Category: Camping

5 reasons to visit Kap-Kig-Iwan Provincial Park

If the sights and sounds of moving water in nature are refreshing and rejuvenating, then time spent at Kap-Kig-Iwan is liquid medicine!

Situated in the heart of Northern Ontario, Kap-Kig-Iwan Provincial Park is located just off Highway 11, two kilometres south of Englehart, and just north of the Temagami region.

This picturesque little park showcases the best of the boreal forest, with awe-inspiring water features that can’t be missed!

Check out these five reasons to visit Kap-Kig-Iwan:

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Don’t bring plants from home!

Our parks protect some of the most biodiverse places in Ontario, and this biodiversity includes an enormous number of native plant species.

From giant Tulip Trees in the south to small ancient White Cedars on the Niagara Escarpment, north to carnivorous wildflowers (and the infamous Poison Ivy almost everywhere) — plants are the basis of our forest food chains.

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Site fidelity: a phenomenon found in animals and in ourselves

Today’s post comes from Jazmin Gall, a Discovery Student at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park.

Have you been lucky enough to find your favorite park in Ontario?

What about your favourite campsite?

That one specific site that you return to every summer, your own personal home away from home.

If so, you are one of the many frequenters of our parks that practice site fidelity.

Continue reading Site fidelity: a phenomenon found in animals and in ourselves

An Ontario Parks glossary

Are you new to parks, or maybe a park veteran looking to brush up on your knowledge?

We’ve assembled a handy guide to all the terms you’ll need to know and understand before you visit the park…

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The height of land: Wakami Lake Provincial Park

Wakami Lake Provincial Park sits very near the “height of land.” That is, the place where water either flows to the Great Lakes and eventually out to the Atlantic Ocean, or north to Hudson Bay and the arctic watershed.

It’s also a place where the southern forests of Sugar Maple and Yellow Birch give way to the trees of the boreal forest. Poplar, White Birch, Jack Pine, Balsam Fir and Black Spruce begin to dominate here.

Bald Eagles and Osprey are commonly seen fishing the productive waters of the lake. Wakami Lake is one of the best Walleye lakes in the northeast. Wildlife is abundant, and so is the quiet.

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Woodland Caribou trip-planner

Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is arguably one of Ontario Parks’ best destinations for backcountry wilderness camping and canoeing.

This vast park (544,160 hectares) features a Boreal ecosystem influenced by a prairie climate and displays a diverse community of flora and fauna, including being a home to threatened Woodland Caribou.

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Has spring sprung? Depends where you are!

Watching winter slip away is a magical thing. Snow is melting, temperatures are warming, and some of our fair-weather bird friends are returning.

However, Ontario is a huge province, and the arrival of spring looks very different depending on where you are.

Spring comes slowly in many provincial parks.

Every year people are surprised to learn that while urban areas may be in bloom, many provincial parks, such as Algonquin, are still covered in snow and ice.

This can lead to some unwelcome surprises and unsafe situations for visitors who are expecting warm weather and spring-like conditions.

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Visibility in the outdoors: why I love camping as a Black person

Today’s post comes from Claire Zlobin from LifeWithABaby.com. 

In honour of Black History Month, I wanted to talk about one of the things I always hear that Black people don’t do: camping.

I’ve been hearing that “Black people don’t camp” for years, which is, of course, false.

However I do think this deters some people from attempting to go camping, because they feel like they’ll be othered, or the only ones there.

I’m here to show you that Black people do camp, and that camping is an excellent low-cost vacation.

Continue reading Visibility in the outdoors: why I love camping as a Black person