Twinning wilderness with civilisation in Ontario and Manitoba

“This is the new frontier,” says captain Gregory Heroux, who works for Sail Superior, which organises sailing trips of Lake Superior. With a slight breeze, we raise the sails on the yacht as we head out onto the waters of the world’s largest freshwater lake. “We know people have a visit to Canada on their bucket list. We’re just saying ‘try something off the beaten path’. This is a place where you’ll not see more than 30 people all day. Just a few kilometres from here, the road literally stops, and there’s two-thirds of the province left.”

Surrounded by forest and the rock formations of the Canadian Shield, remote Thunder Bay is an ideal place from which to access the great outdoors. In or around the city, there’s easy access to mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, angling, or sightseeing with Northwest Helicopter Tours. And, of course, as Canada’s furthest inland port, there’s sailing.

The increasingly cosmopolitan city has seen a flurry of restaurant openings in recent years including Tomlin, with its bare brick interiors and sharing plates. The waterfront Delta Hotel by Marriott Thunder Bay opened just last month.

To get further north, another flight is essential. Wilderness North operates a number of lodges, including Miminiska, with serviced and unserviced cabins in the north-west. It also has its own fleet of planes and floatplanes for transporting customers. It’s a tiny nine-seater that takes us 80 minutes and 235 miles north of Thunder Bay over nothing but forest and lakes; thousands of them in black, brown, turquoise, and near neon green.

The appeal of Miminiska is its remoteness.

“I love watching people arrive and relax,” says owner Krista Cheeseman, loading a boat with blankets. With a roaring log fire in the cosy cabin, the temptation is to settle in. But before the light fades, we go bear and eagle spotting. On the far shore, there they are. A black bear, just a metre or two from shore, chews on a fish. A pair of bald eagles relocate at the sound of our engine to a further tree. This is their territory.

Many of the lodge’s repeat customers are keen anglers. Come morning we head out with local First Nations guides to traverse local rapids and get to some of the best fishing spots. We cook our spoils in hot oil on the shore for lunch.