[Autumn 2022] The day-use area at Old Woman Bay, 25 km south of Wawa, Ontario, must surely be one of the most spectacular roadside rest stops to be found. I’m not outing a hidden gem, this place is well-known. On a fair weather day it will be busy, but there’s lots of space for everyone.

There is a large parking lot just off Hwy 17, but if you drive through that lot toward the lake, and it is early enough in the day (or you’re really lucky) you may get a primo spot with an awesome view to flip open your camper trailer for coffee or a meal.

Nokomis Trail: One of Canada’s Top Day Hikes

Once you’ve enjoyed lunch with a view, move your Teardrop to the main parking lot so others can have the spot, lace up your hiking boots and head across the roadway to the Nokomis Trail. Listed by Lonely Planet as one of the Top 5 Day Hikes in Canada, the 5km trail will take you through forests of hanging lichen unique to the boreal rainforest microclimate then up to awesome views over Lake Superior, deep turquoise on a sunny day. There’s also a viewpoint looking out over vast tracts of forest where you can actually see the transition between Great Lakes and Boreal forest zones.

Plan to stay a while and enjoy it rather than take a few selfies and move on. This could easily be a worthwhile stop of several hours between mid-morning to mid-afternoon on your way to wherever you’re going.