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Home > Ontario's TCH > Sault Ste Marie to Sudbury Itinerary

Ontario: #17 from Sault Ste Marie to Sudbury, Ontario

Here is the itinerary for the 301 km along Highway #17 from Sault Ste Marie to Sudbury:

At the end of the last Ice Age, Lake Nippissing was larger than all of the Great Lakes, and its melt waters flowed eastward via North Bay to the Ottawa River. As the land rose, without the weight of the now receding 2 kilometer thick ice sheet, the Ottawa River route was blocked and the modern south-flowing route via the Great Lakes began to form. Sand and silts of the former lake bottom, littered with "erratic" boulders and stones dropped by the glaciers and subsequent melt waters, were quickly overgrown with spruce.

The St Mary's River is the waterway that lets water from Lake Superior flow into the lower Great Lakes. There are great views along the waterfront, particularly at Bondar Park and at the International bridge. Travellers to/from the east, will not see St Lawrence shipping , since the freighters use the American Locks and travel south of Sugar Island, on the American side.

Desbarats is the access point for the very scenic St Joseph's Island. This 220 square mile island marks the northern terminus of the Niagara Escarpment (of which Manitoulin Island is also a part), It has a lake-moderated client, and has many trees and plants more common in southern Ontario, including maple and beech. Along the southern edge of the Island are prime lake freighter watching locations.

Between Manitoulin Island and the north shore of Lake Huron is the North Channel. This was long home to a commercial fishery, centered around Thessalon and Blind River, until the opening of the Welland Canal caused the invasion of the parasitic sea lamprey from the Atlantic Ocean, reducing catches in the 1960s. The North Channel is still a recreational boating paradise, being protected from Lake Huron storms.

Bruce Mines was a copper mine that was active from 1846 to 1876. The town also has a colony of double-crested cormorants. Between Bruce Mines and Blind River are patches of fertile but poorly-drained clay coils, that attracted farmers in the early settlement days, but are beginning to revert to forest. The Mississagi River, once used for transporting logs from the forest to Great Lakes shipping at Blind River, is now dammed for hydro-electic power.

Between Blind River and Massey, the lakeshore follows the Murray Fault, an east-west fracture running pretty-well parallel to the highway. This fault was filled in by gravel and silt during the Ice Age, providing a relatively flat surface for highway and railway lines. Unfortunately, a high water table (and an acidic one at that) have made the ground more suitable for swamp than for farming. Travellers will notice black spruce and alder trees in the wetter areas, with white pine and trembling aspen in higher areas.

Serpent River has a brilliant azure blue colour, and can be seen from a rest stop beside the river. Elliott Lake (25 km up highway 108 from Serpent River) is a leading producer of radioactive uranium, from a mine that dates back to the 1950s, extracting the element form a quartz pebble conglomerate that was formed about 2-1.2 billion years ago.

From Espanola, home to a large pulp mill, travelers can access Manitoulin Island, which at 4112 square kilometers (1588 sq miles) is the larges freshwater island in the world. It is even home to the world's largest lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake in the world. Manitoulin was scoured clean by the Ice Age glaciers and has little arable land. The highway to manitoulin skips over a number of small islands. Highway 6 also connects to a ferry that connects Manitoulin Island to Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula, which can be a scenic shortcut to southern Ontario or part of a "Great Circle Tour" around Georgian Bay.

Highway Notes

Starting the summer of 2010, the Garden River Indian Band, located just east of Sault Ste Marie, will begin charging a "toll" for a short stretch of the Trans-Canada to offset Ontario's adoption of the HST (harmonized sales tax) and the band's loss of exmeption from sales taxes. No rate has been set at this time.

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

Next West: Wawa to Sault Ste Marie

Next East: Sudbury to Mattawa Sudbury to Parry Sound

Ontario Highways road condition reports for this segment.

