Wawa Goose

The Wawa Goose rest stop is something that I’ve been visiting FOREVER.

I remember visiting the goose - well, *A* goose, anyway - as a kid, when we’d make the drive from Winnipeg to Ottawa, visiting my favourite Aunt and Uncle.

Then, in my late teens, I visited when I drove myself to the east coast... and a few years later, when I moved back.

In those cases, it was always just visiting in a car... as an able bodied person. I’d never had a reason to pay attention to things like RV parking or accessibility.

Visiting these days - in an RV, towing a car, and disabled! - meant looking at that roadside stop with a new set of eyes, basically.

After many stops over the last few years, it feels like it’s probably time to do a post on it. Here we are... and here’s everything you might want to know about visiting the Wawa Goose!

The Basics:

Location Name: The Wawa Goose
Address: 93 Mission Rd, Wawa, ON P0S 1K0
Website: N/A
Price Free!
Reservations: N/A

Logistics

This is a very straightforward rest stop, rather than something like a provincial park or private attraction.

Reservations aren’t required - or even available - and there aren’t even any parking fees. Just show up, find a parking spot, and enjoy your stay!

Beyond that, here’s some information to help you plan your visit to the Wawa Goose.

Parking

There’s not a TON of parking, but it usually seems adequate for the number of people there, any time we’ve passed through.

It’s in a sort of “figure 8 shape” - we recommend entering at the access nearest the Visitor Centre, especially if you’re driving a larger vehicle - like an RV - or if you have a trailer.

The first lot - when going in that entrance - is a set of trailer parking lanes. There are probably about 8 of them - fairly narrow, but workable - in a diagonal orientation.

There’s another access to the lot just beyond that one, where the second loop begins.

This is a more free form parking lot, with little sections of 1-3(ish) parking spots each, sprinkled around the loop. There are also picnic areas around this area, and in the middle of that loop.

The nice thing about the parking lot is that whichever way you enter it, you’re not likely to get STUCK. That second loop allows for a nice, significant turnaround, if you end up needing to re-orient your vehicle for the main lot.

Just note: there isn’t any trailer-suitable parking in that second loop.

Washrooms

The washroom situation is IFFY. There are washrooms in the Visitor Centre, but that’s it - we didn’t see any outhouses or portapotties at all.

Unfortunately, the Visitor Centre has a short opening season, so the Wawa Goose is definitely not the most reliable rest stop we’ve seen!

That said, there are gas stations up the road - we usually end up planning to gas up at Wawa anyway, as there aren’t any gas stations throughout Lake Superior Provincial Park.

Maps and Signage

There aren’t any maps of the immediate park area, just a large one of the Michipicoten area in general.

Also, not much in the way of directional signage, either - not a big deal, as it’s a very small, straightforward attraction. You can definitely see the main sites - Visitor Centre, the Goose itself - from the road, the parking lot, etc.

It’s not a difficult area to get around!

Accessibility

There is a single accessible parking space - that looks like it could be two - right next to the Visitor Center, in that first loop of parking lot. It's kind of a long one - it might be intended for a trailer - it's just not marked off as either one parking spot or two.

From that point, you’ve got a flat, paved path all the way to - and around - the goose.

We’ve never been in the Visitor Centre - it’s always closed at the time of our visits - so we can’t speak about how accessible it might be.

There IS a sign outside that indicates the restrooms to be wheelchair accessible, though.

Pets

The Wawa Goose rest stop is a VERY dog-friendly attraction. As usual, you need to keep them leashed and pick up after them.

Beyond that, they have a couple neat features for dog owners.

For one - at the far end of the parking loops - there’s a gated dog walk area. It doesn't say whether it's leash or unleashed, though.

One thing to keep in mind: there are no garbage cans there, and there's no poop bag dispenser. So, be sure to plan ahead!

The second interesting thing: When it's open, dogs are allowed inside the visitor center! Again, they just have to be leashed.

Park Store

There may or may not be some kind of store in the Visitor Center, we’ve yet to encounter it being open!

We will definitely update this post if we ever end up there during their open season!

Visitor Centre

Unfortunately... I don’t think we’ve ever even seen the Visitor Center open! We usually drive through in the spring or fall, though - never summer.

Our last visit was in the middle of September, the only sign about it said that it was closed for the season.

Day Use Area

There are several different areas for picnicking, all with a different vibe.

First of all, there are a few individual picnic tables in and around the parking area - around the outside of the lots, and in the center of the second parking loop.

Then, the Visitor Center has a deck with some more picnic tables - it’s overlooking the Trans-Canada Highway below, and a lake beyond that.

Finally, there are a few more picnic tables on the lawn around the base of the goose, overlooking the highway.

Connectivity

We’re on Rogers Wireless and generally have good cell phone reception in and around the Wawa Goose.

Also, there’s a sign on the Visitor Center that says “Free Wifi”, but we didn’t see one when we looked. That might be limited to the open season for the building itself.

