1000 km+ in a 2015 Nissan Leaf, Around the Georgian bay

The Georgian bay loop circles around one of the more scenic great lakes. From Barrie, ON, up to Sudbury and Manatoulin Island there is much to explore. We took off on a two week camping adventure to do just that. We did this trip in a 2015 Nissan Leaf which has an EPA range rating of 135 km.

Traveling by road gives you the opportunity to see so many interesting places along the way. Our Georgian bay adventure took us to Barrie, ON. Killbear provincial park, Grundy lake, Windy lake, providence bay, Tobermory and Sauble beach. We took two weeks to explore, camping and staying in hotels along the way. An electrical campsite gives you an opportunity to re-charge both yourself and your electric car, thankfully all of the campgrounds we stopped at offered electric sites which we used.

Leg 1, 100 km, Toronto to Barrie. We picked the kids up after camp and headed for our first stop, the Best Western Plus hotel in Barrie, ON. I like to take the 404 just to get out of the city, then switch over to Yonge street as its a slower parallel secondary road. And slower kinda means faster in an EV as slower speeds greatly improve your efficiency. We did stop at a Tim Hortons in Aurora (charging the car at the nearby free charger at the Aurora town hall). After an hour we had plenty of range to get us to Barrie, and we were able to charge overnight at the Best Western Plus hotel as they conveniently have a L2 charger.

Leg 2, 160 km, Barrie to Killbear provincial park. Once everyone was fully charged, we left Barrie mid-morning and headed north along Hwy 400. Owning to the geography there are few alternatives, so we stopped in Port Severn to charge both the car and crew. A short distance from Port Severn you will find the “big-chute”. Deemed a better alternative than a traditional lock, this “train” moves boats along the Trent-Severn waterway system.

Leg 3, 90 km, Killbear to Grundy lake provincial park. After a few restful days in Killbear admiring the natural beauty of Ontario, it was time to move on to Grundy Lake. There were no charging stops needed on this leg, and a good thing too, as there is not much on offer on Hw 400 between Parry Sound and Sudbury. Once we got to Grundy Lake, we discovered a wonderful provincial park full of paddling opportunities. Thankfully the nearby Grundy Lake Supply depot offers Canoe rentals, and even better delivery to your campsite’s canoe launching area.

Leg 4, 140 km Grundy lake to Windy lake. We were able to stop in Sudbury to charge. There is a free charger located at the Science North in Sudbury. While the car charged we took a nice stroll at the nearby Bell park. Mining is a big part of Sudbury, and a good thing too as Electric cars need lots of metals, including Nickel, Lithium, and even Cobalt.

Leg 5, 140 km Windy Lake to Batman’s Cottages and Campground on Manitoulin Island. After chatting with the local’s, there is a logging road that runs due south of Windy lake. This saved us about 40 km of our drive, and further, as it was slower, lots of electrons. We stopped in Espanola to charge at a Chargepoint station located at a Ford dealership. After a meal and laundry using a nearby laundromat, our Leaf had plenty of charge to make it to Batman’s.

Leg 6, 60 km, Batman’s cottages and Campground to Providence Bay. Thankfully, RV parks and EV’s use the same electrical outlets. Nema 14-50 is a common plug on many granny-leads (the adapter that usually comes with your car), which happens to be the same as “50-Amp-service” in RV speak. But after a few days at Batman’s, the weather forecast showed high winds, so we decided to head to a hotel for our last night on Manitoulin. The Huron Sands Motel has a L2 charger and also yummy Ukranian food while you wait for the car to charge.

Leg 7, 50 km, Providence Bay to Tobermory. We took the ferry across to Tobermory, where we checked into the Grandview Motel. The Grandview has since then upgraded to a pair of L2 charging stations. The location is excellent, steps away from “The tugs” where you can swim to several shipwrecks. And of course down-town Tobermory with its excellent selection of Restaurants and shops.

Leg 8, 90 km, Tobermory to Sauble beach. An easy drive down Hw 6 lands you at Sauble beach where we spent a few days relaxing. If the westerly winds pick up, body surfing is a lot of fun at Sauble beach. An no trip would be complete without a stop at Lucius bakery, and my daughter loves the Ascent areal park. Me I just love the beach and the sound of the waves. An outside electrical outlet provided all the charging we needed.

Leg 9, 220 km, Sauble Beach to Toronto. After two weeks, it was time to head back to base. This last leg, proved the longest, with charging stops in Flesherton and Orangeville. A tea shop had this wonderful Carrot cake tea (and yes wonderful Carrot cake too), which we would only have found if it was not for the charge stop in Flesherton. A leisurely dinner in Oranveville while we charged at the Flo station gave everyone the fuel to safely make it home.