Customize Your Trans-Canada Highway Itineraries Form Direction: East to West West to East Distance Scale: km  \ miles Elevation Scale: metres  feet Select Specific Features: (none selected= ALL selected) Highway Street Boundary (mun'l/prov'l) Ferry Highway Feature Government Tourist Info Web Cams Bridge Tunnel Railway crossing U-turn Viewpoint Highway plaque Passing lane Divided highway Speed test section Speed trap location Rest stop Body Of Water Fauna Flora Structure First Nations Attraction Family Amusement Recreation-Sports Gas Lodging Retail Transportation Food Emergency Neighbourhood Park Industrial Geology

KM From Start EAST  |  WEST		HighWay Point & Feature Description	Municipality	Elevation (metres)	Map	Add Info
0	301	Major Interchange Highway 46 (Regent St) N into Sudbury, all services & hospital, and Highway 69 S to OPP, Parry Sound, Barrie, Toronto	Sudbury	266.1
3	298	Long Lake Rd S to Long Lake, N to Sudbury via Paris St (7 km) all services & hospital	Sudbury	281.3
8	293	Southview Rd (N) access to Sudbury, Jarvis Rd (S) to Long Lake	Sudbury	261.8
11	290	Fielding Rd (N) access to Fielding Park, Kelley Lake Dam Kantola Rd (S), Highway 17 "twinned" to W	Sudbury	254.5
13	288	Major junction Highway 55, Old Highway 17 (S) to Mikkola, N to Copper Cliff	Sudbury	256
15	286	Highway 24 to Black Lake Rd (S) services along Hwy 55, Main St (N) in Lively services	Lively	247.5
16	285	Santala Rd S to Service Rd, all services		267
18	283	Highway 144 north junction, to Chelmsford (18 km), Dowling, Onaping, and north to Timmins		268.2
29	272	River crossing		240.2
32	269	Highway 55 (S) west access to Whitefish PP, Holiday Beach Campground, Whitefish Lake Indian Reserve 6		272.2
32	269	Bay St, Highway 3 N to Fairbank PP, Highway 17 to east is "twinned"		241.7
49	252	Lone Falls Rd (S)		207.6
52	249	McDonald St	Nairn Centre	238.4
53	248	Spence St	Nairn Centre	216.7
56	245	Old Nairn Rd (N)		215.8
61	240	River crossing, Rd to N on W side		202.1
62	239	Jacklin Rd (S)		212.8
64	237	Rest Area N side of hwy		237.7
67	234	Levert Rd (N)		208.2
69	232	Highway 6 Junction, town of Espanola 3 km Little Current on Manitoulin Island (53 km), via Whitefish River Indian Reserve 4	Espanola	205.7
78	223	town of Webbwood, services both sides	Webbwood	200.9
79	222	Agnew Lake Rd, town of Webbwood	Webbwood	199.6
93.7	207.3	Birch Lake Rd (N)	Massey	190.8
94	207	River crossing	Massey	177.1
95	206	Highway 553 junction, town of Massey, N to Chutes PP, S to Indian Reserve Rd with east access to Sagamok Indian Reserve 5, Lee Valley Rd	Massey	191.1
97	204	Gage Rd (N), Government Rd (S)	Massey	183.5
107	194	Sugar Lake Rd (N), River Rd (S) west access to Sagamok Indian Reserve 5		217.6
112	189	Water Falls Rd (N), access to Brookwood Brae Golf Course, all services	Spanish	195.4
115	186	Colonization Rd (S), town of Spanish, all services	Spanish	179.8
116	185	Johns St, access S to Spanish Marina	Spanish	184.1
122	179	Eastern boundary of Serpent River Indian Reserve 7		204.2
124	177	Village Rd (S), east access to Serpent River Indian Reserve 7	Cutler	183.8
128.4	172.6	Riverview Rd (S), east access to Serpent River Indian Reserve 7		210
129	172	Rest & Picnic Area, S side of Hwy		182.9
133.7	167.3	Riverview Rd (S), west access to Serpent River Indian Reserve 7		212.4
134	167	Highway 108 (N) junction to Elliott Lake & Mississagi River Provincial Park, truck weigh station (S)	Serpent River	209.4
		City of Elliott Lake, 42 km N of highway.. Elliot Lake Mining Monument and Memorial Park .. Elliot Lake Nuclear and Mining Museum / Canadian Mining Hall of Fame .. The Fire Tower Lookout and Heritage Centre, Elliott Lake.. village of Serpent River, part of Township of North SHore..
135.7	165.3	Sheppards Lane (N)		191.4
