Ontario: 

 The Highway  

 Province  

 Cities & Towns  

 Accommodation  

 Links & Info  

 Travel Tips  

 Home  

 British Columbia 

 Alberta 

 Saskatchewan 

 Manitoba 

 Ontario 

 Quebec 

 New Brunswick 

 Nova Scotia 

 PEI 

 Newfoundland 

 Yukon Territory 

 Northwest Terr 

 Nunavut 

Home > Ontario's Trans-Canada Highway > Thunder Bay to Marathon Itinerary

Ontario Trans-Canada Highway Route: Highway #17 between Thunder Bay and Marathon, Ontario

Here is the itinerary for the 289 km along Highway #17 between Thunder Bay and Marathon:

The original Trans-Canada Route was highway 11 (designated "The King's Highway"), which connecting North Bay and Nipigon through northern forests. That highway was started in 1923 and completed as a key war-time project to provide toad access to key mining towns of northern Ontario. When Highway 17 was completed between Marathon and Montreal River in September 1960, it became the new (and much shorter) Trans-Canada Highway.

The Climate around Lake Superior is more moderate than inland away from the lake, because of the moderating influence of a large body of water. In the spring and summer, the shore is cooler, since it lakes longer to lake to defrost and the water to heat up, and in the fall, the shoreline is warmer since it take longer for the lake's water to cool. The immensity of the lake also causes "lake effect" precipitation year-round.

Just east of Thunder Bay is a monument to Terry Fox, who had lost one leg to cancer and started a cross-Canada "Marathon of Hope" to raise money for cancer research. He began his run in St John's, Newfoundland, and ran 42 km (26 miles) a day along the Trans-Canada, with a detour through Toronto, and ended his run here when he found out he had inoperable cancer in his lungs. Since his untimely passing in 1981, the Marathon of Hope is continued with annual runs in communities across Canada, and around the world and has raised over $400 million. For this monument, you can look eastwards to see the Sibley Peninsula looking like a "Sleeping Giant".

About 50 kilometres east of Thunder Bay is an amethyst mine, which is Ontario's largest mine of its provincial stone. Discovered when a road construction tractor hit an amethyst vein, which was formed when quartz and various minerals accumulated in crevices in Precambrian granite. A little further east is the Ouimet Canyon (and 21 km north of the Trans-Canada), which has been eroded to a depth of 107 metres and a width of 153 metres, and is so sheltered in summer that it has an arctic micro-climate.


The Nipigon River is Lake Superior's largest tributary. This was the launch point for the carved wooden canoe and Indian from the children's book (and short film) Paddle-to-the-Sea (filed in the 1960s). The flow of the Nipigon River is often supplemented by water from the Ogoki-Albany river system, which usually flows north into the Hudson's Bay, Under international treaty, this provides extra "Canadian water" for the hydro generation station at Niagara Falls. Because the Hudsons's Bay continental divide is not far north of the highway, the south-facing rivers are steep and often have magnificent waterfalls.

Terrace Bay is named for the layers or terraces created by banks of gravel laid down by the lake that grew from Ice Age glacial meltwater, and as water levels fell, the lake receded and a new terrace formed at the new shoreline. Today, shopping & accommodation are on the top terrace, most of homes are on the next level down, with two terraces more below that down to the level of Lake Superior. The town even has a small ski hill.

Use mouse to drag/move map. Click on "+" or "-" to zoom in or out. "Satellite" shows photo, "Hybrid" combines map & photo.

Next West: Ignace to Thunder Bay

Next East: Marathon to Wawa

Ontario Highways road condition reports for this segment.

