Hey, Robin from Devon in England here.

Really looking forward to my first Quetico trip with my teenage son. I'm flying into Toronto and am just asking advice on whether to base myself in Thunder Bay or International Falls. I stupidly arrive on Labor Day so I'm expecting things to be busy. Which is the better place to base myself in, taking into acccount : best access to the park, buying fishing tackle, finding somewhere to stay etc.

Been looking online and hard to find good answers not knowing the terrain. Any advice is MUCH APPRECIATED. Thanks Robin

Toronto is not very close to Thunder Bay (1400km) or International Falls (1700km). Drive time would be 15-18 hours or more.

Thunder Bay and International Falls are not very close to Quetico.

Any chance you could look at flying to Minneapolis and driving to Ely, MN? Ely would have what you are looking for... access to Quetico, rental gear, tackle, accommodations, etc.

bobbernumber3: "Thunder Bay and International Falls are not very close to Quetico. Any chance you could look at flying to Minneapolis and driving to Ely, MN? Ely would have what you are looking for... access to Quetico, rental gear, tackle, accommodations, etc."

...but accessing Quetico from Ely requires crossing the border. While we Yanks can use the RABC system to cross without going through a checkpoint (Robin, the RABC involves sending our passport info, etc, to the Canadian government and getting permission to cross the border in remote areas), I'm not sure the program works for citizens of nations other than the US. Check TARGET="_blank">here for more information.

Quetico is easily accessed from Atikokan, ONT, and there are a couple outfitters there, but getting there from Toronto won't be easy.

TZ

We have guys from the US and from Toronto on our Quetico trip. The Toronto guys fly to Thunder Bay and get shuttled by the Outfitter. Not cheap but it works pretty well.

Go to Thunder Bay. If you go to the falls, you are literally driving past Quetico and will end up west of the park. Thunder Bay is just 90 minuted from Some of the entry points. Also, International Falls is in the USA. Ft. Francis is the Canadian side. Really not an up and coming place. The economy is primarily a giant paper mill.

You will love Thunder Bay. (I got married there, but am American!) It has a lot of European influence. Many Scottish names and her Majesty, too. There are hotels near the airport as well as a few in some other spots.

My favourite place to stay is called the Courthouse hotel. It used to be the Courthouse until the 80s and has been renovated into a boutique hotel. Not your usual American or Canadian chain hotel. Kind of neat.

It’s a blue Collar city and has a great view of Lake Superior.

Tom

I agree on Thunder Bay. I would either fly directly into Thunder Bay or fly to Duluth or Minneapolis and drive to Thunder Bay. Duluth to Thunder Bay is 3.5 hours, Minneapolis to Thunder Bay is 6 hours. Thunder Bay won't be busy over Labor Day weekend (American holiday) but from Duluth to the Canadian border will be packed. If you drive across the border all you will need is your passports.

More information would be helpful, Robin.

I would forget about International Falls.

Also forget about entering Quetico from the USA unless both of you possess either Canadian or American passports.

Is the purpose of your trip to Canada solely the canoe trip?
Do you have time to drive to Atikokan from Toronto or were you planning to fly? The drive is about 18 hours and spectacular much of the way. You could layover in many places or camp in Lake Superior Provincial Park which is about half way. Alternatively there are many flights per day between Toronto and Thunder Bay. The cost for two would be about $700C-$900C for both of you return. When I do this drive I go straight to Atikokan. On the way home I do an overnight in Sault St. Marie. I would even say you're more likely to see big game (bear, moose, bobcat) on the Trans Canada Highway than in Quetico.

Thunder Bay is a fairly populated metropolis with ample shopping. In fact, many from Atikokan take trips to shop there. If you're looking to stock your food barrel do it there or if you're driving from Toronto, do it there.

Do you have an outfitter in mind? Canoe Canada is top notch. They can completely outfit you - gear and meals. Someone else mentioned an outfitter who has a shuttle service to/from Thunder Bay. I imagine there are people who freelance this sort of thing but that's the first I've heard of an outfitter offering this service.

I have driven and flown to Quetico. The trade-offs are obvious mostly relating to time and cost.

I did a father/son Quetico trip when my lad was fourteen in 2020. I will never forget that trip. This summer he will be returning for the third time - still a teen. You are doing something very special for both of you in my opinion - especially coming all the way from England!

Let us know more and we can refine our advice to you.

Thanks for all your advice and your replies. I really appreciate your time.

So our plan is to stay within Canada and not hire a car as we're spending our whole trip in Quetico and there's no point paying for car hire, or the hassle of crossing over into the US. So it sounds like the best bet is to fly from Thunder Bay to Toronto as Atikokan is hard to get to.

