Blind River

Blind River (population 3,400 in 2021) is a small town in Northern Ontario, midway between Sault Ste Marie and Sudbury on the Trans-Canada Highway, which serves as a rest stop with sandy beaches, campgrounds and a championship golf course.

Understand
This used to be Ojibwa land. Explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in the 1600s, Lake Huron and the North Channel of the Mississaugi River later became part of the Voyageur Route. A fur trading post established by the Northwest Company in 1789 was taken over by the Hudson Bay Company in 1820. A river known to the natives as 'Penewobecong' was not visible to voyageurs as they followed the canoe route, so it was called the "Blind River".

The first sawmill, built at the current site of the Old Mill Motel, provided timber and planks for a copper mine in nearby Bruce Mines. A second sawmill was built in 1906 at the site of the current Blind River Marine Park and Blind River was incorporated as a town. Pronto Mines operated briefly in nearby Algoma Mills after uranium was discovered in the area in 1955. Ore from the Blind River-Elliot Lake Uranium mining camp fed a uranium refinery, built just west of Blind River in 1983 and now owned by Cameco Corporation.

Visitor information

 * Destination Ontario: Blind River
 * Town of Blind River

By car

 * Highway 17 (the Trans-Canada Highway) passes through Blind River, about east of Sault Ste. Marie and 150 km west of Sudbury. Within the town, it is known as Causley Street.

By bus

 * Operates a route between Sault Sainte Marie and Sudbury including stops in Blind River, Elliot Lake, and Espanola.

By snowmobile
Blind River is connected to the network of groomed snowmobile trails maintained and operated by the OFSC. A trail permit is required.

Get around
The small size of the city makes it easy to get around by walking or by bicycle. Local streets have little or no traffic as most through traffic is on Causley Street/Highway 17.

Buy
Causley Street (Hwy 17) has numerous shops and services such as gas stations, convenience stores, grocery store, LCBO, Beer Store, department stores, etc.

Eat

 * Along Causley Street (Hwy 17) you will find both chain fast-food eateries as well as locally owned and operated "mom and pop" restaurants.

Go next

 * Elliot Lake — a former boomtown for uranium mining, about northeast.
 * Manitoulin Island — the world's largest freshwater island, with hikes, small resorts, and festivals. A ferry connects the island to Tobermory between May and October, providing a connection to Southwestern Ontario.
 * St. Joseph Island — Lake Huron's second largest island, home to Fort St. Joseph National Historic Site, and maple syrup producers in the spring.