Photo by Angela Marten

West Nipissing ~ All You Need for a Great Holiday!
Fantastic scenery, rich culture and great fishing, not to mention the spectacular sunsets....

This is what the West Nipissing area is all about and it is a lovely place to visit. Steeped in rich tradition and culture, the communities of West Nipissing take pride in their heritage, which dates back to the early days of the fur traders. The area boasts a lifestyle most people only dream of and it is also a great place to enjoy a pleasurable vacation.

Only 33 km west of North Bay, on Hwy. 17, is the Town of Sturgeon Falls. Home to the immensely popular Sturgeon Falls Step Dance and Fiddle Festival, this picturesque community is an officially bilingual town situated on the banks of the Sturgeon River. The town had its beginning when lumbermen came to the area to supply the demands for lumber in Southern Ontario. By 1850 logging trails existed in the area and by 1881 the arrival of the railway brought farmers, merchants, miners and builders. Early settlers to this area were predominantly English, however, with the railway, came a large influx of French-Canadian settlers.The little settlement incorporated as the Town of Sturgeon Falls in 1895.

The Nipissing Indians were known to the early French explorers and missionaries as Nipissings or Nipissiriens. These names translate to "People of the Little Water". The Nipissings are a branch of the Ojibway Tribal Organization. Most of their villages were found around Lake Nipissing itself, mainly on the north shore, but there were also some on the Upper French River and a few on Trout Lake. Although the Nipissing traded with other tribes, their trade expanded after the arrival of the French.

Years ago a major industry in Sturgeon Falls was the harvesting of caviar or Sturgeon eggs, an international delicacy. Sturgeon Falls was once known as the caviar capital of Canada marketing this delicacy throughout the world.

The West Nipissing Information Centre is located at the west end of Sturgeon Falls, providing a one stop shop for tourists travelling through the area. It is a hub-style focal point highlighting all of the West Nipissing attractions and assets, both natural and man made. There is a lovely art gallery on the second floor of the centre for all to enjoy.

The Musée Sturgeon River House Museum , located 4 km off Hwy. 17 between Sturgeon Falls and Cache Bay, is an actual site of a Hudson's Bay post (1848-1879) located on the west bank of the river, 1 km from Lake Nipissing. The Museum features a reconstructed fur trading post and a pioneer village complete with a blacksmith's shop and a log pioneer home constructed in 1898.

In addition to the historical displays, the Museum now offers the first of three self guided, walking nature trails. The 1.6 km path highlights a beaver lodge, a bird watching platform, wildflowers and wetlands, as well as interpretation through educational programming and special exhibits. The wet patches are board walked and a rest station is located at the end of the trail. In addition, the Museum site is open year round and offers guided tours, gift shop, chip stand, boat launch, picnic area, open air stage/theatre.

Lake Nipissing is the focus of so much of the area's fishing and boating activity that it's safe to say that this lake defines much of the character, historic and otherwise, of the entire region's fishery. This rich, fertile lake has a history of human settlement going back into the mists of time, back to days when the ancient Sturgeon of Lake Nipissing were known throughout North America as a trade item of the mysterious and mystical people who populated the area. The Jesuit Fathers in their recollections of the 16th century described the native inhabitants of Nipissing as sorcerers and magicians. Whatever the history, one thing is evident - these people knew and understood the wealth of this vast fishing ground.

The entire area of West Nipissing is home to more than 40 different species of fish--- from the tiny smelt which runs in the spring to the mighty muskellunge, the furious warrior of the waters. Myriad lakes and streams dot the area, creating an angler's delight. The lakes and rivers give up such beauties as the popular pickerel/walleye, speckled, brook and rainbow trout. The youngest of anglers can enjoy bringing in sweet tasting perch or the colorful sunfish. The local bass include rock, white, silver, small and largemouth.

Are you looking for a destination? West Nipissing sparkles as the shining example of what a vacation in Ontario's Near North should be.