It’s probably no surprise that hiking is good for your health, but it might surprise you that the benefits reach from head to toe!
Check out the brain and body benefits of hiking:
Tag: Arrowhead
Ontario’s trilliums
Today’s post comes from Assistant Zone Ecologist Pilar Manorome.
Spring is probably my favourite season as it brings new life to our parks in the form of migrating birds and emerging spring ephemerals, giving our forests their long-awaited pops of vibrant colours and contrast.
Most people know of the White Trillium — also referred to as Wake Robin or Large-leaved Trillium — as Ontario’s provincial flower. This is the flower featured on many of our provincial documents, from health cards to driver’s licenses.
Here are the top five fun facts about this iconic Ontario species:
5 fantastic forests to visit this spring
It’s International Day of Forests!
Ontario Parks protects a collection of breathtakingly beautiful forests from across the province. Each will be brimming with signs of life as the snow melts and temperatures warm.
Let’s take a look at five unique forests you can visit this spring.
How to get your kids to love cross-country skiing
Did you know 18 of our parks have cross-country trails, about half of them groomed?
Cross-country skiing is a great way for families to get outdoors and enjoy the winter together! It’s less expensive and safer than alpine skiing, it helps keep kids fit, and it’s a skill they’ll have their entire life.
Here are our top seven tips for getting kids hooked on cross-country skiing:
Continue reading How to get your kids to love cross-country skiing
Where to skate in Ontario Parks
The air is crisp and clean. The evergreens are covered with snow. If you’re lucky – and observant – you might spot a cardinal, a finch, a waxwing or a blue jay as you glide along the ice.
And when the sun goes down, you can huddle around a big bonfire with a cup of hot chocolate and warm up before relacing your skates and heading back out to skate under the stars.
It’s simply magical.
This winter, plan a skating trip to these four provincial parks:
Frozen falls and other wacky winter water
When most of us picture winter ice, we conjure up mental images of skating rinks and icicles. But did you know there’s a lot of variety in wintry water formations?
From frozen falls to ice volcanoes, winter water is quite a sight to behold:
Where to camp when your fave park is already full
Did you know over 50% of reservations made by the end of March are for our five most popular parks (Bon Echo, Algonquin, Sandbanks, Killbear, Pinery)?
If you can’t get a campsite at one of these parks, we’ve got some suggestions we’re sure you’ll love…
Continue reading Where to camp when your fave park is already full
Health benefits of cross-country skiing
Staying active in the winter isn’t always easy. For some of us, it’s tempting to stay in, cuddle up, and spend the long winter months binging Netflix and unhealthy snacks.
Cross-country skiing boasts a wide array of benefits for your physical and mental health. Here’s why you should strap on some skis and spend your winter gliding through frozen forests and snow-covered trails:
Accessible outdoors at Arrowhead
In today’s post, Patricia Pyrka and her son Finnan share their 2018 visit to Arrowhead Provincial Park.
When you love the outdoors and have a child in a wheelchair, things tend to get a bit more complicated.
So complicated that for the first seven years of my son’s life, we never went on hikes. Winter outings were completely off my radar – try to get big and small thin wheels through snow!
At some point, I had had enough. I decided I did want to take my son out into nature. I wanted him to experience places he had never been to before, and share with him what I loved so much: quiet nature, deep forests, mountaintops, rough terrain trails, and changing weather conditions.
First Day Hike destinations
New Year’s Day is coming up fast — have you picked out a park for your First Day Hike on January 1, 2022?
This 8-park list rounds up some hot spots for your first foray into 2022: