North Bay sits on the shores of Lake Nipissing, about 3½ hours north of Toronto, where Ontario’s cottage country meets the Canadian Shield. Known as the Gateway to the North, the city combines a scenic waterfront, excellent museums and abundant outdoor recreation.
Our one-day itinerary highlights the best things to do in North Bay.
Table of Contents
What to do in North Bay in One Day
This 1-day itinerary highlights North Bay’s easy access to a wide range of activities showcasing culture and nature.
- Start the day at the North Bay waterfront and ride the Heritage Railway.
- Learn more about North Bay’s past at a North Bay museum.
- Enjoy a sunset dinner cruise of Lake Nipissing on the Chief Commanda II.
For those looking to explore nature, there are lots of hiking trails to discover.
Map of North Bay Tourist Attractions
Chief Commanda
Cruise on Lake Nipissing aboard the 320-passenger Chief Commanda II. Lake Nipissing, the third largest lake entirely in Ontario, is popular with fishermen and recreational boaters. The lake has been a transportation corridor for centuries.
There are several Chief Commanda cruises. One of the most popular is the evening Callander Bay Sunset Cruise. Enjoy Callander Bay and a beautiful sunset over Lake Nipissing. Make it an evening to remember by adding dinner onboard.
On the Manitou Islands Scenic Cruise, the Chief Commanda cruises through the calm waters surrounding the five Manitou Islands. Learn about their history, importance to Indigenous People and the unique island ecology on this 1½ hour cruise. The Manitou Islands Provincial Nature Reserve protects 4 of the 5 islands and a marine zone around them.
For those looking for a Sunday on the water, enjoy the five-hour French River Cruise to the Upper French River. The French was the first Canadian waterway designated as a Heritage River. It was the main water route to the west from the 17th to the mid-19th century. This cruise is not offered every Sunday so be sure to check availability.
The Chief Commanda II has both enclosed and open-air seating. Light lunch fare, snacks and beverage service are available on all cruises. The Chief Commanda II is docked at the west end of the North Bay waterfront by the marina.
North Bay Waterfront
This is the place to go for fun and relaxation. Enjoy a summer picnic, relax on a bench or walk the lakeside boardwalk. In addition to the beautiful parkland found between Memorial Drive and the shore of Lake Nipissing, there are a number of attractions for people of all ages.
Parking is easy to find nearby.
Enjoy sandy Shabogesic Beach at the north end of the waterfront. Toilet and changing facilities are nearby.
Next door, North Bay Waterfront Marina, is a 200-slip, full-service marina open from mid-May through mid-October. There are also racks for canoe and kayak storage. This is the home port of the Chief Commanda II tour boat which docks at the end of the breakwater.
Looking for a unique spot for lunch or dinner right on the waterfront? The Boat is the first Chief Commanda which operated on Lake Nipissing from 1947 to 1974. Try the fried Calamari or one of their flame grilled burgers.
The 12-kilometre-long Kate Pace Way is shared by walkers, joggers, cyclists and inline skaters. After running along the waterfront, it winds its way southeast through parks and residential areas to Cranberry Road in Callander. The trail is an active way to explore a bit more of the city.
Heritage Railway & Carousel Company
Kids, big and small, will have fun riding the miniature railway and two carousels of the Heritage Railway & Carousel Company.
The railway started operations in 1994 with two engines and two coaches after a huge effort by a group of retired railway workers to lay down track and refurbish the train cars. Thanks to the continued devotion of a team of volunteers the rolling stock continues to grow with a fleet of engines, passenger cars plus a caboose.
The Classic Carousel took its first riders in July 2002. There are 33 hand-carved horses and 28 original paintings of local scenes on this replica of an early 1900’s merry-go-round. Nine horses were carved locally. The horses were quickly “adopted”, raising funds to pay for the endeavour. Horses and scenes were all painted by local artists.
The carousel was so popular that three years later the Winter Wonderland Carousel opened. Instead of horses, this carousel has animals native to Northern Ontario. There are 16 animals plus Santa’s sleigh in a winter wonderland.
North Bay Museums
North Bay has a very unique and diverse history. The 3 local museums are the perfect places to learn more. The North Bay Museum and the Dionne Quints Museum are just up the hill from the carousel on the north side of the railroad tracks.
