Seattle to Montreal, Part 3: Ontario, Ya Habibi
Sleeping Giant, Lake Superior, Algonquin Provincial Parks
Welcome (or welcome back!) to Part 3 of our cross-Canada road trip mini-series. We’re driving from Seattle to Montreal the long way, on the Canadian side of the border, with every night planned at a national or provincial park. If you missed the earlier legs (parts 1 and 2), no stress, you can hop in right here. Think of it like sliding into the passenger seat mid-journey and still getting the full view.
After prairie purgatory (part 2), crossing into Ontario felt like stumbling into an oasis 🤩. Lakes, cliffs, trees for days, and finally, weather that hinted at summer. Louie perked up. We perked up. And suddenly the trip had rhythm again.
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
The park gets its name from the giant rock formation on Lake Superior’s Sibley Peninsula, which - when viewed from a distance, looks like a massive figure of a person lying on their back. Head, chest, knees, all outlined against the horizon as if a titan just dozed off there for eternity. It’s both majestic and a little spooky, like Canada’s version of a sleeping myth.
So, we landed at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park, Marie Louise Campground, site 134 - prime real estate. The plan was simple: do nothing but enjoy. Morning brought Lebanese cardamom coffee (thank you, Rifai) and actual summer sunshine. Finally, Canada delivered.
Paddle to the wild side
We paddled (see Strava) across Marie Louise Lake, aiming for a little wild island.
Midway, we spotted something unbelievable: a doe and two fawns swimming from shore to the island. Picture three deer doing laps like Olympic triathletes. It was surreal. I caught a snippet on video, but mostly just stared stupidly.
Middlebrow Bay Trail: Sand Beach on Lake Superior
Later, a ranger tipped us off about a sand beach on Lake Superior. We hiked in (see Strava) and, wawawiwa, what a beach. Long, narrow, golden sand with streaks of red.
Silver Islet
We chatted with a local couple on the beach who insisted we check out nearby Silver Islet, a tiny village that once mined silver 1,300 feet beneath the lake. Off we went: charming cottages, shoreline roads, and a general store straight out of 1880. The owner (whose parents bought it in the ’80s) now runs it with her husband while living upstairs. Ice cream, antiques, and history all crammed into one creaky building. Worth every detour.
Back at camp, we encountered “Yuri”, our intense neighbor doing push-ups beside the communal water tap. When we arrived with dirty dishes, he scolded us in a thick Eastern European accent: “Do you think it’s appropriate to do dishes here?” I replied, “Are you aware of a better place?” He sighed, muttered about food scraps, and we parted ways. Not hostile, just… intense. We nicknamed him Yuri. Every campground has a Yuri. 😅
Lamb, Fire, and a Croissant Moon
That evening I did something rare: started a campfire. I usually avoid them because I hate smelling like smoke in my skin, hair, and beard for days after. But this time, I made an exception. Why? To grill lamb skewers over real wood coals. And they were perfection. Salad, lamb, smoky air - It felt like a mezze table transplanted to Lake Superior. Even I had to admit: fire has its uses.
We capped the night with a moonset like no other: a perfect croissant sliding behind the Sleeping Giant, sky fading from orange to indigo. No camera, just memory. On our walk back, we nearly bumped into a skunk (Louie very much wanted to “make friends”). Thankfully, no spray. Later, lying in the van, I counted more stars than I’ve ever seen, so many it felt like falling into space. If prairies were purgatory, this was heaven. 😇✨
Lake Superior Provincial Park
Birthday day at Agawa
The next day was my birthday, and Ontario brought the party. Our camp neighbor, Rebecca (not her real name, but she looked like one), had chatted with us throughout our stay. That morning she shouted across the campground: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” so loud the whole loop knew. Then she handed me a box of Joe Louis cakes (the Canadian childhood snack to end all snacks). Her joy was contagious. Honestly, that box of Joe Louis meant more than any fancy gift.
We spent the rest of the day driving along Lake Superior’s endless shore. Hours of coastal jungle vibes, waves crashing like an inland ocean.
Beautiful, but long. It took nine full hours to drive from one end of the Lake to the other. Nine!!! Later a park ranger told us it’s the largest freshwater lake in the world, twice the size of Switzerland, often called an inland sea. Wow… By the time we reached Agawa Campground, we were ready to collapse. Still, birthday Joe Louis in hand, I felt celebrated.
Algonquin Provincial Park
Showers: the final boss at Lake of Two Rivers
Our last stop before Montreal: Algonquin Provincial Park, Lake of Two Rivers Campground. Ontario deserves serious praise here: its provincial parks are arguably the best I’ve experienced anywhere. Better than national parks in both Canada and the US, and cleaner, better equipped, and more welcoming than any provincial or state park I’ve visited. Showers? Always free, hot, and spotless. Algonquin’s showers, though, were the final boss. Too hot, too powerful. 😬 Cover-your-genitals (kind of hot) or risk annihilation. We stumbled out laughing, half burned, half bruised, fully clean.
Dinner was simple. Morning hike (see Strava) was a “1 hour boardwalk” we finished in 17 minutes because Louie was on turbo mode 😅. Algonquin is famous for its epic paddle spots, but rain kept us grounded this time. As we drove east toward Montreal, a pit stop revealed a wicked overlanding rig. Straight out of a military convoy but licensed in England and outfitted for family life. We chatted with the kind owners, traveling with their two daughters at the tail end of a year-long North American adventure. Encounters like these kept the drive alive. And then… Montreal awaited.
Montreal Homecoming
Family, Friends, and Cake
Rolling into Montreal came with the warmest welcome of all: my family, especially my niece Noor, who had prepared a homemade cake to celebrate my birthday properly. After weeks of camp food and gas-station snacks, her cake felt like Michelin-star dining. Beyond the sugar rush, it was grounding to be back in the city where I spent the most formative chapters of my life. But the real reward wasn’t the streets or the skyline. It was reconnecting with friends and family. Coffee dates, late-night drinks, skateboard laps, inline skating sessions… the little things that reminded me why coming home matters more than any campground view.
Planning jewels (save these!)
Paddle Sleeping Giant early; afternoons get windy.
Silver Islet general store is worth the detour.
Ontario provincial parks = best parks and showers in North America.
On long drives, break morale slumps with a birthday cake surprise. (Thanks, Rebecca. 😅)
Closing wink
And that’s a wrap for Part 3, and the whole mini-series (for now). From cold nights in the Rockies, to Prairie Purgatory podcasts, to Ontario’s reward level of lakes, lamb skewers, and final boss showers, this journey from Seattle to Montreal has been unforgettable.
Depending on how interesting the speedy return on the I‑90 (US side of the border) turns out, there might be a Part 4. Either way, thank you for riding along, for reading, and for sharing these stories with friends. ❤️
Yalla, until the next adventure!