Cellphones have changed our lives in many ways. It seems like there’s an app available to cater to our every need, from baking to banking and all things in between.
At Ontario Parks, we generally encourage green time over screen time, however there’s one app we believe every visitor should have on their phone.
Continue reading The cat and the Mudbug: a guide to using iNaturalist
National Indigenous Peoples Day invites us to learn more about Indigenous history, perspectives and culture, and helps us build stronger relationships rooted in mutual respect and understanding.
We’re taking the opportunity to spotlight some of the wonderful initiatives and events shared with us by Indigenous leaders and communities across Ontario:
Continue reading Greetings, Boozhoo, Aaniin, Sekoh, Wachay, Ullakut!
Ontario Parks is pleased to unveil a new outdoor activity that we hope will help connect you and your family to our amazing system of parks!
We’ve teamed up with Adventure Lab to create seven unique “Adventures” that teach you about our protected spaces!
Continue reading Adventure Lab: are you ready for an adventure?
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!
This blog post comes from Emma Webb, Head Gate Attendant at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park.
Driftwood is my favourite provincial park. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Samuel de Champlain, but there’s something magical about Driftwood. It’s where I started my parks career.
Although it may be smaller, the park has a lot of heart, and even more charm.
Continue reading Discover fall camping at Driftwood Provincial Park
Today’s post comes from David LeGros, a Natural Heritage Education Specialist at Algonquin Provincial Park.
I spent most of my youth in rubber boots and obsessed with nature. I was always looking for interesting animals and plants.
There are a few creatures then, just like now, that always inspire me.
Top of my list: the Snapping Turtle.
This is a story about garbage.
It wasn’t a quick journey. It took a plane ride, some paddling in a canoe, portaging, more paddling, another plane ride, and a drive on the highway.
This garbage was left in Algonquin Provincial Park’s remote backcountry, something that, unfortunately, happens far too often.
Continue reading Planes, paddles and portages: a journey of garbage
Preserving ecological integrity is a priority for all of us here at Ontario Parks. But just what does ecological integrity look like? Algonquin Provincial Park Naturalist David LeGros explains…
When I start many of my evening programs at Algonquin, I often ask the audience if they like nature.
Usually I get a lot of hands up in the air, but there are always a few that don’t put their hands up. I tell those people, “You might be in the wrong place, because Algonquin is crawling with nature.” I know these folks may have not been paying attention to what I was saying or chose not to participate in my survey, but it always gets a laugh from the crowd.
However, this did get me thinking about why we go to parks over staying home or visiting a big city…
Continue reading How will I know ecological integrity when I see it?
Today’s post comes from David LeGros, a park naturalist with the Ontario Parks Discovery Program.
“I’ve never seen one of those” is among my favorite sentences.
There’s a scary thing that happens the longer you look into nature. The more you find, the more you find out that you don’t know that much. It can be an intimidating feeling, but also, an exciting feeling.
Your mind is about to be blown.
Repeatedly.
Continue reading “What the heck is that?!”: when to #AskanOPNaturalist
Today’s post comes from Roger LaFontaine, park naturalist and passionate blackfly advocate.
Imagine yourself by the side of a beautiful, rocky stream or river in Algonquin Provincial Park.
The idyllic spot for pondering life’s mysteries, like “what does it look like inside a kingfisher’s burrow?” or “do the bioluminescent fungi glow during the day, too?”
As you enjoy your Instagrammable moments streamside, you are surrounded by a hum, vibrations, and the tickle of tiny feet.
It’s like you’re a celebrity, a guest of honour!
You have arrived to one of Algonquin’s newly established Blackfly Protection Zones.
Continue reading New in 2022: Blackfly Protection Zones in Algonquin
