Manitoulin 2 day trip

[i-WERKS]

How come there are so few ride reports on this site?

I'll share some pics from my trip to Manitoulin back on May 26/27.

First day's route. Hit the road at 8:30. 30 mins later than planned


Breakfast & Coffee just off hwy 48 on a wet Friday morning.


Brief stop for photos on the granite at Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Reserve just off Southwood 13. Like everyone says here, Southwood 13 was full of gravel on the roads. Still loads of fun. Had Peninsula Road on my original route but the GPS re-routed us.


Little Current just after the swing bridge


Arrival at Kagawong Family Cottages

End the day with a sunset by the water

 

[i-WERKS]

Day 2.
Wake up nice and early for a photoshoot



We had limited time on the island to explore before we had to catch the ferry.


Bridal Veil Falls, just a short 5 mins from the cabin

..from behind


Riding on the alvars at Misery Bay. Didn't make it to the end of the road due to time.



The CBR600RR wasn't feeling this road and waited for us back on the main highway



Had lunch at Carol's and Earls just before reaching the ferry

 

[Morrissey]

Thanks for sharing! I love seeing these.

 

[slowbird]

x2. Thanks for sharing.

Did the ferry provide the tie-down straps?

 

[i-WERKS]

The ferry ride was a good rest. The temperatures dipped from 19 C to 12 C between Carl & Earl's Restaurant to the ferry terminal. The ferry ride was mostly foggy and chilly with one small break in the fog as we approached Tobermory



Arrival at Tobermory

Our route home

Some stops along the way



Final gas stop in Newmarket. Rolled onto the driveway at 11:00pm

 

[i-WERKS]

x2. Thanks for sharing.

Did the ferry provide the tie-down straps?

They give you ropes. They work perfectly fine but the crew doesn't help you tie your bike down so I would suggest learning to tie some knots prior to taking the ferry.

 

[Dougy]

Thanks for sharing, love manitoulin myself.

 

[jillytime]

That was one of the best trips of my life!!!! Thanks i-WERKS for planning it out.

Can't wait to get back there!!!!!

 

[abkdt41]

Awesome

Thanks for sharing

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

 

[DemonPig]

Neat pics! Personally I found Manitoulin a bit boring to ride. Road to Espanola was sweet though.
And the ferry is a good attraction. That's the largest ferry I've been on. (Don't like their ropes btw, brought my own tie downs)

Next time, keep on going and hit the Grand Algoma tour.

 

[unL33T]

I'm planning on driving up to Marathon and back camping along the way in early August. Can anyone recommend some good camping spots on Manitoulin or maybe Tobermory? It's hard to tell from reviews which places are at least semi-private sites.

I'm aiming for something more like Awenda Provincial Park (sites are at least far apart, the more private the better) rather than something like Elora Gorge Conservation Area (sites are practically on top of each other). Or even some crown land that is still good for car camping.

How was the Kagawong Family Cottages? Might be an alternative.

 

[i-WERKS]

I'm planning on driving up to Marathon and back camping along the way in early August. Can anyone recommend some good camping spots on Manitoulin or maybe Tobermory? It's hard to tell from reviews which places are at least semi-private sites.

I'm aiming for something more like Awenda Provincial Park (sites are at least far apart, the more private the better) rather than something like Elora Gorge Conservation Area (sites are practically on top of each other). Or even some crown land that is still good for car camping.

How was the Kagawong Family Cottages? Might be an alternative.

The Cottages were good. People who ran it were very friendly, prices were reasonable and the place was clean. There are 8 cottages on the property spaced roughly 50m apart so if privacy is important, this might not be the place during high season. It was fine for us as we were one of two groups staying there at the time.
Look up Mississagi Lighthouse camp grounds. I haven't been there myself but it's on the west shore of the island and appears to have some interesting landscapes.

 

[black_CG2]

Beautiful pics. I have always wanted to visit Manitoulin Island.

Would anyone be down? I would probably need some help to strap my bike too.

 

[shanekingsley]

I've brought my own ratchet straps for the ferry only because the ropes are usually really dirty. Either way it's really easy to strap down a bike - just google it.

For accommodations, I've stayed at the Green Acres Tent/Trailer Park and it did the job as a place to pitch a tent and eat some bad food in the local restaurant. I wouldn't stay there longer than as an overnight place only. A better place was the Auberge Inn Hostel in Providence Bay. That was definitely a place I would go back to and they even cooked us an awesome home made dinner.

Going to Marathon, I really liked the camping sites at Pukaskwa National Park and White River Provincial Park. Both parks had secluded campsites available and with level tent pads, clean and with decent amenities. The hiking was also really nice.

 

[MacDoc]

If June is any indication it's going to be a very warm summer....
It's already too warm....it was 35 in the shade coming through Strathroy on Monday.

June is usually early for that area and further north but this year it's the best time and of course the long daylight hours are delightful.

Maybe shift your timing forward. I had Superior Loop planned for August and did it last weekend ( 5 days )instead and doing a 4 day up to Chapleau and Wawa this weekend just to escape the heat in the US.

If Michigan is too hot will shift to Manitoulin....maybe I should pack the ratchet tie downs.

 

[Razor17]

Let last summer a buddy and I did the manitoulan trip it was awesome. Just ensure you book the ferry ride in advance. We rode to Owen Sound to his daughters then tried to book tickets for the next day out of Tobbermory but they were booked.... Change of plans we then had do the route in reverse than what we planned on.
Awesome trip plan on doing it again this year.
Ride safe.

 

[MacDoc]

Grey but only a spatter of rain. Got a few pics and on time to lunch in beautiful downtown Chapleau complete with internet.

It would be a very nice run in sunny and dry conditions....it was still nice since I didn't expect to dodge the rain.

 

[yodude]

Neat pics! Personally I found Manitoulin a bit boring to ride. Road to Espanola was sweet though.
And the ferry is a good attraction. That's the largest ferry I've been on. (Don't like their ropes btw, brought my own tie downs)

Next time, keep on going and hit the Grand Algoma tour.

boring?