Sleeping Giant

On the northern side of Lake Superior, the Sibley Peninsula juts into the largest of the Great Lakes. From the nearby city of Thunder Bay, the peninsula looms like a Sleeping Giant. The island remains of an ancient volcano, appears to be a giant sleeping on his back. The 250-meter cliffs stretch in a thin band for many kilometers.

The giant spawned a legend amongst the Ojibway Natives of Ontario. They were given directions to a secret silver mine, in exchange for a promise to never wake the sleeping giant. Amongst other Native American tribes, the Ojibway were known for their magnificent metals and jewelry, which they attribute to the Sleeping Giant of Sibley Peninsula. The entrance to the silver mine can still be viewed on an island near the foot of the Sleeping Giant.

In 2007, amongst Canadians, the Sleeping Giant was voted number one of the Seven Wonders of Canada, beating Niagara Falls. Sadly, a national board decided the Sleeping Giant did not fit the criteria.

Today the whole peninsula is an Ontario park and Sleeping Giant Provincial Park offers camping, hiking, fishing, swimming and many other activities… giant walking is not one of them.