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Voykit pocket guide · Canada
Hearst
Stop for one night on the Highway 11 run, or skip: the sawmill, ecomuseum and gallery fill half a day, not more.
Hearst is a 5,500-person lumber town on the Trans-Canada Highway 11 in Northern Ontario, 208 km west of Cochrane and 201 km east of the next fuel at Longlac. It is a road-trip stop between Kapuskasing and Geraldton, with a heritage sawmill, a small ecomuseum, a distillery and moose country around it. Most travellers sleep one night and drive on.
- Country
- Canada
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for the parks and the sawmill; Jan–Mar for snowmobiling
- Avoid
- Nov (wet, no snow yet, most seasonal sites shut), late Apr–May (mud season)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CAD
- Money
- Currency is the Canadian dollar (CAD, $). Cards and tap-to-pay are accepted almost everywhere.
- Daily spend
- Budget C$90–140 excl. bed · Mid C$140–220 excl. bed · High C$220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Rogers, Bell and Telus plus cheaper brands (Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile); prepaid SIMs in malls and stores. Canadian data is expensive — an eSIM is often cheaper.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · OPP non-emergency 1-888-310-1122 · Telehealth Ontario 1-866-797-0000
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Same as the US.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: 15–20% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: CAD 1–2 per drink.; Taxi: 10–15%.; Housekeeping: CAD 3–5 a night.; Guide: 10–20% of the tour price.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable; treat water from lakes and streams (giardia).
- Toilets
- Free in malls, Tim Hortons, stations and park visitor centres.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee and pastry at the bakery | C$5–10 |
| Diner main (burger, pasta, Greek plate) | C$16–28 |
| Pizza, medium | C$18–28 |
| Draught beer in a bar | C$7–9 |
| Gasoline, per litre | C$1.50–1.80 (check) |
| Motel double room, summer weekend | C$110–200 plus tax |
| Heritage Sawmill entry, adult | C$5 (free on Wednesdays) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- YHF · Hearst (René Fontaine) Municipal Airport
- Charter and private aircraft only; no scheduled service. Nearest scheduled flights: Timmins (YTS), about 4.5 h by road.
Typical fares
- Ontario Northland bus Hearst → Kapuskasing
- about 1 h 45 min (check)
- Ontario Northland bus Hearst → Timmins
- about 4 h 45 min (check)
- Ontario Northland bus Hearst → Sudbury
- about 9 h 30 min (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the practical way: the town is small but the distillery, the airport and Fushimi Lake are outside the centre. Front Street and George Street are walkable in 10–15 minutes end to end. Ontario Northland buses stop in town several days a week on the Sudbury–Hearst route. No local transit worth planning around.
See and do
Known for
- Moose and Wolves statue
- Hearst Heritage Sawmill
- Hearst Ecomuseum
- Rheault Distillery
- Fushimi Lake Provincial Park
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Fushimi Lake Provincial Park | Drive north off Highway 11, then park and walk the 1 km (0.6 mi) or 7 km (4.3 mi) trailDrive north off Highway 11, then park and walk the 0.6 mi (1 km) or 4.3 mi (7 km) trail | About 30–45 min each way |
| Kapuskasing | Drive east on Highway 11 | About 1 h |
| Cochrane | Drive east on Highway 11, or Ontario Northland bus | About 2.5 h by car, 3.25 h by bus |
| Geraldton | Drive west on Highway 11 | About 2 h |
| Longlac | Drive west on Highway 11 | About 2.5 h |
Sleep
- Front Street strip
- Motels and the Companion Hotel/Motel on the highway through town; walkable to most restaurants.
- Highway 11 west edge
- Villa Inn & Suites and the highway-facing motels; easiest if you arrive late by car.
- Downtown George Street
- TravelInn and the B&B; closest to the bakery, cafés and shops.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Mercimehr-see |
| Hello | Bonjourbon-zhoor |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ?kom-byen sa koot |
| Where is the gas station? | Où est la station-service ?oo eh la sta-syon sehr-vees |
| Can I pay by card? | Puis-je payer par carte ?pweezh pay-yay par kart |
| I need help | J'ai besoin d'aidezhay buh-zwan ded |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake; 'Bonjour' first in Québec; avoid: Assuming everyone speaks English
- Queues: Line up and wait your turn; avoid: Pushing in
- Apologising: 'Sorry' is politeness, not admission of fault; avoid: Loud confrontation
- Canada vs US: Treat Canada as its own country; avoid: Calling Canadians American
- Indigenous culture: Buy from Indigenous-owned businesses and ask before photos at ceremonies; avoid: Wearing headdresses as costume
Scams and watch-outs
- The next gas station westbound on Highway 11 is at Longlac, 208 km away: fill up before you leave.
- Winter driving on Highway 11 means snow, ice and moose on the shoulder after dark; drive daylight hours if you can.
- Cell coverage thins out on the highway between towns; download offline maps.
- Many restaurants close by 20:00–21:00 and some shut early on Sundays: eat before you check in.
Small-town safe; the real risks are highway driving, winter conditions, wildlife on the road after dark and long gaps between services.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hearst yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Moose and Wolves statue
- Hearst Heritage Sawmill
- Hearst Ecomuseum
- Rheault Distillery
- Fushimi Lake Provincial Park
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Tourisme Hearst: tourismehearst.wixsite.com/scieriepatrimoniale
- Ontario Northland: www.ontarionorthland.ca/
- Ontario Parks — Fushimi Lake: www.ontarioparks.com/park/fushimilake
- Wikivoyage: Hearst, revision 4917301 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4917301
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hearst
À cette adresse, s'il vous plaît
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- OPP non-emergency1-888-310-1122
- Telehealth Ontario1-866-797-0000
No consulates in Hearst. US citizens: US Consulate General in Toronto; UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: high commissions or consulates in Ottawa or Toronto.
French is widely spoken here; a few words go a long way.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hearst). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.