Sleeping Giant (Ontario) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sleeping Giant |
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 563 m (1,847 ft) (Torso) |
| Geography | |
| Location | Thunder Bay District, Ontario |
| Topo map | NTS #052A07 |
| Geology | |
| Mountain type | Igneous rock |
The Sleeping Giant is a huge landform in Ontario, Canada. It looks like a giant person sleeping on their back when you see it from the city of Thunder Bay. This amazing shape is made of several flat-topped hills called mesas. These mesas were formed over a very long time as thick layers of hard rock, called basaltic sills, slowly wore away.
The Sleeping Giant is located on the Sibley Peninsula. As you move along the shoreline, the giant seems to change, and its different parts become clearer. From the cliffs at Sawyer's Bay, it even looks like the giant has an Adam's apple! This natural wonder is part of Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. Its very steep cliffs are some of the tallest in Ontario, reaching up to 250 meters (about 820 feet). The very southern tip of the formation is called Thunder Cape. Many early Canadian artists, like William Armstrong, have painted this beautiful spot.
The Legend of Nanabijou
The local Ojibway people have a special legend about the Sleeping Giant. They believe the giant is actually Nanabijou, a spirit from their stories. The legend says that Nanabijou was turned into stone. This happened when the secret location of a very rich silver mine, now known as Silver Islet, was shared with people from outside the community.
Sleeping Giant in Film
The Sleeping Giant is so famous that it even inspired a movie! The 2015 Canadian film Sleeping Giant is named after this landform and is set in the area.
Canada's Natural Wonders
The Sleeping Giant was once voted number one in a contest to find the Seven Wonders of Canada. It received a huge number of votes, 177,305 in total! This was almost 90,000 more votes than other famous Canadian landmarks like the Bay of Fundy and Niagara Falls.
However, a special group of judges, including Ra McGuire, Roberta Jamieson, and Roy MacGregor, made the final decision. They chose the winners based on things like geography and how inspiring the places were. In the end, the Sleeping Giant was not chosen by the judges as one of the final seven wonders.
