Doug's Spot!  McFarlane Road

Doug's spot is located about 16km west of Thunder Bay, up highway 17/11. From the Arthur Street/Hwy 17/Hwy 61 Junction, head west towards Kakabeka Falls.  You will drive about 16km before you come across McFarlane road. (It is sign posted ahead of the turn in so keep your eyes open!)  Turn left onto McFarlane and keep driving for a minute.  The road comes to a widening and pretty much a dead end.  There will be a field to your left and a gate directly ahead of you.  Please do not venture past that gate as it is private property and we do not have permission to use that land.  On a good dark night, you can see the milky way from this spot and the glare from the city lights is hardly visible.  Please be sure to turn off your headlights if possible when entering this area at night as Doug can often be found here, doing some stargazing of his own :)

Hillcrest Park, High Street

Hillcrest Park is located at the top of the High Street hill, just before Red River Road.  It is a good, local location for it has a massive field of view overlooking the Sleeping Giant.  There is a lot of light pollution from this location so some of the deep sky objects may be a little tricky to spot.  When we set up here we tend to stick to the south end of the lot as the north end is usually occupied by the "Flashy Car Crew!!"  You will often get passers by who are more then willing to peep through your scope/binoculars when prompted, which will always result in the familiar ooh's and aah's!

Little Trout Bay

Little Trout Bay is a little trickier to find but well worth the effort.  It is located about 40 minutes south of Thunder Bay.  Take hgy 61 south until you come to Little Trout Bay Road on the left.  There is a      Can-Op gas bar on the right just after the turning so if you pass it you have gone to far!  Once on the Trout Bay Road, you will be driving for about 6 ro 7 minutes when the road takes a sharp turn to the left and then to the right 30 seconds later.  After that, the turning to the conservation area can be found on the left after another 2 or 3 minutes drive.  They have coal BBQ's, washrooms, and a $2.00 honour system parking meter!  Enjoy :)