I did a long solo trip in Woodland Caribou ten years ago and based myself at Red Lake (I don't think there was much choice) and found it easy to get supplies and find a good local tackle shop that could advise me. I suppose I was trying to find out what the Canadian equivalent was for Quetico. In other words where was the best town near by where I could get some advice on what the fish were biting at that time of year, and buy some food and supplies etc.

Perhaps Thunder Bay is the best place to do this ?

Also thanks Argo for the recommendation of an outfitter. We're planning to use one and I was going to ask on a separate thread for advice on them.

Thanks again for the help
Cheers Robin

76R: "Thanks for all your advice and your replies. I really appreciate your time.


So our plan is to stay within Canada and not hire a car as we're spending our whole trip in Quetico and there's no point paying for car hire, or the hassle of crossing over into the US. So it sounds like the best bet is to fly from Thunder Bay to Toronto as Atikokan is hard to get to.


I did a long solo trip in Woodland Caribou ten years ago and based myself at Red Lake (I don't think there was much choice) and found it easy to get supplies and find a good local tackle shop that could advise me. I suppose I was trying to find out what the Canadian equivalent was for Quetico. In other words where was the best town near by where I could get some advice on what the fish were biting at that time of year, and buy some food and supplies etc.


Perhaps Thunder Bay is the best place to do this ?


Also thanks Argo for the recommendation of an outfitter. We're planning to use one and I was going to ask on a separate thread for advice on them.


Thanks again for the help
Cheers Robin"

Your first task will be to get to Atikokan from Thunder Bay. How are you planning to do that without renting a car?

As for fishing, bring the same stuff you used in Woodland Caribou. Also, check out the fishing forum on this site.

Finally, call the outfitter (they may not have their phones manned full time at this time of year). But talk to them and tell them exactly what you need. They will help you and provide suggestions for items you may not have considered. Canoe Canada sells tackle but I don't know how their prices compare. My understanding is that you can walk in off the street and they can have you completely outfitted with gear and food for a Quetico trip. It's all a matter of cost.

You should also go here and procure an angling licence in advance.

Sorry maybe I wasn't clear. I wasn't planning on going to Atikokan at all. As i think it's hard to get to without a car

I think you're right in that I should get in touch with an outfitter and get some advice from there.

Thanks again

76R: "I suppose I was trying to find out what the Canadian equivalent was for Quetico. In other words where was the best town near by where I could get some advice on what the fish were biting at that time of year, and buy some food and supplies etc. "

Atikokan.

I see that despite Atikokan being THE answer to your exact questions, you're unwilling or unable to go there. That leaves Thunder Bay as your only reasonable option which is still a 2-3 hour drive to the nearest Quetico entry. There is a shuttle service that can drive you to/from Quetico if you do not want to rent a car, but it won't be cheap. If you wanted to be fancy, I think you could arrange to be flown into Quetico from Thunder Bay then paddle out to a van shuttle pick-up (again, not cheap).

Ah ok I didn't realisr that Atikokan was the answer. That's interesting you're saying that. Thanks for the tip.

I think as i'm going to use an outfitter anyway, that I can get a lift off them from Thunder Bay to Quetico. I know it will be pricy but seems a better idea that renting a car when i won't use it for the 17 or so days we're out there.

Different outfitters do different things - not all will get you from Thunder Bay over to the park...but some will.

An outfitter is the right call.

You could inquire about air charter Toronto Atikokan. Between the Toronto Thunder Bay fares and shuttle to Stikoksn, plus maybe a little more time in the park, you never know. I googled it and several services popped up offering on line quotes.

Your idea of flying into Toronto and then again to Thunder Bay is a good idea. You said your buddies already hire a ride from Thunder Bay to the park?

You will need a couple hour road trip from TB to Atikokan which is the "gateway to Quetico" town if you wanted to call one that. Thunder Bay as a whole won't know what the fish are biting on in the Q and that sort of local knowledge. The town of Atikokan is what you want for that kind of information and feel. It's also a small town compared to the city of Thunder Bay.


I agree with asking outfitters if they know of anyone that can shuttle people and gear from TB and back. They will or know who can. Or I guess you could see if some sort of Uber or something would go that far as last resort.

Give yourself time in Thunder Bay to get food. There are all kinds of big box supermarkets there with much more of a variety compared with one moderately-sized Foodland operation in Atikokan. Prices and quality will likely be better. Population of Thunder Bay is over 110,000 vs 3000 for Atikokan.

It looks like both Canadian Quetico Outfitters and Quetico Outfitters can shuttle you between Thunder Bay and Atikokan for approximately $600Cdn round trip including taxes. This should be less expensive than a car rental but you'll be obliged to pay additional shuttle fees from the outfitter to your park entry and exit points which could amount to another $100-$300.

Keep in mind that although the outfitters are in Canada, their primary clientele are Americans and prices are usually listed in $US on their web pages.