Lake Superior Circle Tour (counter-clockwise)

[Prairiehammer]

I am planning to do the LSCT this summer and I think it should be easy to do in 8 days, counting the day to the Circle Route from North Central Illinois and the day spent going home from the Circle Route. IOW, I think we will spend 6 days on the Circle Tour.

I am interested in your experiences on this Tour (on a motorcycle, of course). We (Deb and I) don't plan on making any "Iron Butt" runs while on this trip. I am currently planning for the longest day to be 265 miles from Marathon, Ontario to Grand Marais, Minnesota.

Any suggestions for places to stay and for places to eat and for places to "don't miss"? Although I am thinking to take this ride in August, do any of y'all think otherwise?

We haven't decided if it will be a camping trip or motels or both. If, camping I will be pulling a trailer. Is the camping a good idea for old folks like us?

[Sylvester]

I think that it would be more challenging if you made the ride in the winter! :whistling:

 

[Yammy]

Hi We've done the circle tour, counter clockwise. We pulled a trailer and camped and when tired or the weather didn't cooperate we stayed in a motel. There's lots to see, more than a week will allow. There's a few pic's on our web site if interested. To tell you the truth were not very consistent in the picture department. There's a lot of side trips that can be taken. Hit the touring centers, you'll find lots of info.

[Prairiehammer]

Thanks Sylvester and Yammy.

Yammy, I am concerned that, although the daily mileage isn't great, I am going to be straggling into a reserved motel either stressed that I get there or just plain tired of riding. There's so much to see! I have been checking the various chambers and visitor centers enroute and find some intriguing places to stop and see. I am wondering if having a reservation is necessary, ie. allowing a bit more freedom as to where we shall spend a night. Like I said in OP, I am thinking August...would we be well advised to have reserved rooms? Or just wing it?

[KarlS]

It's a great ride, we stayed at motels and the rates are cheaper Mon-Thur. Before you set a date go online and check the dates that they expect the Black Fly hatches. You don't want to be up there when the black flies are out. We stayed at a nice motel about 20 miles east of Marathon that had a restaurant and the lady that owned it went to the docks every morning to get fresh white fish. Ate a lot of white fish on that trip. No gas stations from Suit Saint Marie to Wawa, some people say there are but the only 2 we saw were closed for the summer. Allow time for the Kewanee peninsula, best road in Michigan is up there.

Only rooms we had reserved was the one East of Marathon, had no problems getting rooms anywhere else.

Edited January 5, 2011 by KarlS
added content. correction.

[Prairiehammer]

Ic23b:

Any chance you recall the name of that motel east of Marathon? It seems Marathon is kinda sparse on "fine lodging" to put it nicely. I'm perfectly content with a clean "Mom and Pop".

[frogmaster]

It's a great ride, we stayed at motels and the rates are cheaper Mon-Thur. Before you set a date go online and check the dates that they expect the Black Fly hatches. You don't want to be up there when the black flies are out. We stayed at a nice motel about 20 miles east of Marathon that had a restaurant and the lady that owned it went to the docks every morning to get fresh white fish. Ate a lot of white fish on that trip. No gas stations from Suit Saint Marie to Marathon, some people say there are but the only 2 we saw were closed for the summer. Allow time for the Kewanee peninsula, best road in Michigan is up there.

Only rooms we had reserved was the one East of Marathon, had no problems getting rooms anywhere else.

 

 

DITTO... WHITEFISH... Fried, poached, baked, pickled, smoked, broiled, ect... WHITEFISH!!!

[Prairiehammer]

Frogmaster:

I am familiar with the whitefish in the traditional Door County fish boil...what a memory...night bonfire...blazing oil overflowing ...succulent fish and veggies and potatoes...MMMMM

[KarlS]

Ic23b:

Any chance you recall the name of that motel east of Marathon? It seems Marathon is kinda sparse on "fine lodging" to put it nicely. I'm perfectly content with a clean "Mom and Pop".

 

 

Gloria's Motel & Restaurant Marathon

http://gloriasmotelandrestaurant.ca/

 

 

Reasonable rates and close proximity to many amenities, such as a beach, cross country skiing, hiking, nature trails, ice fishing and snowmobiling. Bunk house facilities are also available.

http://g3.worldweb.com/i-hotel_restaurant.gif

http://g3.worldweb.com/g-phone2.gif 1 807 822-2307

Address: Dunc Lake Hwy 17 | Marathon, ON | P0T 2E0

[E-Fishin-C]

There's gas stations in White River, Wawa and I think there's one in Batchewan bay

Camping at Provincial Parks and along road side

[KarlS]

There's gas stations in White River, Wawa and I think there's one in Batchewan bay

Camping at Provincial Parks and along road side

 

Yes you are right, It was no stations from SSMarie to Wawa.

