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travel / great places / canadian snapshots / northern ontario
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Northern Ontario
The scenery in Northern Ontario can be seen as suffering
from repetition. To the uninitiated, the region seems like
endless rugged landscapes of rock and trees with a bit
of water thrown in the mix. However, if you take time to
explore beyond the well-travelled road and venture off
the highway, you'll discover that Northern Ontario has
much more to offer.
One-sixth of the landscape is covered with lakes and rivers that historically
have served as major transportation routes, but now offer recreational
opportunities for present-day explorers. In fact, the Iroquois called
this region Kanadario, or "sparkling water."
Comparable in size to the entire country of France, the region has
also provided some of Canada's most valuable resources. The very rocks
and trees that inundate the area have attracted settlers and driven
the economy in Northern Ontario's unique communities.
Location
From Ottawa, the Trans Canada Highway heads northwest, and from Winnipeg,
it heads east into some of Canada's most spectacular wilderness. Those
in central and southern Ontario can take Highway 400 to Highway 11,
which beelines to North Bay, or hooks into Highway 3 en route to Sudbury.
It doesn't take long before the bustle of city life is left behind and
the rugged Canadian Shield appears.
The Trans Canada winds past towns and villages connected by forests
and waterways. Motorists are more likely to see moose than people on
most stretches of the road. Larger cities such as North Bay, Sudbury
and Thunder Bay interrupt the wilderness and offer all the amenities
of major cities. On September 1, 2000, the ongoing debate on the southern
boundary of Northern Ontario ended, with the Muskoka Lakes area being
declared the official boundary for the district.
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