I arrived in Atikokan a few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon. I was entering Quetico early Monday morning. I was kind of sad to see that the town was basically deserted. I had not eaten lunch yet and there was not one restaurant open to get a meal. I ended up finding a gas station/ convenience store where I did find some cold pre-packaged sandwiches, chips, and something to drink., I bought enough for dinner also.

I was equally surprised when I checked into The White Otter Inn that I was the sole “tourist” in the hotel, although there were a couple rooms rented to some workers that were working in the area.

It seems so sad to me to see the town struggling during what should be a busy summer season. I love entering the park from the north end and will continue to use these entry points, I just will remember not to arrive there on a Sunday. I guess it’s a good thing for me that that area is totally underutilized, but I sure feel for the folks that are there depending on us outdoorsmen to make a buck or two.

I pretty much agree. Atikokan is a tough town to live in. Very limited opportunities. The grocery store has a deli and I usually pick up some food there.

Quetico certainly does not provide enough people for the town. You either work at the power plant, a mine or logging. Many people are on the dole.

Tom

Your experience mirrors ours last August. While I'd like to support the economy on the north side of the park, there's almost no way to do so. The extra drive offsets the cheaper permits for northern entry, and there's just not the tourism infrastructure available near other entries.

TZ

I’d say even up at Lake of the Woods on Wheelers point it can be dead with most resort’s restaurants closing up early on Sunday nights. I’d assume Atikokan takes that to a whole different level though.

I definitely enjoyed entering from the North and will do so again. My son had a great experience at Seine River Lodge this year. We had a great experience with Camp Quetico last year. It’s never going to feel as tourist driven as Ely or Grand Marais though.

Ryan

walllee: "... I just will remember not to arrive there on a Sunday…."

I think your expectations of a small Northern Ontario town are not matching reality. Day of the week likely won't matter.

bobbernumber3: "

walllee: "... I just will remember not to arrive there on a Sunday…."

I think your expectations of a small Northern Ontario town are not matching reality. Day of the week likely won't matter."

it is different during the week, been there many times over the last 30 years, and have seen the town during all seasons….

We stayed at Quetico Inn on July 6, 2023. We had a remodeled room which was fine. Hard wood laminate flooring. Remodeled bathroom. Refrigerator and microwave and coffee maker. We were the only guests. The hosts were very kind.
The town was desolate.
Luckily , The Grill at the golf course was open. There were about 15 people there eating. The salads were very good!
I am glad that I didn’t put off any last-minute preparation’s because honestly there was no store that would’ve had camping gear available for us to purchase . The grocery store had no cars in the parking lot. Appeared to be closed at 6 pm. This might be typical. Not sure.
Moral: Do not expect to make last minute purchases. Bring PBJ in case restaurants are closed.

I hope the town can reinvent itself!

Canoeinggal: "I hope the town can reinvent itself! "

There are almost half as many people living there now than there was 20 years ago. I don't think there is anything to reinvent. There is more money leaving Atikokan than coming in.

tumblehome: "There are almost half as many people living there now than there was 20 years ago. "

...and half again as many people as there were in the mid-80s when we started going there.

I remember when the population was around 8,000. The town even had a Chevy dealership (which I made use of one year when my van's fuel pump died) and Atikokan was a relatively hoppin' town. When we were there this year, the population sign said a little over 2,000. It's sad to see the town dwindling away, but it's such a long way from anything.

I love Atikokan, so this thread is a sad one. There are towns on the coast of Newfoundland where someone will die and try to give the house to someone, but no one wants them. The government is looking forward to the day when they shut off the power...literally...and roll up the road...figuratively.

missmolly: "I love Atikokan, so this thread is a sad one. There are towns on the coast of Newfoundland where someone will die and try to give the house to someone, but no one wants them. The government is looking forward to the day when they get shut off the power...literally...and roll up the road...figuratively. "

Missmolly, this thread is indeed sad. For me, it would be an awfully hard place to live. Two hours from anything else and isolated from the world. Sure it sounds fun, for a while but eventually it gets under your skin. The hardships of income certainly cannot be understated.

Tom

bobbernumber3: "

walllee: "... I just will remember not to arrive there on a Sunday…."

I think your expectations of a small Northern Ontario town are not matching reality. Day of the week likely won't matter."

I would agree. For the trip my son and I took this past June, we arrived in Atikokan on a Wednesday evening and just happened to have another forum member, Bwanna, as our neighbor at White Otter Inn. I think we were the only canoeists there that night and there were perhaps a half dozen cars in the lot.

We swung by the Foodland grocery that evening, but they were closed. A kind resident noticed us in the lot and told us about another smaller grocer in town that may be open. It is located on the same Road, O'brien I believe, further into town. We navigated through the potholes and frost heaves in the road and indeed did find the grocery store, which was very small, but it had the three potatoes I was after.

We did not find a restaurant open the following morning for breakfast, so resorted to gas station sandwiches. We had wanted to eat at the Outdoorsman, but they do not open until 11AM, and we planned to be on the water before that.

So sad to read. I had a blast in Atikokan 30 years ago. I've been watching Ely dry up my whole life. Dear God, let those mines open !

Much of the same vibe on our trip. Our group stayed at the Quetico Inn on a Thursday in mid-June and as Canoeingal said the rooms we had were recently remodeled and in nice shape. Guessing there may have been an additional six rooms aside from ours rented that night by highway workers and Quetico users.

We stopped at the Outdoorsman Restaurant in town like we often do on trips for beers and their homemade pizza which was excellent as usual. Only two other people eating at what seemed would be the busy part of the evening.