Algoma Central Backcountry Access Road

The Algoma Central Railway cuts through some of Ontario’s wildest country, but the real adventure starts where the old logging roads branch off into roadless wilderness north of Sault Ste. Marie. This network of interconnected forestry roads follows the Algoma Central corridor deep into the Canadian Shield, accessing remote lakes and patches of old-growth forest that survived the lumber barons. The main route pushes 80 kilometers north from Highway 17, crossing the Goulais River multiple times before dead-ending at backcountry lakes that see maybe a dozen anglers per season.

Difficulty ranges from easy gravel to moderate technical sections where spring washouts and beaver floods create seasonal obstacles. Any 4WD vehicle handles most routes, but carry a chainsaw for inevitable blowdowns. Best access runs late spring through fall hunting season. No services past Searchmont, so fuel and provisions are your responsibility. The payoff is legitimate wilderness camping on shield lakes with granite shores, plus some of the finest brook trout fishing left in Ontario’s near-north.