you are talking about this route from Elliot Lake: https://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=O...FbTIxAIduj0P-w;Fe-YxAIdW50I-w&mra=ps&t=m&z=10

If so, how rough it is? That would be one I would consider exploring this summer.
 
Given you have 10 days to enjoy the trip, is there any particular reason you need to make it to the Soo in one day?

You can always end your first day at Massey and stay there, or camp at Chutes Provincial Park. This makes it less of a boring highway slog to SSM, and best part is, the next day you can take 129 to 556 then reconnect back to the Trans Canada by Lake Superior, bypassing SSM completely...unless you have a compelling reason to visit it.

Been down 556 in the car this "spring" and it. is. PUNISHING. on the suspension. I would strongly recommend against it on a bike other than with knobbies and soft suspension. Anything passed Searchmont is heaved and potholed.

Other than that I would agree, nothing to see or do in the Soo unless you're into Bushplanes or wanted to visit the American Locks.

With 10 days I also wouldn't skip out on camping at Killarney or Lake Superior Parks, or Manitoulin Island
 
I'm guessing you are talking about this route from Elliot Lake: https://maps.google.ca/maps?saddr=O...FbTIxAIduj0P-w;Fe-YxAIdW50I-w&mra=ps&t=m&z=10

If so, how rough it is? That would be one I would consider exploring this summer.

That might be some of it but the bottom loop I definitely didn't go on. I don't have GPS, in retrospect, I don't know what made me think I could make it to 129 on that logging road (maybe signage?) anyway, it necked down to a boulder strewn goat like path for a couple kms. Not Wee friendly, you'd probably need a Burgman 650.
 
thnx all.
we are not locked on going to SSM in one day, sounds like everyne here agrees that 10 days is enough time to plan on spending the night somewhere before the Soo.
no complelling reason to stop at the Soo either, was initial thinking out of what others has suggested.

I'd love to take the Ferry and enjoy manitoulin island but dont know if the timings will work well especially with the Ferry schedule being limited. i guess spending the night in Tobermory is an option, the take the Ferry early the next day.
I'd love to hear from someonw who went up there and tell us where they spent the night (which town) and how the rest of the trip unfolded from a schedule and overnight stops standpoint.
We are also aware that we need to book ahead, will do so as soon as we have clarity on the route.
 
7am ferry out of Tobermory puts you on the island 9ish. Plenty time to explore the island and still make it to Espanola for the night. The ride from Little Current to Espanola is very nice if you've never been anywhere. Staying on the island is expensive. Like I said previously, the Queensway in Espanola is good and cheap. That should get you started anyway.
Are you circling Lake Superior? You'll need the full 10 days if you want to actually see anything. You could spend a week exploring up to Wawa and around. Depends how you like to travel. What's the bike?
 
We ve got different classes of bikes in the group and a couple of new long distance riders
i ride a harley night rod, and we have a honda shadow, triumph street triple doing the full circle, a road king for part of the trip, and another guy driving a truck! Coming out to enjoy what the area has to offer, and the company of awesome boys!
 
One other thing, if the choice is between the ferry or the long way around on the road, I would take the ferry, unless you are planning side-road excursions in the Muskoka area that would otherwise make that route worthwhile (but then it takes much longer). Going up Hwy 6 to Manitoulin is dull but at least there is not much traffic. The ferry gives you a nice break for a couple hours. Hwy 6 going out of Manitoulin Island to Espanola is pretty good.

The other choice is all Hwy 400 and TransCanada Highway ... boring, and with a fair amount of truck traffic.

See this also ... http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?160713-cbr-125-trip!&highlight=cbr125
 
Not Wee friendly, you'd probably need a Burgman 650.
Lol, you can't let go of the Burgman talk, can ya?
I'd love to hear from someonw who went up there and tell us where they spent the night (which town) and how the rest of the trip unfolded from a schedule and overnight stops standpoint.
We are also aware that we need to book ahead, will do so as soon as we have clarity on the route.
I remember, booking a room at a cottage around May. Not that expensive because its not cottage season as yet. Still cold up there.
 
Also consider going over the Mackinac Bridge in one direction. Much less traffic over the Blue Water bridge up through Michigan and across the straits.

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Excellent highway - some interesting stuff along the way.

The Ferry is good but you are bound by timing and fuel is cheaper in the US ( not a big deal but all helps ).

Leaving Thursday won't be jammed for you by weekend traffic.

If you are brave then come back via Chapleau ;)

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anyway, it necked down to a boulder strewn goat like path for a couple kms. Not Wee friendly, you'd probably need a Burgman 650.

been there done that, the Burgman was easier to turn around than the Wee and did the rocks fine.
Buddy's GPS thought it was a road in PA. Any more questions?? :D

I'm not the only one either

photo3-1.jpg


a creek too?
http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=666282

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OP depending on where you are leaving from - you can zig zag your way up to Tobermory on some okay roads.

Plot a ride...
http://shanekingsley.com/Two Wheeling/ontario_bikeroads.jpg

But I'd do Michigan one direction at least and accommodation will be cheaper and likely easier to get.
 
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The ferry is part of the fun, and they can usually fit a bike in somewhere, cars are different, but I'd always make a reservation anyway. There are a couple reasonable hotels in Tobermory and its easier than finding a bed on the Island. Its a different part of the world we often forget about. There are a couple "ghost towns" on small Islands between Tobermory and Manitoulin. If you've never been up there, take a 1/2 day in Tobermory and take the tour out to Flowerpot Islands and the harbor history walk, neat little town.
 
A few summers back the Squeeze & I rode up thru Michigan, crossed the mighty Mac and chased ghost towns in the upper peninsula for a few days before coming home via the Soo and the CheCheman.

We were in Michigan about a half hour from the border at the Soo. We had no reservation so we got on the road by 8am and just booked it all the way to the ferry terminal with just one gas/piss stop. We made it to the ferry by 12:30 and were told we were the last bike to get on. 2 more bikes arrived after us and they got on as well. The crossing was about 2hrs. We were back in St Marys before 6pm.

As Mac Doc mentioned a trip over the Mackinac bridge is pretty neat. Part of the deck is wire mesh and you can see the water below you - just a tad spooky.
FWIW there are some great twisty roads in the UP.

On another trip with the boys we rode up 129 to Chapleu. It' was a great ride. Some fabulous elevations changes and numerous nice sweepers if I recall. Also in that part of Ontario you can vagrant camp for free. Just head down a gravel road until you see a clearing suitable for camping. Crack a cool one and get a fire going......
 
Memories - did that Chapleau run on an RD400 decades ago - much better now I'm told and on my bucket list for a repeat.

Looking forward to the Macinac Bridge in July with the GF on the way to Banff and Alaska by van. It's pretty cool. Mind the weather tho.
Would be very dangerous on a bike in high winds or Tstorm. That sucker is WAAAAY tall.
 
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