North Bay Museum
Learn more about North Bay’s historic people and places at the North Bay Museum in the restored Canadian Pacific (CP) railway station. The station was CP’s divisional headquarters until 1959. Built in 1903, it was the centrepiece of a huge rail yard extending 3 kilometres east and west of the station.
The museum offers a haunted hike through the heart of the city every Friday evening at 6pm throughout September and October. Get a historic and sometimes spooky perspective of North Bay’s buildings and streets.
For hours and admission information, check the North Bay Museum Admission webpage.
Dionne Quints Museum
In the heart of the 1930’s Depression, quintuplet girls were born in a tiny log home to the Dionne family. The house was moved to downtown North Bay from Corbeil in 2017. The Dionne Quints story became world famous and literally brought millions to see them and hear them at play. Hollywood even told their story in movies.
Visit the house beside the railway tracks, now a museum, and learn the real story of the “Quints”. For hours and admission information, check the Dionne Quints Heritage Board‘s website.
Canadian Forces Museum of Aerospace Defence
Located on the grounds of the Canadian Forces Base North Bay, beside the airport, the museum follows the development of air forces for defence purposes from the First World War through the Cold War to today. For more information about visiting the museum, including hours and admission information, check out the Aerospace Defence museum’s Visit Us webpage.
At Aerospace Park, adjacent to the Canadian Forces Base, see two radar antennas and a CF 101 Voodoo. Information panels explain the units of the Canadian Air Force which were based in North Bay and the NORAD Underground Complex. The underground complex was decommissioned in 2006 when a state-of-the-art above-ground facility opened.
North Bay Hiking Trails
It’s easy to find a trail in North Bay that matches your skill level and time commitment. These are some of the hiking areas, both in the city and just beyond.
- Duchesnay Falls
- Laurier Woods Conservation Area
- Laurentian Escarpment Conservation Area
- Black Forest Park
- Otter Lake
For individual trail details, see the North Bay Trails table below.
Duchesnay Falls
Duchesnay Falls is a series of small waterfalls on Duchesnay Creek cascading 70 metres down an escarpment. The trailhead and parking area are on the Trans-Canada Highway just west of the city. A bridge connects the trails which run on both sides of the creek making a looped hike. The full length of the loop trail is about 3 kilometres. We walked a shorter loop of about one kilometre.
The trails along the creek connect to a series of trails climbing higher on the escarpment maintained by Nipissing University. The Education Centre Trails are about 12 kilometres of scenic trail over 700 acres. Hike to the Nipissing Lookout for great views of Lake Nipissing. Hikers and cross-country skiers enjoy these scenic wooded areas behind Nipissing University and Canadore College.
Laurier Woods Conservation Area
Located right in the middle of the city, Laurier Woods Conservation Area is the most convenient place for families to go for an easy hike. The conservation area surrounds a provincially significant wetland and woodland providing excellent chances of seeing wildlife.
Explore its 240 acres on about 6.5 kilometres of easy intersecting loops. We hiked the main, “orange”, 2-kilometre loop through woods and along ponds and marshes. All the other trails begin from this orange trail. The Laurier Woods Trail map is helpful to get started. Numbered posts along the trails correspond to those in the Laurier Woods Trail Guide available at the trailhead. It provides more information about the flora and fauna present and other interesting facts.
Laurentian Escarpment Conservation Area
The conservation area maintains the two most popular trails, the Fred McNutt Family Trail and the Richardson Ridge Trail. Both trails lead to views of North Bay and the nature surrounding the city. The Laurentian Escarpment map is a great resource to have when hiking these popular trails. In the winter, the nearby Laurentian Ski Hill offers downhill skiing.
Black Forest Park
Enjoy an easy stroll through a red and white pine forest. Interpretive signs provide information about the tree species, the forest’s history of logging and regeneration, and the wildlife found in the park.
Otter Lake
Otter Lake is about 15 minutes northeast of the downtown core. The area is essentially undeveloped wilderness with Otter Lake, the 3rd largest lake in municipality, at its centre.
Follow the wide, main trail to the beach at the edge of Otter Lake. Additional, narrower trails loop off the main trail. For a bit more adventure, try these tighter trails. They are all marked and are beautiful hikes through the maple forest.
The hike to the lake and back is about 3 kilometres return. Hiking the full loop is 4 kilometres.
