Flour Bay
Ontario
Find: Feldspar/calcite, unakite, colorful granites, Lake Superior Agates (in matrix)
GPS: 47.06871, -84.74179
Nearest city: Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Recommended Vehicle: Any
Season: Accessible year round, Winter is likely to have significant snow, ice, and frigid temperatures.
Summary:
Flour Bay is a tucked away spot along the Trans Canada highway as you head North from Sault Ste. Marie. The waters are a vibrant, clear blue with varied stones beneath their surface.
The mix of stones here was reminiscent to what I’ve seen on the North Shore of Minnesota, even though it is almost on the exact opposite side of the lake. There were many amygdaloidal basalts and bright unakite granites.
The highlight of this spot were the Lake Superior Agates that were in large boulders of matrix rock. I’m fairly certain they were agate, rather than prehnite or calcite. It was my first time finding them on the Canadian shore of the lake.
Video
Check out the video to best see what can be found when exploring this spot.
3 Helpful Tools
Chest Waders
Chest waders are great to stay dry if you want to get in the lake.
Agate Scoop
An agate scoop is helpful to pick things up faster and farther away from you.
Classifier
A classifier is fun to sit with if you’re a fan of small agates and stones. One with a larger, 1-inch mesh would be what I’d pick.
The short walk down to the water from Highway 17
The bay itself
Underwater at Flour Bay
Nice amygdaloidal basalt
Another one, with more colorful pockets
A crazy granite with some fun coloration.
A two-tone granite with that same red/green color patterning
What looks to be a Lake Superior agate with a partial eye, still in the matrix rock.
A much larger Lake Superior Agate, again still in matrix. These were so cool to find in the float rocks.
The beautiful view on your way further North up the coast.