Conquering the Sleeping Giant
As new residents of Thunder Bay, we were told that Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is a must-see landmark of the area. The most popular “Top of the Giant” trail can be done as a lengthy day hike but after a bit of research we realized it would take more than a day to see all the sights of the park. So we planned a route that would take 5 days and take us to see everything we wanted to. You can book backcountry trips to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park here: Ontario Parks Reservations. Book well in advance to ensure you get your desired sites.
Here is a view of the Sleeping Giant taken from Thunder Bay. Legend has it, the Ojibway god, Nanabijou forbid the tribe from divulging the location of a rich silver mine to the European settlers. Eventually the secret was leaked to the settlers and they found the mine on an nearby island called Silver Islet. What was once the richest silver mine in the Northwest is now empty, and the great Nanabijou was turned to stone because of it.
Day 1:
On our way from Thunder Bay to Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, we stopped by the Thunder Bay lookout on the Sibley Peninsula. This lookout is just north of the park, about an hour outside of the city. Off of Highway 587 its a 15 minute drive to the end of a rough gravel road. It’s a pretty remote area. I wouldn’t recommend taking a small car/sedan here but any SUV with a bit of ground clearance will make it. There is a decent sized parking lot and an outhouse right next to the lookout. The lookout itself is astounding. Signage there states the observation deck hovers 100 meters above Lake Superior.
From there we continued down 587 to the Marie Louise Lake campground registration office where we got our parking and backcountry camping permits for the week. We parked at the South Kabeyun Trailhead, strapped on our monstrous packs, and we were off!
A short trek along the Kabeyun trail led us to the Sea Lion trail junction. The Sea Lion trail is a 0.8 km out and back trip to a very unique geological formation on the rocky coast of Lake Superior. The trail was a little confusing and had some tough inclines so we dropped our packs about halfway through and eventually made it to the lookout. The clear, turquoise waters and Sea Lion rock were definitely worth the detour.
Then we were back to a flat and wide section of the Kabeyun trail to find a site for the night. You have to book which backcountry zone you are camping in each night, but the specific sites are first-come-first-served. The Tee Harbor backcountry camping zone has 10 sites to choose from. The first site is only 4 km down the Kabeyun trail so we stopped there for a snack. This site was really nice and private but we ventured further in hopes of finding something better.
At the 6 km mark there is a short side trail to the other 9 Tee Harbor campsites that are all on the same peninsula. 8 of them face east looking over a peaceful, shallow bay and the final one was on the west side of the peninsula with an awesome view of the cliffs. We were the first ones to the camping zone so we had our pick of the sites. We chose the cliff view.
The views of the monstrous Sleeping Giant cliffs were incredible. Plus, as the only site on this side of the peninsula, we had this rock beach entirely to ourselves. There was also a bear-proof bin and outhouses nearby.
After setting up camp we took a little walk down to the end of the Tee Harbor Peninsula. It was a neat spot where we spent some time exploring the rock pools on the coast of Lake Superior.
Back at the site we tried our luck shore fishing. Didn’t take long to catch a nice Lake Trout. We filleted and fried him up for an appetizer before our pre-planned taco dinner. We cooked ground beef over the fire and added cheese, sour cream, avocado, and peppers to our tortillas.
We ended up hiking just under 9 km on Day 1. Here’s a look at where we went:
Day 2:
We woke up with a great view of the rising sun shining on the cliffs. We made some coffee and started to get packed up for what was sure to be a tiring but exciting day.
After clearing out of our Tee Harbor site we were back on the Kabeyun Trail for 1.5 km then turned onto the Talus Lake Trail. After 0.8 km and a series of steep wooden stairs, we turned left onto the “Top of the Giant” trail where we ditched our packs in the woods. We would be returning this way later.
Once on the Top of the Giant trail we were faced with 2 km of steep winding stairs up the side of the mountain before flattening out. There was a nice view of Tee Harbor where we camped last night.
We happened to catch a glimpse of a Peregrine Falcon! They have a diving speed of over 300 km/h, technically making them the fastest animal on the planet.
Another kilometer across the top of the ridge and we had reached the most well-known and sought-after lookout in the area; the Top of the Giant (AKA “the knees” or “the chimney”). From the start of the Top of the Giant side trail it was a 3.3 km hike to the lookout, but took us about 2 hours. Even without packs this was a tough one, but well worth the grind.
