North Bay is a city of approximately 53,000 people located in Ontario. The region was first populated by native Canadian tribes, and was explored and charted by Samuel de Champlain.

Downtown North Bay in the morning

Get in

By car

From Toronto, take Highway 400 north to Barrie and then take the Highway 11 cutoff just north of the city. From Sudbury (and the west), take Highway 17 east. From Ottawa simply follow Highway 17 west. From Timmins, take Highway 101 east to Matheson and then follow Highway 11 south. From Rouyn-Noranda , take Highway 101 south (in Quebec) which converts to Highway 63 (in Ontario) south.

By plane

North Bay (YYB) [1] is serviced by a wonderfully efficient small airport with scheduled flights to Toronto, Ottawa, and several smaller Ontario cities. The airport is named after Jack Garland, a long-serving local member of Parliament; his specially-built chair from the House of Commons (he was apparently a rather large man) is preserved in the waiting area. Jack Garland Airport is currently populated by Air Canada Jazz, Bearskin Airlines, Voyageur Airlines and Sunwing in the winter. It is located approximately 7 kilometres north of Downtown North Bay and is accessible by public transit.

By bus

North Bay's bus terminal is a unique facility as it offers bus & train service at the same location. Three inter-city bus carriers service the North Bay terminal (Autobus Maheux [2], Greyhound Lines of Canada [3] & Ontario Northland [4]). The bus terminal located at 100 Station Road in North Bay.

By train

Ontario Northland discontinued the Northlander passenger train service between Cochrane & Toronto in 2012. A seasonal train between North Bay & Temagami, known as the Dreamcatcher Express, was also cancelled.

Get around

North Bay City Transit and ParaBus is an efficient public transit system servicing the city and ski-hills (in the winter months). [5]

See

• Dionne Quints Museum, 1375 Seymour Street (at Hwys 11 & 17 crossroads), ☏ +1 705-472-8480, toll-free: +1-888-249-8998, fax: +1 705-472-8027. 9AM-5PM weekdays, 10AM-4PM weekends, 9AM-7PM daily Jul-Aug. Seasonal (Victoria Day weekend to Thanksgiving) museum with artefacts housed in the original Dionne farmhouse, relocated to commemorate the May 28, 1934 birth of identical quintuplets (Annette, Emilie, Yvonne, Cecile, and Marie) in nearby Corbeil. Their fame was exploited to attract three million visitors to the area during the Great Depression. $3.75/adult. 
• The North Bay Waterfront. On the shores of Lake Nipissing. 

Do

• Discovery North Bay, features a wide range of exhibits on local history as well as special exhibitions from the Royal Ontario Museum and other national and provincial museums. [6]
• Nipissing Lakers Hockey, North Bay's newest hockey team. The Lakers will compete in the Ontario University Athletics Mens Hockey circuit and compete against other Ontario & Québec based university clubs. [7]
• The North Bay Triathlon, usually offered the first weekend in July. Notable among the world's triathlons in that triathletes are allowed to wear wet suits for the swimming part of the competition, because of the cold waters. [8]
• Laurentian Ski Hill, Nice ski hill in the middle of the city with a good mix of runs and a terrain park.[9]
• There are a number of multi-purpose trails in and around the city. [10]

Buy

• Northgate Shopping Centre. Is a great place to get whatever you need. Many restaurants and specialty shops are also scattered throughout the immediate area. 
• Downtown North Bay. Has many shops with fine, handcrafted goods. 

Learn

• Nipissing University was once a campus of Sudbury's Laurentian University but became an entity unto itself in the early 1990's. It has a full undergraduate program.[11]

• Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology. Shares a campus with Nipissing University.[12]

Eat

Budget

• Highwayman Restaurant, 3001 Highway 11 North, (705) 495-4101.

Mid-Range

• Casey's, 20 Maplewood Avenue, ☏ +1 705 476-3373. 
• Dave's Green Papaya, 652 Fraser Street, ☏ +1 705 476-8883. Asian food, eat-in, take-out and delivery. 
• Don Cherry's Sports Grill, 1501 Seymour Street, ☏ +1 705 497-1611. 
• Kelsey's, 1899 Algonquin Avenue, ☏ +1 705 476-8880. 
• The Moose, 134 Main Street East, ☏ +1 705 472-8834. 
• Raven and Republic, 246 First Ave West, ☏ +1 705 478-6110. Live music, wide selection of beers. 
• Twiggs Coffee Company, 473 Fraser Street, ☏ +1 705 474-9463. Serving freshly roasted fair-trade organic coffee, Montreal-style bagels, and soups in a lively café atmosphere. Also includes an outside patio. 