North Bay Trail Details
| North Bay Trail name/Google Link to trailhead coordinates | Return Length/Type/Difficulty |
|---|---|
| East and West Falls Trails – Duchesnay Falls | 3 km/ loop/ moderate |
| Orange Loop – Laurier Woods Conservation Area | 1.9 km/ loop/ easy |
| Fred McNutt Family Trail – Laurentian Escarpment Conservation Area | 2 km/ loop/ easy |
| Richardson Ridge Trail – Laurentian Escarpment Conservation Area | 6.5 km/ loop/ moderate |
| Forest Park Trail – Black Forest Park | 1 to 1.5 km/ loop/ easy |
| Otter Lake #2 Trail – Otter Lake | 4.1 km/ loop/ easy to moderate |
Manitou Islands
With a boat, visit the Manitou Islands, located just 10 kilometres from North Bay in Lake Nipissing.
Great Manitou Island has a lovely sand beach. Enjoy a swim and a walk along the beach. Over 50 species of birds make the islands their breeding site including Great Blue Herons and ospreys.
Please be aware that there are no park facilities on any of the islands. Manitou Islands Provincial Nature Reserve is a non-operating park. Day use is permitted but all garbage must be taken off the islands and camping is not permitted. Please do not disturb nesting birds.
North Bay History
First Nations people used the Mattawa River, French River and Lake Nipissing as a transportation network. They travelled to and from the interior of North America for hundreds of years. European explorers and settlers continued to use the route. Land at the base of an escarpment on the northeast shore of Lake Nipissing, where the Mattawa River meets the lake, was a gathering spot for centuries.
The escarpment was a major barrier for the construction of the transcontinental railway. There was no practical route for the railway other than to follow the shore of Lake Nipissing. By 1913 three railways served the lakeside community. North Bay became a major transportation centre for both the lumber and mining industries.
In 1934, in the tiny village of Corbeil, just south of North Bay, five identical girls were born. They were the first set of quintuplets to all survive. They were a sensation and started another phase in North Bay’s growth – tourist destination.
In the 1950s, fear of a Russian air strike on North America pushed the Canadian government to build an air base on the north side of town. Over the years the name of the base has changed as has its purpose. It is currently called Canadian Forces Base (CFB) North Bay and is home to the 22 Wing North Bay, the Canadian Air Defence Sector.
In the early 1960s, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command) opened an operations centre at the base. It was 60 storeys below ground level, deep within the 2.6-million-year-old bedrock of the Canadian Shield. A state-of-the-art, above-ground facility replaced the underground one in 2006. NORAD continues to monitor the skies over North America from this complex.
Accommodations in North Bay
Here are the best-rated accommodations for your stay in North Bay.
- Homewood Suites By Hilton — Lakeside extended-stay suites with pool and buffet breakfast
- Hampton Inn by Hilton — Airport-convenient hotel with indoor pool and hot breakfast.
- Holiday Inn Express Hotel — Family-friendly suites with pool and continental breakfast.
Find more North Bay hotels on Booking.com >>
Explore All of our Northern Ontario Road Trip Guides
Discover our complete series of detailed Northern Ontario guides to help you plan your perfect road trip.
Main Article: Northern Ontario Road Trips
Part 1: Road Trip: Sudbury to Sault Ste. Marie – Lake Huron’s North Channel and coastal towns
Part 2: Road Trip: Sault Ste Marie to Thunder Bay – Lake Superior’s windswept north shore and wilderness parks
Part 3: Road Trip: North Bay to Thunder Bay – Boreal forests, lakes, and remote northern towns
Part 4: Sudbury – Mining heritage, nickel city, Science North
Part 5: Manitoulin Island – Freshwater island, steep cliffs, waterfalls, and Indigenous heritage
Part 6: Sault Ste Marie – Locks, industrial waterfront, Bushplane Heritage Centre, and Algoma art
Part 7: Thunder Bay – Fort William history, waterfalls, and waterfront activities
Part 8: Sleeping Giant Hike – Headland hike to panoramic viewpoint of Lake Superior
Part 9: North Bay – Lake Nipissing waterfront and gateway to the north (You’re reading this guide now!)
Part 10: Cobalt – Silver rush mining heritage in this historic town
Part 11: Timmins – Gold mining heritage and outdoor activities
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