The Top of the Giant lookout sits 290 meters (950 feet) above Lake superior. Though we tracked our maximum elevation to over 300 meters (985 feet), because you have to descend from the top of the ridge slightly before the lookout. We only passed one hiker on the ascent but on the descent we passed nearly 50 people who were on their way up. It was nice having the Top of the Giant to ourselves. Here’s a look at how far we’d gone so far.
At the bottom we found our hidden packs and continued to hike north on the Talus Lake trail. Past the “Top of the Giant” junction, the Talus Lake trail was much different than the trails we had hiked previously. It was essentially a rough deer path with the occasional blue trail marker on a tree. We reached the first of 3 potential Talus Lake Trail backcountry sites and were not sold on it. It was sloped and in very dense forest with no nearby water.
The trail got steeper after that. Probably the steepest trail we had encountered thus far and there weren’t any sturdy stairs like before. Loose dirt and rocks, an intense incline, and our heavy packs made for quite the workout. The swarming mosquitoes made us reluctant to stop for a break though. We reached the second of three potential campsites in the mid afternoon. It was a big improvement from the first site. There was a flat spot for a tent, a nice firepit, and was a short walk from a decent lake. Plus, a passing group of hikers had told us that the the third and final site wasn’t fantastic.
We were happy to stay put at this site after a big day of climbing. Day 2 consisted of over 10 kilometers of hiking with a couple major elevation gains.
Day 3:
A thunderstorm rolled through Sleeping Giant Provincial Park overnight and continued into the late morning of Day 3. We made some coffee in the fly of the tent, and read until the rain stopped.
After the site was all packed up we made our way further north on The Talus Lake trail. About 4 kilometers of descent later we reached the Sawyer Bay backcountry camping zone. It was late afternoon by the time we set up camp. We hung out on the lovely rock beach and enjoyed the scenery and wildlife.
Sawyer Bay backcountry zone has 3 sites. The first 2 share the rocky beach as well as a large green space with a picnic table, bear box, and outhouse. The third site is of equal quality but is much more private, as it was another half-kilometer hike down the Kabeyun trail. We opted for one of the closer ones.
After a quick but refreshing swim in the frigid Lake Superior water, we cooked up some gourmet Kraft dinner and hot dogs on the beach.
Some more shore fishing after dinner resulted in a big ol’ Lake Trout. We released him back into the lake.
It was a pretty easy day compared to Day 2. Only about 5 km total. Here’s a look at our travels:
Day 4:
Another beautiful morning in northwestern Ontario. We made some coffee on the beach and enjoyed the spectacular view.
Then we set out to climb the “Head of the Giant” lookout trail. We would be staying at the Sawyer Bay site again that night so we just brought one pack with water, lunch, rain gear, and the camera. After 600 meters of flat hiking on the Kabeyun trail, we turned onto the Head of the Giant trail, the steepest hike in the park. It was a grueling but short ascent. We made it to the top of the 1.9 km trail in 1.5 hours, gaining 330 meters of elevation.
There’s plenty of different ledges to explore up there, and its not nearly as busy as the Top of the Giant trail.
Descending this trail was sketchy in some sections. But there were also some nice views.
We were a little overheated when we returned to Sawyer, so despite the numbing cold water of Lake Superior we jumped in to cool off. After a very brief swim we did some exploring along the coast of the bay down the Kabeyun trail. We found an old ship wreck.
Dinner was dehydrated backpackers lasagna which was very good. Then a couple s’mores by the fire to cap off the day.
Only a 7 km day but the heat took a toll on our energy. Here’s a look at Day 4:
Day 5:
Our final day was just a 6 km mostly-flat hike on Sawyer Bay trail back to our car. After packing up we began our last trek of the week.
Here’s our complete trip map:
Back at the car we couldn’t wait to get those packs off and the AC on. In 5 days we travelled about 34 kilometers and gained over 1000 meters in elevation. It was a challenging but very rewarding adventure. It’s safe to say this will not be our last hike in the Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, but I think our next expedition will feature more canoeing.
If you’re looking for another wilderness adventure around Thunder Bay, check out our trip to Quetico:
Or check out some other wilderness adventures we did out west: