Tag: hiking safety

6 essential items to pack for your winter hike

Trail guide and cellphone and water in bottles,
Flashlight just in case your hike is a dawdle,
High energy snacks secured with drawstrings,
These are a few of our essential things… (can’t you just hear Maria von Trapp’s voice?)

A walk through a pine tree forest in crunchy snow can be dreamy, however your snowy paradise can go south quickly if you’re missing important items.

Being prepared with a few essentials in your bag will help keep you safe on your adventure. Here are six items that should always be in your day pack on a winter hike:

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Why social trails are damaging to provincial parks

Park-lovers are natural explorers, and we love our visitors’ passion for adventure.

Sometimes, we see our visitors create their own shortcuts by cutting through sensitive habitat. This is otherwise known as creating a social trail.

Social trails can have a wide range of damaging effects on protected areas, and we’d like to ask our visitors to always stay on designated trails.

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5 reasons to visit Halfway Lake Provincial Park

Halfway Lake Provincial Park features over 4,000 ha of rugged, forested Canadian Shield, dotted with sparkling blue lakes.

Less than an hour north of Sudbury on Highway 144, the park boasts an oasis of swimming, paddling, and hiking with a full service campground.

Here are five reasons we think Halfway Lake will delight family campers and explorers alike:

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How to avoid getting lost

We can definitely recommend “losing yourself” in our provincial parks by delighting in the sights and sounds of nature, and living in the moment.

We do not, however, recommend getting actually lost.

Park visitors get lost more often than you’d think. It can be a scary, stressful, and dangerous situation. It can also result in complicated and expensive search-and-rescue operations.

While we know no one sets out to get lost, there are steps you can take to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.

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Backpacker’s guide to the Coastal Trail in Lake Superior Provincial Park

Today’s post comes from Jordan Welch and Bianca Goncz, Discovery staff at Lake Superior Provincial Park.

Are you looking for a challenging, multi-day hike with spectacular views?

The Coastal Trail has it all!

Hike to rocky bluffs, traverse lush forests, and experience the power of Lake Superior.

This linear trail traces 65 km of Lake Superior’s rugged northeastern shore, offering an unparalleled chance to experience the wilderness and beauty amidst the largest of the Great Lakes.

Continue reading Backpacker’s guide to the Coastal Trail in Lake Superior Provincial Park

How to dress for your winter adventure

When it comes to an outdoor excursion during the winter months, clothing can make or break your experience.

If you’re cold or wet it’s going to be much more difficult for you to enjoy your time in the outdoors. Making sure you’re properly outfitted for whatever weather comes your way is crucial. Here’s how to dress for a great day out in the snow!

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5 things I learned on my first hike-in backcountry trip

In today’s post, Ontario Parks’ marketing intern Megan Birrell recounts her first hike-in backcountry adventure. 

Last year, I tried backcountry camping by canoe for the first time. This summer, my camping crew and I decided to take it up a notch and try hike-in camping.

We selected Bon Echo Provincial Park’s Abes and Essens Trail as our hike-in destination and the planning began.

Continue reading 5 things I learned on my first hike-in backcountry trip