Nipigon

Nipigon is a township of 1,500 people (2021) on the north shore of Lake Superior in Northern Ontario.

Understand
Nipigon is a small village on an isolated section of Trans-Canada Highway which follows the sparsely-populated north shore of Lake Superior between Thunder Bay and Sault Sainte Marie (Ontario). There is little population and few services outside the few villages on this lengthy stretch of highway. The local economy of Nipigon Township depends primarily on forest products, fishing, and tourism. Multiply Forest Products, a hundred-worker sawmill which was the largest employer in Nipigon, burned to the ground on February 6, 2007.

Nipigon's population declined by over 25% between 1991 and 2011.

Nipigon is a departure point for fishing excursions onto Lake Superior, the Nipigon River system and Lake Nipigon. Common fish varieties include Atlantic salmon, lake trout, speckled trout, rainbow trout, walleye, northern pike, bass, and perch.

In Jan 2016, the Nipigon River Bridge, the first cable-stayed bridge in Ontario, failed weeks after it opened. Traffic was rerouted through the United States, and road transportation between eastern and western Canada was not possible for a period of 17 hours. A pair of two-lane cable-stayed bridges opened in Nov 2018.



By car

 * Nipigon is serviced by the Highways 11 and 17, which travel between Nipigon and Thunder Bay combined into a single road, and is the only road connecting eastern and western Canada. Both Highways 11 and 17 are part of the Trans-Canada Highway. The stretch between Nipigon and Thunder Bay is designated the Terry Fox Courage Highway.  Just east of Nipigon, Highway 11 and 17 split into separate roads, going to different areas until re-merging briefly within North Bay.

By train

 * There is no passenger rail service. VIA Rail'sThe Canadian stops in Longlac, about 200km northeast of Nipigon, connecting from Toronto and Winnipeg.

By bus

 * Operates the following routes to Nipigon:
 * Between Thunder Bay and Longlac including stops in Nipigon and Geraldton. Travel time to Kenora from Thunder Bay is 1.25 hours, from Geraldton is 2.25 hours, and from Longlac is 2.75 hours.
 * Between Thunder Bay and White River including stops in Nipigon, Schreiber, Terrace Bay, and Marathon. Travel time to Kenora from Thunder Bay is 1.25 hours, from Marathon is 2.5 hours, and from White River is 4 hours.
 * Operates a bus route multiple days per week between Thunder Bay and Sault Sainte Marie including stops in Red Rock, Nipigon, Schreiber, Terrace Bay, Marathon, White River, and Wawa. Travel time to Nipigon from Thunder Bay is 1.75 hours, From Marathon is 2.5 hours, from White River is 3.75 hours, from Wawa is 5.25 hours, and from Sault Sainte Marie is 8 hours.

Buy
A limited selection is available in the village, including a grocer (Zechner's), hardware (Home Hardware and Canadian Tire), auto towing and repair; there is a discount store (the Bargain Shop) and a second-hand store for clothing and general merchandise.

Drink
Beer and spirits are available for takeaway from the Beer Store and the LCBO.

Connect


Bell and TBayTel provide limited 3G (UMTS/HSPA) coverage on the Trans-Canada Highway. There is no Rogers coverage and no GSM.

Lake Nipigon
The lake is approximately 40 km (25 mi) north of Nipigon village on Hwy 11.