[Trader]

If you are going in August you want to avoid the Civic Holiday August 2nd.

Not only more traffic but less availabilty for campsites and motels.

 

Black Fly hatch is closer to spring...usually Late May, Early June.

 

If you have time I would recommend going a little "inland" from Wawa to Chapleau.

The Ride heading south to Manatoulin was beautiful (25 years ago)

From there it's an easy day's to Niagara Falls or little longer to Detroit.

 

Check out the Agawa Canyon Train Ride out of Sault Saint Marie

[gunkylump]

There is a smaller "circle route" that you might want to fit in....Soo to Wawa, over to Chapleau, and down to Thessalon. This route, Highway #129, follows the Mississagi River watershed, a few single lane Bailey bridges....beautiful scenery, not quite as picturesque as from the Soo to Wawa, but much more intimate.....(can you hear the testosterone talking here)

 

There's a few gas stations in Wawa, but you have to go in to town, which is off of Highway #17.

 

Kakabeka Falls just past Thunder Bay is a nice little jaunt, grand waterfalls.

 

There is a restaurant in Soo Michigan which is located very close to the locks...I just can't for the life of me remember the name of the place.....you can enjoy a pretty nice meal and watch the lake freighters travelling the locks...you're that close to them.

 

You're probably going west....around Superior? but if you're heading east, take a jaunt up into Elliot Lake, there's a new Hampton Inn there....the former site of 13 working uranium mines at one time. The road north of Elliot Lake can take you back around to Iron Bridge on Highway 17, it's now called the "Deer Trail", and it is gorgeous. The latter part of the trip follows the Little White River.

 

As mentioned above, the trip from Espanola to the Chi Chi Maun ferry from Manitoulin Island to mainland Ontario has some absolutely great roads and scenery, Highway #6 through Evansville and onto the island is a must ride if you're in that area.

 

I've probably gone way too far east for you....but if the weather is cold around Superior, you might want to go east. It can be a cold run around Superior, even in August.

 

As far as Ontario goes.....the ride from the Soo to Wawa ranks in the top 3....keep your camera ready, and watch out for moose..especially at dusk. They come out to the roads to get away from the flies and satisfy their craving for salt at the same time.

 

gunk:happy34:

[brewser23]

Was up Wawa way few years back, came out of the motel and had to scrape frost off the windshield. This was the first week of August!! Had just about everything I packed on trying to stay warm, no problem when the sun finally got up high enough to warm up but it was not fun until that happened. Take some winter gloves, better to have and not need than to need and not have. If you are plannng to do the ferry from Manitoulin island to Tobermory , might want to check there departure times and maybe book ahead. Enjoy the ride, the scenery is beautiful.

[KarlS]

 

There is a restaurant in Soo Michigan which is located very close to the locks...I just can't for the life of me remember the name of the place.....you can enjoy a pretty nice meal and watch the lake freighters travelling the locks...you're that close to them.

 

 

 

gunk:happy34:

 

The Lock View Restaurant. That's where we got the Ruben Sandwiches made with White fish instead corned beef. Right across from the entrance to the locks.

[Prairiehammer]

Thanks to all for the suggestions and tips.

Though I have never ridden north of Superior, I did circle Lake Huron a couple times and remember one cold July when the temps were in the thirties (F) during the day along the north shore from Manitoulin Island to Sault Ste. Marie. We were camping and need less to say, the Woman was not content. I shall try not to repeat that error on this trip.

My biggest concern on this trip is that in an attempt to see as much as possible during the day, I will find myself a long dark ride (I have no desire to bag a moose or bear) from the reserved motel. On the other hand I don't want to arrive at our motel at noon and find nothing to do and wish I could put another couple of hundred miles behind us before dusk. Usually, I try to be much more lackadaisical about a tour; stop whenever I want, eat whenever is convenient, spend the night wherever a stay is available. With the limited accommodations along the North Shore, and heeding the warnings of others, I feel I must plan ahead and make reservations. And of course, keep 'em.

[Shorty]

I've done that trip the last two years. Rode with Yooper and a couple of his Harley buddies. They don't stop for anything but gas, food and lodging. They even bring their own food. We do the whole circle in two days. Never even stopped for taking pictures so the attached pictures are from me holding my camera and snapping pictures while driving. The one of me shows the shadow of my hand holding the camera. The one of the instrument panel shows our cruising speed and a nice scene in the rear view mirror. Next year we are going to slow down and take it in three days.

[Prairiehammer]

Hi, Shorty,

Sorry to hear you rode with Yooper.

