New Year’s Day is coming up fast — have you picked out a park for your First Day Hike?
This 10-park list rounds up some top options for your first foray into 2019:
Category: Hiking
Hit the trails for a First Day Hike
Are you a regular victim of post-holiday slump?
We’ve got the secret to starting 2019 on the right foot.
November is the best time to see cool geological formations
The leaves are falling, and what was once hidden is now majestically on display.
Don’t count out the month of November as a blasé time to be outdoors; try exploring areas such as the Niagara Escarpment for something to behold.
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Healing in the forest: a guide to forest bathing
Let’s take a walk in the woods.
With no specific destination in mind, we will wander, observe and immerse ourselves in nature. Allow our senses to guide us.
When was the last time you walked into the woods with no plans? No final destination? Without a species to ID, hill to climb, or lookout to conquer?
This is exactly the experience offered by a forest bathing session.
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Fall vistas of Ontario’s northeast
Ah, fall…the weather has cools down, the bugs are gone, and our parks turn into a kaleidoscope of stunning reds, oranges, and yellows.
If you’re a lover of fall hiking, northeastern Ontario is the place to be. The combination of rugged Canadian Shield and spectacular fall colours makes hiking in northeastern Ontario a bucket list item.
Our parks are home to some amazing must-see vistas that are illuminated each year by autumn’s changing leaves. Here are a few of our favourites.
Restoule: a fall colours paradise
When we hear the words “fall colours,” our minds often jump to Algonquin. Trouble is, Algonquin’s gotten so popular that autumn brings long line-ups, crowded trails, and traffic-snarling “leaf jams.”
So where can we go to see awe-inspiring fall colours, hike to breathtaking lookouts, and avoid the crowds?
Up for a hiking challenge?
For many hikers, fall is peak season for the big challenges. Bugs have fled, temperatures are lower and the autumn leaves are on full display.
If you’re after an exciting new trail this fall, we’ve got three bucket list trips to recommend.
Ready to test your mettle?
Frontenac challenge: challenge accepted!
Today’s blog comes from Evan Holt, a Content Development Specialist for Ontario Parks. Evan has completed the Frontenac Challenge five times!
I first heard about the Frontenac Challenge a few years ago. As a seasoned camper, the challenge to hike Frontenac Provincial Park’s 11 loops and 160 km of trails between September 1 and October 31 intrigued me.
I hit the trails and quickly fell in love with this amazing park. Years later, I’ve completed the Frontenac Challenge five times, and learned a lot along the way.
In this blog, I will pass along some of my Frontenac wisdom, and help you get ready to complete the challenge this fall.
Mississagi: a hiker’s paradise
If you have been to Mississagi Provincial Park, you’ll know that it’s one of Ontario’s best-kept secrets. The scenery is spectacular, thanks to the geology of the area, which forms a series of hills, ridges and cliffs, and valleys with sparkling blue lakes.
Covering the hills and surrounding the lakes are the forests of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Region. Sugar maples, red maples and yellow birch make up most of the trees in the forest, but white pine and black spruce find places along the rocky ridges and lake shores. These forests light up in the fall with red, yellow, gold and orange.
Exploring the Great Trail in northwestern Ontario Parks
Today’s post comes from Michelle Halstead, a travel, tourism and eco-adventure placement student with Ontario Parks Northwest Zone.
Canada is proud to be the home of the greatest recreational trail in the world. A 24,000 km trail of land and water that stretches across 10 provinces and three territories.
The Great Trail (formally known as the Trans Canada Trail or TCT) is a project that started in 1992 and with the help of various donors and volunteers working together across the nation has become one of the greatest trails in the world. The trail offers a variety of outdoor recreation activities and scenery throughout Canada’s urban, rural and wilderness areas.
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