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Nipigon: At Canada’s Crossroads

By Elle Andra-Warner

Nipigon 2
Heading east on Highway 17 out of Nipigon, a band of cliffs rises from the horizon, providing dramatic scenery on the northern arc of the Lake Superior Circle Tour.
About an hour’s drive northeast from Thunder Bay on Highway 11/17 is the town of Nipigon, which some people call the “Crossroads of Canada’’ because it is here that Canada’s major highways intersect, and where Canada’s two transcontinental railways join to travel a pair of bridges over the Nipigon River.

People have been coming here for over 9,000 years. First Nations people and, later, the fur-trading voyageurs paddled their canoes on the Nipigon River north to Hudson Bay and westward to Lake Winnipeg. Over 330 years ago, the first fur-trading post was built at the mouth of the Nipigon River. Nipigon was an important part of Canada’s competitive fur trade.

Today’s Nipigon is proud of its past yet firmly anchored in the 21st century. You get a sense of the Nipigon “soul’’ from the building-size historic murals featured in its downtown. Painted in 1993 by renowned mural artist Dan Sawatsky from British Columbia, the giant murals depict the town’s railway, logging and retail history.

Nipigon opened the largest theme park in Northwestern Ontario last year, the multimillion dollar Paddle-to-the-Sea outdoor park. Located downtown, the state-of-the-art family park is a series of whimsical interactive play stations based on the 1941 children’s book “Paddle to the Sea.” The book chronicles the adventures of a small toy canoe as it travels from Nipigon River to the Atlantic Ocean. Each colourful station highlights a part of the journey.

The Nipigon Marina is a wonderful place for a walk along the Nipigon River. Last time there, I enjoyed watching the white pelicans and peregrine falcons. I’ve also trekked along the scenic Wetlands Trail to Sawmill Point and looked through binoculars to see the aboriginal rock paintings on the other side of the river, dating back 400-1000 years. Avid hikers can continue on for a 2-3 hour hike to the nearby town of Red Rock, viewing spectacular vistas from scenic lookouts.

The region’s most photographed image is just a short drive north of Nipigon on Highway 11: the historic St. Sylvester’s Roman Catholic Church. Built in 1877 beside Lake Helen using hewn logs from the nearby forest, the 124-year-old church is located on the Lake Helen Reserve and still celebrates Mass.

For over a hundred years, Nipigon has attracted anglers from around the world – with good reason. In July 1915, the world’s largest brook trout—14.5 pounds—was caught in the Nipigon River. Anglers still catch trophy brook trout in the river.

In winter, Nipigon offers outstanding ice and mixed climbing on the ice-draped cliffs of Orient Bay.



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