Northeastern Ontario

Northeastern Ontario is a region of remote Northern Ontario.

Cities

The Highway 11 corridor

From east to west:

• Timiskaming — mining country, near the Ontario-Quebec border:
  • 1 Cobalt — once the silver-mining capital of the world, it has some mining heritage sites
  • 2 Temiskaming Shores — a popular retirement and recreational destination
  • 3 Kirkland Lake — home of the Museum of Northern History
• 4 Timmins — its main attractions are mining tours and outdoor recreation
• 5 Cochrane — its Polar Bear Habitat takes care of three polar bears that are unable to survive in the wild
• 6 Kapuskasing — mostly a company town that serves an enormous paper mill
• 7 Hearst — this mostly francophone town boasts a surprising number of amenities
• 8 Hornepayne — a divisional point on CN's transcontinental railway in the midst of a vast wilderness
• Greenstone — a municipality that stretches for 185 km along the highway
  • 9 Longlac — a village on the Trans-Canada Highway and The Canadian rail line
  • 10 Geraldton — it has a pleasant lakeside park where you can picnic to break up your journey

James Bay

• 11 Moosonee — the railhead of the Ontario Northland Railway on James Bay

Understand

Northeastern Ontario has a sizable Franco-Ontarian population, but most people will also understand English.

Get in

By plane

Air Canada Express provides daily service from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ ^IATA) to Timmins.

Porter Airlines flies to Timmins from Toronto City Island Airport (YTZ ^IATA).

By train

Via Rail mostly bypasses Northeastern Ontario. Service from Toronto, Parry Sound and Sudbury Junction; and Winnipeg, Saskatoon and points west, stops at Hornepayne and Longlac.

By bus

Ontario Northland operates the following routes in the region as of Dec 2023:

• North Bay - Timmins - Cochrane
• Sudbury - Timmins - Hearst

Get around

There is passenger rail service four days a week from Cochrane to Moosonee on the Polar Bear Express.

Highway 11 is in good condition, and can be driven safely with some precautions:

• You will not have cellphone/mobile service along some sections.
• There are stretches of the highway that run 200-300 km without services like gas stations — keep an eye on your fuel levels.
• The heavy logging trucks that are common on the roads here take a long time to stop. Be sure to give them a lot of space, as cutting one off is a quick ticket to a collision that you will lose.
• Winter driving can be dangerous for those who are unaccustomed to it or who are unprepared.

See

The Polar Bear Habitat in Cochrane is opportunity to see polar bears not in a zoo that is accessible from Canada's Highway system.

Many towns celebrate their mining and forestry heritage with museums. Timmins, in particular, is known for this.

Do

Many towns through the region have outfitters who will equip you with everything you need for fishing, hunting, wilderness canoeing and camping or snowmobiling trips, and can provide guides, or organize the whole trip for you, often to remote private lodges.

Stay safe

Cell/mobile phone service is not available on many stretches of highways through the region, even those most travelled (Highways 11 and 17). You will have service in and around cities and towns, but you should bring some emergency supplies in the case of a breakdown, such as water, blankets, and food.

Summer

Black flies and mosquitoes are abundant throughout Northeastern Ontario. To protect yourself when camping or hiking, wear long sleeve shirts (white or brightly coloured), thick socks, and long pants (tuck the pants into the socks), and apply insect repellent containing DEET. A mosquito net can be nicer than applying repellent to your face. Also some type of bug netting in your tent is advised. Flies are most active at dawn and dusk between mid-June and late July.

Winter

Winter driving can be treacherous, given the inclement winters here. Be prepared to adjust or cancel travel plans should the weather conditions require it.

Go next

Most travellers through this region are travelling along the Highway 11 corridor, and will continue on their voyage through Nipigon and Thunder Bay (if heading west) or North Bay (if heading east or south).

However, you are also very close to the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Quebec, and those who are willing to venture past where conventional roads end might consider continuing north to Moosonee.