“Gathering” at Rondeau

Today’s post comes from Jess Matthews, a Chief Park Naturalist at Rondeau Provincial Park.

A change was needed at the Rondeau Visitor Centre and we wanted it to be big.

We worked with three different local Indigenous communities over five years to generate something amazing.

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For the pollinators! Two pollinator gardens you can visit and learn about this year

Gardens are not something you typically think of when it comes to Ontario Parks, considering we preserve many of Ontario’s natural landscapes. But there’s one type of garden we’re happy to build in our parks: pollinator gardens!

Last summer, two southeastern parks worked hard to build and establish new pollinator gardens. Why? Because planting native plants supports biodiversity and helps our pollinators, some of which have populations in dramatic decline.

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Southern Muskoka’s “living edge”

“The living edge.” It sounds more like a Bond film than a trail name, until you follow it through the woods.

The Living Edge Trail in Six Mile Lake Provincial Park is only a kilometre long, but it crosses such a variety of landscapes and habitats that it seems much longer.

It also spans time, giving visitors a close look at how the glaciers impacted the land thousands of years ago. Six Mile Lake Provincial Park is small on the outside, but big on the inside.

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Turtles: the ultimate survivors

In today’s post, Discovery Leader Olivia Bennett discusses turtles’ impact on Grundy Lake Provincial Park — and vice versa!

When I first started working at Grundy Lake, I was talking turtles with our park superintendent when someone asked, “Why do you care so much about turtles here?”

The answer is simple: while the park boasts a healthy turtle population and quality habitat, other areas are not so lucky.

This is only the beginning of why we should all care about turtles.

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7 things to remember when arriving at the park gatehouse for day use

In today’s post comes from Discovery Leader Matt Cunliffe at MacGregor Point Provincial Park

When the big day comes, if you’re like me, all you want to do is get to your site: tent set, chairs out, feet up.

I’ve worked for Ontario Parks since 2006, afnd last year had the opportunity to run a gate house.

This gave me an increased respect for the amazing work our gate staff perform and valuable perspective on just how busy the park can be during check-in time for a long weekend…or any weekend for that matter.

And after a season of answering questions and helping campers, here are a few considerations for this year:

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The Daily Dip at Lake Superior Provincial Park

Today’s blog comes from Kaitlyn Plastino, Discovery Interpreter at Lake Superior Provincial Park

As park staff living and working along the Lake Superior coastline, we naturally get a lot of questions about the water: “So how cold is it here anyway?” and “Is it warm enough to swim yet?”

The short answer we give visitors is: “If you aren’t used to the water, it’s probably too cold…but I’ve been swimming since May, so it’s warm enough for me!”

Here at Lake Superior Provincial Park, we have a tradition: the Daily Dip.

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Planning a visit to Algonquin this year?

Algonquin Provincial Park is internationally renowned and holds a special place in hearts of so many Ontarians.

No wonder, then, that it’s also one of the most popular parks in the province! Reservations — especially for the park’s busiest summer and fall seasons — are hotly competed each year.

That’s why we’re so pleased to share that in the past year we’ve built four cabins  and four yurts, some of the most requested park features!

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Ontario Parks featured in CSA-nominated videos!

Did you know our parks, moths, and Discovery staff were featured in an episode of TVOKids Leo’s Pollinators Explorer Club?

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The series was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award for Best Children’s or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series!

These awards are the Canadian equivalent to the Emmy Awards.

We caught up with our three Ontario Parks stars featured in this episode for an exclusive interview to learn more about their experience:

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