WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT MANITOULIN ISLAND – DAY 2 OF THE PERFECT ROAD TRIP!

After an amazing day of experiencing all the sights from the GTA to Tobermory, we were packed and ready to see what day 2 had in store for us! 

We woke up early and got a fresh start by visiting the Big Tub Lighthouse during the sunrise. It was such a beautiful sight to see the sun come up across the lake! There were many rocks and ways to get down to the lake to potentially take a swim! However we already had plans to catch a ferry that was coming up soon! So we quickly soaked in some sunlight and made our way to the ferry docks. 

We had pre-booked tickets to take the MS Chi Cheemaun ferry boat to Manitoulin Island! This ferry boat in particular was huge as we were able to take our vehicles onboard, we arrived around 7:45 and our boarding time was 8:30am with our departure time being 9:00am. We drove to the loading section and were able to leave our vehicles until boarding time to grab a quick coffee. Right across the road there was a small independent coffee shop called Tobermory Coffee Company. It was a grab and go spot. We ordered medium roast coffee hot and over ice and a bagel, the service was pretty slow, we were scared we might’ve missed our boat! The staff was very limited and there were a lot of people waiting for their orders. The hot coffee was excellent, however the ice coffee was not my favourite, the sugar was not fully dissolved and there was no ice, and the bagel was also very tough! I would definitely say stick to a hot cup of coffee if you are going to visit this spot! 

There was an announcement for all passengers to return to their vehicles as boarding was going to start in a few minutes, we hurried over and began driving into the ship. There were many staff directing us where to go so it was not confusing at all! As soon as we parked they told which section we were parked in so we would have no issues finding our vehicles afterward, and we headed to the upper deck! We decided to sit at the back of the boat to get away from all the strong wind! This was definitely a smart decision on our part as it was extremely windy all around! There were many benches for seating both inside and outside of the boat! I spent most of my time outside, enjoying the scenery and islands we were passing by.  The entire one way trip to Manitoulin Island took around an hour and 40 minutes. When there was only a few minutes left of the trip, they announced for all passengers that were on board with their vehicles, to return as it was time to dock. Docking only took around 5 mins and driving off ws seamless and easy! 

Once we were on the island, our first stop was about 40 mins away, it was The Cup and Saucer Trail! There is limited parking so make sure you do wait around and park respectfully. There are multiple points of access to the trails that start at both parking lots. There were 3 main trails that were there, everyone starts on the red trail, after hiking for about 20-25 mins, you can either take the blue trail or continue on the red trail. The blue trail is a bit longer, but the terrain is easier, the red trail is moderately easy and has multiple lookout points. We decided to continue on the red trail, after making our way deeper into the red trail there is also one more trail that connects, it is almost like a side trail, it is called the adventure trail. And it is just what it describes to be, we did not take on the challenge of hiking the adventure trail but we heard from daily hikers of the area that it is extremely difficult!

We continued on the red trail for another 30 minutes or so, there were multiple lookouts and they were all beautiful! The final lookout was by far my favourite. It had the most beautiful uninterrupted view of the island and was an astonishing 230 feet high! It was definitely a workout and you needed to be physically fit to take on this hike but the view was totally worth it!

After hiking back down, we drove over to Bridal Veil Falls. We were all a little hungry so we grabbed some fries and other quick-to-eat foods from a food truck across the road. After eating and taking a few minutes to relax, we walked over to the falls, the stairs were open to the base of the falls and you were able to swim in, around and behind the gorgeous waterfall! We quickly made our way in the water and started having the time of our lives! It was definitely an experience like none other! If swimming in the waterfall isn’t really your thing there are platforms where you can view the falls at different angles as well as dry trails to walk in the back of the waterfall! This was by far one of the highlights of the trip, don’t skip this one!

After truly enjoying the waterfall, we changed into some warm and dry clothes and headed on a 2-hour drive to Sudbury! After around an hour and a half, we were approaching The Big Nickel, this was a wonderful sight to see! It was huge and located on an elevated hill where you could get a great view of the surrounding area! 

This was our last stop on our road trip before checking into our hotel, getting dinner and enjoying the rest of the night! This road trip was such an adventurous and exhilarating experience, it is not to be missed! Do yourself a favour and explore Canada! 

Sincerely, Celine!