136	165	Strawberry Hill Rd (N) and Martin Rd (S), shopping to NW, Campground to S overlooking Serpent River	Spragge	182.9
		village of Spragge, part of Township of North Shore..
137	164	Spragge town settlement (S), Wagoosh Lake Rd (N)		192
140	161	Spragge town rd, access to North Channel Yacht Club (S)	Serpent Harbour	186.5
		North Channel Yacht Club, south of highway
143	158	Access to gravel pit to S		199.9
144	157	Access to large quarry/mine to S		195.4
148	153	Hwy 538 (S)		189.9
152	149	Lauzon Village Rd (N)		187.1
153	148	Boundary Rd (S), Hwy 538	Algoma Mills	188.4
		Lake to north of highway is Lauzon Bay, part of 7 mile long Lauzon Lake.. Lauzon Creek drops about 40 feet (12 m) form Lauzon Lake to Lake Huron... Village of Algoma Mills, part of Township of the North Shore.. Lake Lauzon Beach to N of highway..
155.8	145.2	Highway turnoff / Rest area (no facilities) on S (eastbound) side		189.9
159.3	141.7	Highway Turnoff/Rest Area (no facilities) on N (westbound) side		189.3
160	141	Rue Oak (S), access to beach area		183.5
162	139	Leacock St(N)	Blind River	182.9
		Timber Village Museum, to NE of intersection, with Tourist Information... Auberge Eldo Inn, just SW of intersection..
163	138	junction Hwy 557/555 (N), town of Blind River, river crossing	Blind River	177.7
		dam in Blind River, just S of highway and railway crosing.. Blind River District Health Centre on Casusley St (Trans-Canada Highway).. Town of Blind River.. all services in town.. A Taste Of Home B&B, just W of river.. Lakeview In, about 0.2 km E of river... Old Mill Motel, just E of river..
164	137	Hanes Ave (S) access to marina	Blind River	179.5
		skateboard park with various ramps, beside Marina..
165	136	Eastern boundary of Mississagi River Indian Reserve 8 (N)		176.2
		Huron Pines Golf Course just to S of highway..
168	133	Eldorado Rd (S), access to golf course		185
169	132	Village Rd (N), services and access to Mississagi River Indian Reserve 8 (N)		185.3
		Macivor's Falls (rapids) just to We of highway.. rest area on E side of highway, river viewpoint on W side...
171	130	Rd with west access to Mississagi River Indian Reserve 8 (N)		181.4
		Mississagi River Indian Reserve 8, N side of highway..
173	128	Rd to N		182.3
180	121	Old Mine Rd (NO		181.7
183	118	Dean Lake Rd (W), bridge over river		182.3
190	111	River crossing		182
190	111	Highway 546 (N) Main Street. Town of Iron Bridge, all services	Iron Bridge	182
		town of Iron Bridge.. highway 546, connects to #554(11 km) which connects west to Highway 129 N to Chapleau (216 km ).. Mississagi River Provincial Park, 76 km N of TCH, via #546. Canoeing, camping...
192	109	Bright Lake Rd (S)		210.9
		Blueberry Hill Motel & Campground.. Viking Tent & Trailer Park..
195	106	Delmar Campground (N side of hwy)		220.1
		passing Clear Lake on N side of highway (about 2.7 km long).. Clear Lake Camp,on N side of highway.. Delmar Campground, N side of highway..
198	103	Melwel Rd (N)		211.5
200	101	Pass between two large lakes	Day Mills	201.8
		Bright Lake to the south. Lake is about 8 km end to end... Basswood Lake to the North, about 14 km end to end...
201	100	Dayton Rd (S)		190.2
204	97	Basswood Lake Rd (N)		213.1
207.7	93.3	Brownlee Rd		235.6
		Brownlee Lake Park Resort and Campground, to N of highway..
209.3	91.7	Maple Ridge Rd (S), access to Thessalon Indian Reserve 12		212.1
209.7	91.3	Livingston Rd (N)		205.1
210	91	Livingstone Creek Golf Course to S		198.4
211	90	Pine Ridge Rd	Thessalon	195.7
213	88	Walker Rd	Thessalon	195.4
217	84	Highway 129 (N), River St (S) to downtown, all services	Thessalon	181.7
		Town of Thessalon, pop 1400, on both sides of highway.. Highway 129 north to Chapleau (220 km).. Belle Isle Motel..
