Ouimet Canyon is one of the strongest scenic day trips from Thunder Bay. A short trail and boardwalk lead to lookouts over a narrow gorge where cliffs drop roughly 100 metres to the canyon floor, creating a sudden northern-Ontario drama that feels much larger than the walk required to see it.
The park is day-use only, so treat it as a stop on a Lake Superior drive rather than a place to camp. The lookouts are the main event, but the cold canyon floor also shelters plants normally found much farther north, a small ecological oddity that makes the view more than just a photo stop.