No stops? Jeez! So that's how he puts so many miles on every year.

I am planning a much more leisurely ride, lots of stops. But that may change if I start to run short of time.

[bryan52577]

Wife and I and another couple went up there a few years ago. If you do not mind about a mile of gravel you got to check out this place north of Thunder Bay. Bills it's self as longest suspension bridges in Canada.

Got a little walk involved to get up to them but well worth it. And coming down is way cool! (See the video) My wife will tell you different but she still remembers!

 

Bryan

[Prairiehammer]

I have been planning this trip since last December; reviewing motels and campgrounds, making reservations, planning sightseeing stops, fuel locations, restaurants, etc. It turned out to be fortuitous that I did. Many places were full up as we made our way around.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=203185958368302937986.0004a85dd1f59f3cdddfe&msa=0

 

I coordinated our trip to coincide with the Venturers (motorcycle club, Venturers.org) North Central Irregulars and Irregularettes (NCII) Yooper Rally in Ishpeming, MI. We rode 450 miles, 10 hours the first day to get to Ishpeming, but averaged 283 miles per day for entire trip. This was Debbie’s first motorcycle trip; but she handled that first day with no problem. In fact, she had no issues during the entire trip. She is a great co-rider.

 

After several days of fun with the Venturers, we headed out on our Circle Tour Sunday morning in the rain. It cleared by the time we got to Tahquamenon Falls and was downright perfect when we stopped at Whitefish Point. We took the Whitefish Bay Scenic Parkway to Sault Ste. Marie and our first night in a motel of the trip. I had reserved a night at the Longship Motel; right across the street from the Soo Locks. Walked less than a block to the Lockview Restaurant where we enjoyed some fresh whitefish and a ten percent discount on our meal because we stayed at the Longship Motel. We met a couple, Deb and Steve going around the Lake on their Gold Wing GL1800. They were from Kansas City and had been touring the Great Lakes for a few weeks already. The Lake Superior leg was their last before heading home.

 

Monday dawned clear and pleasant and as we finished breakfast at the Lockview, Deb and Steve came in. A short chat and we walked back to pack and get on the road. I fueled the bike and immediately encountered construction delays but, we cleared the border without issue and headed for Wawa. We happened upon Deb and Steve at the Ontario Welcome Center and traveled with them for some of the morning. Getting through Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario was arduous. Lots of traffic, lots of traffic lights, long wait for a train creeping through, and my bike was getting hot with a seriously fast idle of 3000 rpm or more. The high hot idle was the only issue with bike during the entire trip. Averaged 42 mpg with a gross vehicle weight of about 1200 pounds.

We fueled up at Young’s General Store (they still utilize an attendant, no self service or pay at the pump) and rode downtown to sample the local fare for lunch at the Embassy Restaurant. I ordered poutine. Debbie thought it bizarre when I pointed it out on the menu, but she liked it. Look up “poutine”. Try it when you get a chance. We shopped in downtown Wawa at Canadian Tire; different and fun. I was getting anxious to get on the road; we still had some miles to our next stop, but we had to stop at the Wawa Goose and take some pics. Lo and behold as we were leaving, several bikers, some on Ventures (Second Generation) pulled in. Well, I HAD to talk to them. Keith (Bikenut) Yedica and I had a lengthy conversation about bikes in general, our trip so far and of course Ventures. (Did I mention I was anxious to get on the road?) We got to our next stop at a Mom and Pop motel at Jackfish Lake in the evening. Unloaded and rode to Terrace Bay for supper. Enjoyed some excellent salmon and fresh whitefish. To my chagrin, we discovered that there were no packaged beer sales in Terrace Bay. “You’ll have to go back to Marathon.” the restaurant cashier said. “Gots to buy beer at the ‘Government Store.’”

 

Next morning it was raining HARD! Waited for it to let up and headed into Terrace Bay for fuel and breakfast. Several bikers were lounging in the restaurant killing time waiting for the rain and fog to lift. We visited with Deb and Steve once again and chatted with a young couple, Brent and Tina, heading around the lake on another Wing. They were from Milwaukee. We finally ventured out (no pun intended) about 1000hours and visited the Aquabason Falls, then headed for Ouimet Canyon where we encountered rain and Brent and Tina. Together we headed for Kakabeka Falls outside Thunder Bay. The weather broke as we neared the falls. Brent and Tina went by while we fueled up in Kakabeka Falls (the village). Having done our requisite pictures we headed for the border. Clearing it in a couple minutes (I didn’t even have to take off my helmet) we made for the Wedgewood Motel north of Grand Marais, Minnesota. Settled in, we rode the two and a half miles to Grand Marais for supper and noticed Steve and Deb in a motel parking lot. They were searching for a place to stay. They had not made reservations for any nights on this trip and were continuing to have difficulty finding rooms. We told them where we were going to have supper and invited them to join us. It took them about an hour, but they finally got a room outside town and joined us for supper at the Gunflint Tavern and some shopping and strolling around downtown Grand Marais.