218	83	River Rd, S to downtown, all services	Thessalon	182.9
		crossing the Mississaugi River.. Pine Crest Tent & Trailer Park.. Windmill Campground.. The Goode Knight Bed & Breakfast.. Mountain View Bed & Breakfast .. Cedar Rail Ranch.. Carolyn Beach Motor Inn.. The Outpost Lodge .. Limberlost Lodge.. The Old Homestead Bed & Breakfast & Pet Hotel .. Thessalon Municipal Airport (CPL5), 8.5 km NE of highway..
219	82	Lakeside Dr (S) into Thessalon	Thessalon	184.1
222	79	Trunk Rd (S)		200.3
230	71	Trunk Rd (N) , Perch Bay Rd (S)		204.2
233.9	67.1	Waltonen Rd (S)		181.1
234	67	Garden Bay Rd (S)		177.7
235	66	Road Junction, Mine/Quarry to N and S (watch for trucks)		180.4
237	64	Highway 638 (N)		182.6
		Highway 638 provides access to a number of communities, ending in Echo Bay just east of Thunder Bay... Bruce Mines Campground & RV Park, off Williams St..
237.4	63.6	Taylor St, shopping	Bruce Mines	179.8
		Access to Jack Point, in Bruce Bay. 1.7 km southeast from highway..
237.7	63.3	Cunningham St (N), access to Harbour	Bruce Mines	179.2
		Towon of Bruce Mines.. Bruce Mines Museum, jsut S of highway.. Bruce Mines Marina, 0.3 km S of highway..
237.8	63.2	Crawford St, gas & stores	Bruce Mines	180.1
		Bavarian Inn Motel and Restaurant.. Bruce Bay Cottages and Lighthouse Resort.. Steiger Farm & Guesthouse.. Three Oak Resort.. Mountain View Resort .. Bruce mines has a Shell and an Esso gas station.. Bruce Mines has a general store, a grocery store, a bait shop, and several restaurants...
238	63	Bruce Bay St	Bruce Mines	182.3
		Road south to French Island, McKay Island and lighthouse, 3 km S of highway.. Bruce Bay Cottages & Lighthouse, south of highway
241	60	Boundary Rd (N), Oak Bay Rd (S)		198.4
243	58	Archibald Rd (S)		203.3
246	55	Deplonty Rd (E), Cora Rd (W)		203
249	52	River crossing, Town of Desbarats	Desbarats	193.9
		crossing Desbarats River.. Town of Desbarats (town blog).. Desbarats has one gas station in Hwy 17 E..
249	52	Mink Point Rd	Desbarats	201.5
256	55	Highqay t17winned to west of here		199.9
257	44	Hwy 548 to S, access to St Joseph Island, communities of Richards Landing, Hilton Beach, Island Springs Golf Resort	St Joseph Island	204.8
		St Joseph Island, 5 km S of highway which is Township of St Joseph.. Hilton Beach, 16 km S of highway, on St Joseph Island.. Richards Landing, 12 km S of highway, on St Joseph Island.. Island Springs Golf Resort, on St Joseph Island.. Puddingstone Place - St. Joseph Island.. Hilton Beach photos.. St Joseph's Island photos..
260	41	Bar Rd		189.9
261	40	Town Line Rd, highway curves sharply		196.9
264	37	Neebish Rd		197.8
265	36	Pumpkin Point Rd	Laird	217.9
269	32	Calabogie Rd, airport access to W	Laird	193.9
270	31	River crossing		178
272	29	Bar River Rd		180.7
		hamlet of Bar River, 6 km to E of highway..
274	27	Maple Leaf Rd		193.9
		Highway 17 is twinned (4 lanes) south of here for 14.5 km..
276	25	Watsons Rd		185
277	24	Hwy 638 (Church St E) Junction, Echo Bay	Echo Bay	178.6
278	23	Crossing Echo Bay, eastern boundary of Garden River Indian Reserve 14		175.9
		Garden River First Nation, member of the North Shore Tibal Council.. Mamaweswen, Norh Shore Tribal Council web site.. Echo Bay is par of Lake George on the St Mary River, and marks the mouth of the Echo River... The land to the north of the bridge is actually Baschine Island...
283	18	Echo River Rd, view to Squirrel Island (Canada) and the larger Sugar Island (USA)		178
286	15	Gemba Rd		183.2
287	14	Point Charles Rd (S), Jordan Mine Rd (N)		182.3
287	14	River crossing		182
290	11	Hiawatha Dr		182.6
293	8	Western boundary of Garden River Indian Reserve 14	Sault Ste Marie	184.4
		Garden River First Nation, membeer of the North Shore Tibal Council.. Mamaweswen, North Shore Tribal Council web site..
