Written by Laurel Finney: Learning & Education Specialist, mother of two, avid camper, and long-time lover of children’s books.
Storybooks help children to discover themselves and relate to the world around them.
Whether you’re planning your next camping trip, snuggled up in the tent on your favourite campsite, or at home reliving your most recent adventure, these camping-themed children’s books will be new bedtime favourites.
Today’s post comes from Marketing and Communications summer student Mitch Jackson. His campfire talents include cooking stuffed peppers, grilling barbecue chicken, and always managing to forget to pack a lighter.
For many campers, a fire is a must. Gathering ’round the flames, sharing stories with friends and family, making s’mores, and burning marshmallows are all part of the quintessential camping experience.
While you may have the perfect campfire recipes, or the perfect campfire building technique, you should also be aware of how to keep your campfire perfectly safe.
Continue reading Campfire safety: If you love Ontario Parks, don’t burn them!
Packing up your picnic or campsite?
Please be sure your leftover propane cylinders don’t go into the garbage or recycling!
These cylinders contain pressurized gas and chemicals, so safe and proper disposal is crucial to make sure nothing harmful leaks into Ontario’s groundwater and waterways.
Here’s what you should do instead:
Continue reading Empty propane cylinder? Orange Drop to the rescue!
Picture this: you’re on your way back to your campsite after an awesome day of exploration. You’ve kayaked all through the park’s network of lakes. You’ve conquered the lookout trail.
But now the sun’s starting to sink. The wind’s picked up and it’s getting chilly. You feel the first drop of rain.
It’s a full drizzle by time you reach your campsite. You’re tired and hungry.
But do you know how to start a campfire in windy, wet weather?
Continue reading How to start your campfire when the weather won’t cooperate
Time to reach for our sleeping bags and tents?
Research shows that camping in nature is good for our mental and physical well-being.
What better reason to head out with family and friends into the great outdoors and sleep under the stars?
Check out the brain and body benefits of camping:
Continue reading Try a regular dose of camping for good health
We all have those friends or family members who are curious about camping, and maybe even eager to go on a trip, but have little to no camping experience. What do you do if they choose you as their camping guide?
Since camping with people you love is the worst, we’ve got you covered. If you follow these six tips, you’ll have even your closest pals saying, “NEVER AGAIN” to camping before the first day is through.
Looking for a new park to explore with your family? How about a park that offers great swimming, paddling, and hiking and will have your kids picking books from a tree?
Bonnechere Provincial Park — located in Killaloe, ON (just 2 hours from Ottawa) — is one of the Ottawa Valley’s hidden gems.
Here are some of the reasons your family will love this park:
Continue reading 7 reasons your family will fall in love with Bonnechere Provincial Park!
This post was written by David LeGros, a park naturalist at Ontario Parks.
One of the big draws to camping is the chance to get back to nature and experience the beauty it has to offer.
The sandy beaches, rocky shorelines, towering pines and singing birds really connect us to the place — we get to see nature behave naturally. Our part of the deal should to make as little impact on that landscape as possible.
There are a few common camping habits that are not good for the local landscape, or the planet in general.
Here are six park ranger tips for greener camping.
Continue reading Park ranger wisdom: 6 tips for greener camping
Worried about how restful it is sleeping outside?
Studies show sleeping away from artificial light and waking up with natural sunlight can reset your circadian rhythm which will help you feel refreshed after a better night’s sleep.
But to get a good night’s sleep, it’s important to stay warm, dry and comfortable.
Here are some tips for comfy sleeping while car camping:
Continue reading How to get a good night’s sleep while camping
Today’s post was written by Brooke Michell, a Park Biologist at Kawartha Highlands Signature Site Park.
“The love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only paradise we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need.” – Edward Abbey
Some of our most treasured moments occur off the beaten path. In the backcountry of Ontario Parks, the avid hiker, canoe tripper, angler, and outdoors person seeks solitude. Although anyone who has backcountry camped knows it’s not always a walk in the park.
Physical limits are often pushed while portaging through rugged terrain, and paddling across windswept water bodies. At this expense, why is backcountry camping one of our most beloved past times?