KM from Start		Highway Point Description	Municipality	GPS and Map Zoom
EB	WB
9	289	Junction Hwy 102, Dawson Rd (W), Red River Rd (E)	Thunder Bay	Map Zoom
10	288	Crossing McVicar Creek, Shuniah Park to W of hwy	Thunder Bay	Map Zoom
11	287	EB Exit for Huron Ave	Thunder Bay	Map Zoom
12	287	Junction Balsam Ave	Thunder Bay	Map Zoom
13	285	Current River crossing,. Blvd Park to E	Thunder Bay	Map Zoom
15	283	Roadside Turnout, north side of highway		Map Zoom
16	283	Hodder Ave (S) (also Hwy 178 ) to downtown Port Arthur, N to Trowbridge Falls city park	Thunder Bay	Map Zoom
16	282	Terry Fox Memorial, N side of Hwy, rest area, picnic area, washrooms,		Map Zoom
20	278	Junction Hwy 527, N to Armstrong (126 km), Spruce River Rd (S) to KOA Thunder Bay		Map Zoom
25	273	Railway underpass		Map Zoom
33	265	Mackenzie Station Rd		Map Zoom
34	264	Lakeshore Dr		Map Zoom
35	263	Mackenzie River crossing (rapids & waterfalls both sides of hwy), Mackenzie Beach Rd		Map Zoom
35	263	Mackenzie Heights Rd		Map Zoom
39	259	Amethyst Harbour Rd (S)	Amethyst	Map Zoom
45	253	Eldorado Beach Rd		Map Zoom
49	249	Junction Hwy 587 (S) to Pass Lake (6 km), Sibley Peninsula and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park		Map Zoom
55	243	East Loon Rd, Loon Lake to N of hwy		Map Zoom
58	240	Silver Lake Rd		Map Zoom
61	237	Road No 5 N	Pearl	Map Zoom
65	233	Welch Creek river crossing		Map Zoom
73	225	Ouimet Canyon Rd (W) Access to Ouimet Provincial Park, no campgrounds, day use, picnic tables, hiking	Ouimet	Map Zoom
76	222	Dorian Loop Rd N to Dorian (1km)		Map Zoom
80	218	Bible Camp Rd (E)		Map Zoom
81	217	Fish Hatchery Rd (W)		Map Zoom
81	217	Wolf River crossing		Map Zoom
85	213	Hwy 582 (E) to Hurkett, Black Sturgeon Rd (N)	Hurkett	Map Zoom
87	211	Hwy 528 (S) to Hurkett (3 km)	Hurkett	Map Zoom
98	200	Black Sturgeon River crossing		Map Zoom
108	190	Hwy 628 to Red Rock (7 km)		Map Zoom
109	189	Golf Course Rd		Map Zoom
113	185	Junction Hwy 585		Map Zoom
115	183	West access to Nipigon, all services, OPP	Nipigon	Map Zoom
117	181	Railway St (east access to Nipigon)	Nipigon	Map Zoom
117	181	Cross Nipigon River	Nipigon	Map Zoom
118	180	Junction Hwy 11, North route of TransCanada. To Geraldon, Hearst, Kauskasing, Cobalt & North BayLake Helen Indian Reserve N 1 km	Nipigon	Map Zoom
131	167	Crossing the Jackfish River		Map Zoom
137	161	Road access to Kama Hill Nature Reserve		Map Zoom
144	154	Roadside turnout, picnic area with scenic view		Map Zoom
145	153	Wabasta Lake to N of hwy		Map Zoom
154	144	Gravel River Nature Preserve, services		Map Zoom
173	125	Roadside Turnout, Picnic Area, south side of highway		Map Zoom
179	119	Pays Plat Indian Reserve		Map Zoom
181	117	Roadside Turnout, picnic area (W side)		Map Zoom
186	112	West exit to Rossport	Rossport	Map Zoom
187	111	East Exit to Rossport, all services & Accommodation	Rossport	Map Zoom
195	103	Rainbow Falls PP, camping, picnic area		Map Zoom
198	100	Whitesand/Winston Rd (N), Roadside turnout on S side of hwy		Map Zoom
200	98	Access to Schreiber Channel Nature Preserve	Schreiber	Map Zoom
205	93	Walker Lake to N of hwy	Schreiber	Map Zoom
206	92	Walker Lake Rd, S to Schreiber	Schreiber	Map Zoom
206	92	Superior St, S to Schreiber, all services & accommodation, OPP	Schreiber	Map Zoom
207	91	Drummond St, W to Schreiber	Schreiber	Map Zoom
218	80	Hydro Rd	Terrace Bay	Map Zoom
219	79	Cross Aguasabon River	Terrace Bay	Map Zoom
220	78	Lakeview Dr (S), access to accommodation	Terrace Bay	Map Zoom
220	78	Simcoe Plaza (N), central business district, accommodation	Terrace Bay	Map Zoom
221	77	Ridgewood Dr (S) on N: ski hill, tourist info, scenic viewpoint	Terrace Bay	Map Zoom
222	76	Mill Rd (N)	Terrace Bay	Map Zoom
225	73	Terrace Bay Airport, N side of highway	Terrace Bay	Map Zoom
239	59	Lake to W of hwy		Map Zoom
248	50	Steel River Provincial Park (crossing Steel River)		Map Zoom
255	43	Prairie River Mouth Nature Reserve		Map Zoom
274	24	Neys Provincial Park (2km S of hwy)		Map Zoom
296	2	Marathon airport	Marathon	Map Zoom
298	0	Peninsula Rd, (W) to north access to Marathon (5 km), all services	Marathon	Map Zoom
KM from Start		Highway Point Description	Municipality	GPS and Map Zoom
EB	WB