293	8	New Highway 17 Bypass		183.8
		When completed, will pass to the north of the communities of French Bay and Garden Riber..
294	7	Trunk Rd & Fournier Rd, access S to Queen St, and S to access Rankin Location Indian Reserve 14 along St Mary River	Sault Ste Marie	186.2
		Pine Grove Motel, to SE of intersection on south (eastbound) side of highway).. Shady Rest Motel / Apartments, to SE of intersection on south (eastbound) side of highway).. Shady Pine Motel, 0.4 km to E of intersection on S (eastbound) side of highway..
297	4	Trunk Rd & Boundary Rd, south to SSM Golf & Country club, N to access Rankin Location Indian Reserve 15D	Sault Ste Marie	189.3
		Wellington Square Mall to SW of intersection.. Rankin Location Indian Reserve 15D, member of the Batchewana First Nation, to NE of intersection.. Sault Ste. Marie Country Club, 2 km S of highway.. Trunk Rd Motel, 0.2 km to E of intersection, on S (eastbound) side of highway.. Travellers Motel, 0.5 km to E of intersection, on S (eastbound) side of highway.. East boundary of City of Sault Ste Marie.. Sault Ste Marie photos..
297.1	3.9	Trunk Rd & Market St, Wellington Square Mall on S side	Sault Ste Marie	190.2
298.2	2.8	Trunk Rd & Black Rd, WB traffic can head N to bypass Sault Ste Marie, west to downtown, and International Bridge	Sault Ste Marie	191.1
		Black Rd is the Highway 17 bypass around downtown Sault Ste Marie.. Holiday Motel, 0.5 km E of intersection on south (Eastbound) side of highway).. Caswell MOtor Inn, 0.7 km E of intersection on south (Eastbound) side of highway)..
299.1	1.9	Trunk Rd & Lake St	Sault Ste Marie	192.9
		Churchill Plaza to SW of intersection.. Algoma Unversity College), 1.7 km to SE of intersection, via Queen St.. Parkville Motel and Cabins, 1.5 km SE of intersection, via Queen St E.. Bellevue Park, with Zoo and Marina, 1.5 km S of highway..
299.7	1.3	Wellington St & Trunk Rd at Elizabeth St, Park on S side, Churchill Plaza on E site	Sault Ste Marie	190.2
		Queen Elizabeth Park to SE of intersection, sports fields, indoor pool... Lincoln Motel 0.1 km to SE of intersection..
300.1	0.9	Wellington St & Pine St, S to Bellevue Park	Sault Ste Marie	189.6
		Bellevue Park & Bellevue Marina, 0.8 km S of highway.. Saut Ste Marie Armoury to NW of intersection.. Great Lakes Forest Research Centre, 0.6 km S of highway..
301	0	Great Northern Rd & Wellington St. west to downtown Sault Ste Marie, International Bridge, east to Highway 17,North to Wawa	Sault Ste Marie	190.2
		Sault Ste Marie.. Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, 6 km SW of intersection.. Downtown Sault Ste Marie (ON) has 9 hotels... see listings.. International Bridge to Sault Ste Marie, MI (3 km to W of intersection).. Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site of Canada, 3 km W of intersection.. Algonquin Hotel (Soo), 3 blocks S of intersection .. Eastgate Hotel, 3 blocks S of intersection .. St Christopher's Inn, 3 blocks S of intersection .. Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, 0.6 km SW of intersection, via Bay St .. Sault Ste Marie Museum, 07 km W of intrsestion, via East St. .. Sault Area Hospital, 0.5 km S of intersection on Queen St..
2369.6	31.4	Lake George Rd, Airport access to W	Laird	181.7
		Bar River Airport (CPF2) is a private airport operated by Springer Aerospace Ltd. 205 km W of highway... Bar River Airport (CPF2) is a private airport operated by Springer Aerospace Ltd.. Laird International Raceway, stock car racing track, 0.8km to E of highway..
KM From Start EAST  |  WEST		HighWay Point & Feature Description	Municipality	Elevation (metres)	Map	Add Info

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