Explore More UK - Spring 2021

MAGIC
of the
GREAT LAKES
LAKES
Oonagh Turner explores the natural beauty of the chain of
lakes that lie between the USA and Canada
Like great inland seas, these
bodies of fresh water are
fringed by quaint lakeside
villages, thick woodland,
lighthouse-dotted beaches and
mighty cities. Providing a natural
border between Canada and the
US, the Great Lakes are a series
of interconnected masses of water
that flow from Lake Superior. The
journey starts life as precipitation,
filling up the great scars in the
north American landscape that were
left by receding glaciers. The water
passes the sleepy Canadian villages
of Lake Huron, laps the shores of
isolated islands, meanders down
and criss-crosses the border to
America where it provides a scenic
backdrop for electric cities like
Chicago and Detroit. The water
flows into Lake Erie, the shallowest
of the Great Lakes, before it takes
a plunge over the Niagara Falls to
reach its final lake – Lake Ontario.
The lakes are a natural spectacle and
together encapsulate the essence of
American and Canadian culture.
LAND OF ADVENTURE
On Lake Superior, the northern
shores are peppered with the
expansive national parks of Canada
– Lake Superior Provincial Park,
Pukaskwa National Park – dense
forests that look out over rocky
shores and rolling hills that cater
to keen hikers. The largest of
the lake’s islands is Isle Royale,
home to its own isolated bays and
lakes offering kayaking and scuba
diving opportunities. At Thunder
Bay, keen adventurers can try out
the trails of the Sleeping Giant
Provincial Park, with its sweeping
vistas and towering granite cliffs.
Elsewhere, on the northern
shores of Lake Huron, the water
is sheltered by the land that juts
in and forms Georgian Bay. This
area of land - the Bruce Peninsula
- divides Georgian Bay from the
rest of Lake Huron and is home to
Flowerpot Island – famous for its
bizarre sea stack rock formations
– pillars of limestone shaped by
years of erosion from the elements.
PHOTOS: © ALAMY
Known for its windswept pines,
plentiful fishing and endless
beaches, the summer months are
popular with tourists keen for a
taste of lakeside life out on the
bay. The north of Huron quietens
around September, when the
tourists have left but the water is
still warm enough for kayaking
out among the bay’s 32 historic
lighthouses and 30,000 islands.
Visitors take advantage of the bay’s
aquatic highway and access the
region’s top attractions by boat,
or visit the Fathom Five National
Marine Park – the first park of
its kind in Canada which offers
visitors the opportunity to see 22
underwater shipwrecks, either by
diving or on a glass-bottomed boat.
On Mackinac Island, in Lake
Huron’s US side, a charming
island awaits, known as a haven
for cyclists as vehicles are banned.
Visitors might want to opt for
horse-drawn carriage for an historic
discovery, visiting sites like the
Grand Hotel – a Victorian-era
building with the world’s largest
front porch.
NIAGARA FALLS
Adventure-seekers might also wish
to head for where the water passes
from Lake Erie and funnels into
Lake Ontario, straddling US and
Canadian territory and flowing
under the Rainbow Bridge. After
its lengthy journey, it’s here where
the water rushes and thunders over
three iconic natural waterfalls. The
most spectacular and famous of the
three is Horseshoe Falls, so named
for its rounded formation. The
movement of water and its sheer
power creates a spellbinding mist
that rises and soaks the smiling
faces of every tourist who visits.
Holiday makers can take elevators
to a lower vantage point behind
the falls for a real feel of the falls’
force, with the added option to
board a boat for a closer look.
The dramatic waterfalls marks the
water’s final flurry before it narrows
to all but disappear along the
St. Lawrence River and out to sea.
This page: Fall
foliage on the
north shore of
Lake Superior
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