The Sleeping Giant

Seen from Thunder Bay across the bay, the Sibley Peninsula forms the unmistakable outline of a figure lying on its back with arms folded, which is why it is known as the Sleeping Giant. In Ojibwe tradition it is Nanabijou, turned to stone. Geologically it is a set of mesas capped with hard diabase over softer sedimentary rock, and at the southern end the cliffs drop about two hundred and fifty metres to Lake Superior, the highest in Ontario. The Top of the Giant trail runs out along the chest and ends at that edge, a long day's walk with the whole lake below. Amethyst is mined nearby, and the region has Ontario's largest deposits.

What you actually see

• The Top of the Giant trail - a long walk to Ontario's highest cliffs.
• The profile from Thunder Bay - the reclining figure across the water.
• Thunder Bay lookout - a platform on the cliff edge over the lake.
• Amethyst mines - open to visitors to dig, on the road back to the city.

When to go

June to October for hiking, with autumn colour in late September excellent from the clifftops. The full Top of the Giant walk is a long day, so start early. Winter brings skiing and snowshoeing on the lower trails with the high route effectively closed.

Honest expectations

The Top of the Giant is around forty kilometres return from the main trailhead unless you use a bike for the flat approach, and people badly underestimate it. The clifftop has no railings. Weather on Superior changes fast and the exposed sections offer no shelter. Blackflies in June are severe.

Nearby

Thunder Bay is an hour west; Kakabeka Falls is beyond the city.