Entertainment and Activity

There’s not a TON to do at the Wawa Goose - it’s more of a rest stop than anything - but here’s some info on the activities you can do there:

Hiking

There aren’t any real hiking trails in the park, but there’s a short walking path.

You’re not going to get a workout in, but you can definitely walk around a bit and stretch your legs a bit!

If you want more of a “capital H” hike, there’s a big sign next to the parking lot - near the Visitor Center - with a map of the Michipicoten section of the Voyageur Trail system.

The Wawa Goose

The first Wawa Goose was constructed in 1960, dreamed up by Al Turcott - one of the people featured on the historical signage at the rest stop.

The goose was actually built as a reaction to the building of the Trans-Canada Highway.

At the time, residents of Wawa were concerned that the new highway would divert visitors *around* the city, negatively impacting the businesses that depended on that traffic.

So a GIANT goose was erected in the hopes of pulling tourism traffic back into the town of Wawa.

The first one was made of chicken wire and plaster, and lasted only 3 years.

A new goose was made in 1963, made of local steel. THAT one lasted 54 years, and was replaced in 2017, with the current goose. This one is made of stainless steel, and has a bronze coating to help protect it from rusting.

The current goose is the largest of its kind, and one of the most photographed landmarks in North America. It’s 28 feet tall, 22 feet long, and its wing span is 20 feet across!

Birding, Wildlife, and Nature

We’ve found birding opportunities to be pretty limited when we visit, for at least a couple reasons: a constant stream of people, and the road noise from the highway below.

So far, all we’ve seen or heard have been:

American Crow, Black-Capped Chickadee, Common Raven, Savannah Sparrow, Turkey Vulture, and White-Crowned Sparrow.

Educational & Cultural Opportunities

All around the Visitor Center, you’ll find a variety of educational signage.

There’s a series of around 10 tall signs with painted renditions of historical figures from / important to the Wawa area, with a bit of information about who they were, what they were known for, and when it went down.

We saw a few more signs like this at Scenic High / Magpie Falls, which is just a few minutes away.

In this case, some of the people and subjects covered include

Al and Agnes Turcott, Alex Ross, Joe Ball, Keith Messenger, Lady & Sir James Dunn, Louise Towab (Niganigijigok), Operation Michipicoten, William Teddy, etc.

Other signage goes into the geology of the Magpie River Valley, and the various histories of hydro electricity, glaciers, the construction of the Trans Canada Highway, mining and WWII prisoners of war being held in the area, and - of course - the history of the Wawa Goose statue, itself.

Niantic Games

There are five or six Niantic stops (Pokestops, Pokemon Gyms, Ingress Portals) throughout the area, stretching between the dog park and the Wawa Goose itself - most are near the Visitor Center, as you’d expect.

As mentioned previously, we tend to have pretty good cell reception there, as well.

Final Thoughts

This is one of those roadside attractions that we stop at every time we pass through the area.

It’s ALMOST an hour from the Agawa Bay campground, so it’s nicely timed for a leg stretch. The parking lot is totally suitable for our rig, and there’s just a certain comfort with keeping traditions, you know?

Given that we’ll be continuing to make our annual trips up north, it’s safe to say we’ll be visiting the Goose again... and again... and again!

More Northern Ontario Provincial Parks & Places to See

Want to read some more about the parks we've camped and at places we've seen in Northern Ontario? Here are some more posts!

Northern Ontario Campground Reviews:

Aaron Provincial Park
Agawa Bay Campground, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Blue Lake Provincial Park
Caliper Lake Provincial Park
Esker Lakes Provincial Park
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
Kettle Lakes Provincial Park
Lake Superior Provincial Park
MacLeod Provincial Park
Neys Provincial Park
Ojibway Provincial Park
Pakwash Provincial Park
Pancake Bay Provincial Park
Pukaskwa National Park
Quetico Provincial Park
Rabbit Blanket Lake, Lake Superior Provincial Park
Rainbow Falls Provincial Park
Rene Brunelle Provincial Park
Rushing River Provincial Park
Sandbar Lake Provincial Park
Sioux Narrows Provincial Park
Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
White Lake Provincial Park

Northern Ontario Places to See:

Aguasabon Falls & Gorge
Amethyst Mine Panorama
Batchawana Bay
Bridgeview Lookout Tower
Chippewa Falls
Kakabeka Falls
Little Falls Scenic Lookout, Atikokan
Mink Creek Falls
Old Woman Bay
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Potholes Provincial Park
Roy Wilson Suspension Bridge
Sand River Falls
Scenic High Falls
Schreiber Beach
Temagami Fire Tower
Terrace Bay Beach
Terrace Bay Lighthouse
Terry Fox National Historic Monument
Winnie the Pooh Memorial

Want to explore beyond Northern Ontario? Check out our full list of Campground Reviews, Ontario Waterfalls, and other Places to See.

We also have a ton of Camping Recipes to cook up, while on your adventures!