Splurge

• Jack Tennant's Steakhouse, 786 Lakeshore Drive, ☏ +1 705 495-4114. 
• Valenti's Pasta Pasta, 299 Main Street West, ☏ +1 705 472-8020. 
• Boat, The - Dockside Bar & Grill, Memorial Drive (North Bay Waterfront), (705) 472-
• Churchill's Prime Rib House, 631 Lakeshore Dr, +1 705 476-7777.

Drink

• Cecils Eatery and Beer Society, 300 Wyld St, ☏ +1 705 472-7510. Box 1017, 
• Evolution Niteclub, 151 Main Street East, ☏ +1 705 475-9703. 
• Fraser Tavern, 680 Fraser Street, ☏ +1 705 472-2232. 
• Winnie's Pub, 631 Lakeshore Drive, ☏ +1 705 476-7777. 
• Zoo Nite Club, The - 300 Wyld St., Box 1017, +1 705 472-7510

Sleep

Budget

There are many parks in the region that are great for camping. Visit http://www.parkscanada.ca for more information on camping in the region.

• The Lincoln Motel, 594 Lakeshore Drive, ☏ +1 705-472-3231. 

Mid-Range

• The Comfort Inn 1200 O'Brien Street - +1-800-260-8261. Clean, comfortable rooms. Free breakfast.
• The Canadian Ecology Centre - Beautiful cabins in a wooded environment. Located at the Canadian Ecology Centre at the Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park [13]. Book ahead as many conferences take place here, and space can be limited. Medium-sized function facilities also available.

Splurge

• Best Western North Bay Reservations at +1-800-461-6199.
• Inn on the Bay, 340 Main Street West, toll-free: +1-877-937-8483. 
• Northern Suites Plus, 710 Lakeshore Drive, toll-free: +1-888-474-3011. 
• Terrace Suites 2363 Highway 11B (Callander) - +1-866-525-5525

Nearby

Mattawa

A tiny town of 2000 people on the Trans-Canada Highway between North Bay and Algonquin Provincial Park. Mattawa is located at the junction of the Mattawa and Ottawa rivers and serves as point of departure for canoeing or boating on the Ottawa River. The drive along Highway 17 is pretty in the fall when the leaves are changing colours. The area offers fishing, camping, and hiking as well as numerous motels, campgrounds, and retreat centres. Many large wooden statues in the town depict local historical figures.

• Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park, 6905 Highway 17 E, Mattawa, ☏ +1 705-744-2276. Hiking trails, scenic views, Voyageur canoes, Mattawa River Visitor Centre and Canadian Ecology Centre, an eco-friendly retreat centre.  
• Mattawa Voyageur Days Festival, toll-free: +1-800-267-4222. Last weekend of July, four days (Thu-Sun). Live music, regional talent night, lumberjack competition, canoe race, fireworks at dusk on closing day. Past headline acts include April Wine, Trooper, Saga, Loverboy, Honeymoon Suite, Chuck Labelle, David Wilcox, Peter Frampton, Heart and Tom Cochrane. $40/person. 
• Voyageur Multi Use Trail System, 119 Argo Run, Mattawa (Hwy 533 to Murphys Rd), ☏ +1 705-744-0003, toll-free: +1-866-819-6888. Over 300 kilometres (180 mi) of year-round ATV, horse, bike, motorbike and snowmobile trails. $12/day (trail pass includes map). 
• Mattawa Adventure Camp, 4601 Hwy. 17E, Mattawa, ☏ +1 705-744-5127. Swimming, fishing, snowmobiling, hunting, skiing, cottage and room rental. 
• Valois Motel, 701 Valois Dr, Mattawa, ☏ +1 705-744-5583, fax: +1 705-744-0799. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Licensed restaurant (7AM-9PM), 42 room motel, two seasonal cottages on Ottawa River, wi-fi, a/c, higher rates and restrictions apply during Voyageur Days. $80-110. 

Go next

North Bay is surprisingly central despite its perceived location. Sudbury and Muskoka are only an hour and a half away by car, west along Highway 17. Ottawa and Toronto are both within a few hours' driving distance as well. Timmins is about 360 kilometers to the north.

Routes through North Bay

Thunder Bay ← Temagami ←	N  S	→ Huntsville → Barrie
Sudbury ← Sturgeon Falls ←	W  E	→ Petawawa → Ottawa