 

The next morning, following breakfast in a nice café on the waterfront and some shopping in the Ben Franklin store (don’t laugh, Debbie found some very nice stuff in there, $230 worth of stuff) we headed for Duluth. We stopped for fuel in Two Harbors and waved as Brent and Tina hummed past. As for seemingly every city we passed through on this trip, road construction had traffic snarled. By the time we cleared that mess, I was ready for some easy riding, so I turned off US 2 onto Wisconsin 13 that wends its relaxing way through Port Wing, Herbster, Cornucopia, Red Cliff and along the Apostle Island National Lakeshore to Bayfield. We picked up some smoked whitefish at the fish house next to the Coast Guard Station and enjoyed crackers, beer and smoked fish “lupper” on a park bench overlooking the harbor, watching the ferries come and go to Madeline Island. An easy jaunt south to Ashland and the Prentice Park campground completed our day.

 

Thursday dawned beautiful and after fuel and breakfast we rode to Hurley then south on US51 to Pine Lake and County Road G. We take an annual vacation to these parts and I had always wanted to ride this “Wisconsin Rustic Road” on a motorcycle. I was having a great time until I came around a curve and discovered a warning sign of “Loose Gravel” and a freshly constructed road bed of very loose gravel. The Venture definitely does not like gravel but after instructing Debbie to become part of the bike, I rode on for five nervous miles until reaching asphalt again. The remaining ten miles was wonderful. Tight curves, roller coaster hills and pretty little lakes glimpsed through the tunnels of trees. Onward to Wakefield, Silver City and Ontonagon with a stop in Greenland for fuel. Predicatively, we encountered construction in Houghton/Hancock as we rode onto the Keweenaw Peninsula. Upon the recommendation of several guide books we rode the Brockway Mountain Drive. This is not a very good road; very rough pavement, very steep declines. The steep declines wouldn’t be such an issue if one were to use engine braking, but with my engine racing at idle, the brakes took a lot of abuse. The view from the top of Brockway Mountain was spectacular. We descended to Copper Harbor and Ft. Wilkins State Park, where I had reserved a campsite for the night. Having finished setting up camp, we were riding downtown to get supper and met Brent and Tina on their bike heading into the State Park. I hung a “youie” and followed them to the park where we helped them set up their camp next to us. Together we rode to supper in Copper Harbor and shared road tales and beer around the campfire that night.

 

Friday dawned gray and feeling of rain. After a lingering breakfast with Brent and Tina we bid our farewells and Deb and I headed for the “Gay Bar” in Gay, Michigan. Soon after the picture was taken in front of the Gay Bar sign, it began to rain and rained all the way to Baraga. It was a dry ride to Iron River and Rhinelander, Wisconsin. But the rain started again near Wausau as we ventured south on state and county roads. We stayed the night with an old primary and high school classmate who are also bikers. In fact, Mike just completed a SS1000/BB1500 on a Softail. My hat is off to him. I’ll bet that bike didn’t seem like a softail when he was done with that ride.

 

Saturday looked like it was gonna be wet, too, so we donned our rain suits for hopefully the last time and headed for home. After awhile, the skies started showing some blue and we got off the Interstate and just started taking county roads that were heading in the general direction of home. By the time we got to Freeport, Illinois thunderheads were building and rain could be seen in the distance. I jumped back on the Expressway to Rockford and Interstate 39 trying to beat the rain, but I was too slow and we were getting wet as we fueled in Rockford. We arrived home dry though and unpacked in 90 degree heat; something we hadn’t experienced on Lake Superior.

 

Total mileage for the trip was 2830 miles. We were gone ten days, but two and half days (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) were spent with the Venturers.

 

Go here for some pics of the trip:

 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.206158916104329.53771.100001306650761

Edited September 18, 2011 by Prairiehammer

[Carbon_One]

Awesome trip and one that's on my bucket list of rides to do. It's the only lake circle trip I haven't done yet. When did you go and other then running into some rain what sort of temps did you encounter for the most part?

Larry

[Prairiehammer]

We left home August 4, 2011 and got home August 13. It was quite warm in the UP. Mostly pleasant temps in Canada. Although I took long underwear, gauntlet gloves, jacket liner, etc. I never wore any of it.

 

I've done Lake Michigan, Lake Huron and Lake Erie on a bike. Now, just Lake Ontario is left to ride.