Silent Lake Provincial Park, Ontario

 

September 2013

 

I visited Silent Lake Provincial Park in mid September and stayed in a yurt for the first time. This is a beautiful park situated near Bancroft, Ontario. It offers canoeying and has great hiking trail that circles the lake.



 

Arrowhead Provincial Park, Ontario

September 2013

Anytime of the year is a good time to visit Arrowhead Provincial Park. The park which is situated near Hunstville offers many summer or winter activities such as camping, hiking, swimming, canoeing, skiing(they have 30 kms of trails), snowshoeing and skating. The park has 5 hiking trails which meander over ridges, through forests, and pass beaver ponds.

The best views can be seen from Big Bend Lookout where one can see the Big East River looping back and forth through the forest and Stubb’s Falls where the river rushes down a rock chute. There are 2 moderately challenging mountain bike trails: the 4.5-km Arrowhead Lake Trail and the 3 km Lookout Trail. Within the park, there are two small lakes, Mayflower and Arrowhead Lake, where one can go for a swim.




Arrowhead Lake



Stubb Falls



Big Bend Lookout

Sandbanks Provincial Park, Ontario

August 2013

Sandbanks Provincial Park is located on the shores of Lake Ontario between Toronto and Kingston in Prince Edward County. It is a 2.5 hr from Toronto and 30 minutes from Kingston. The park is a very popular summer destination and features giant sand dunes and golden beaches. In some places the sand dunes soar as high as 25 metres. The main activities are swimming, sailing, windsurfing, camping, biking, and hiking. Definitely plan on hiking the Dunes Trail (2.5 kms loop), it is by far the most scenic in the park and offers beautiful views.

During the summer, this is a very popular park and you should plan on arriving early to secure a spot on the beach. Among the three beaches, the Dunes Beach is definitely the showpiece of the park while the Sandbanks Beach has a tropical feel with its pale turquoise water and soft white sand. One would even think that they are in the Caribbean. Outlet Beach is the most popular with young families as it is sheltered in a bay and has warm and shallow waters. For those who plan on camping, most of the best camping spots for June through August are booked by the end of February.




Sandbanks Provincial Park dunes

 

 

Dunes Trail

Presqu'ile Provincial Park, Ontario

August 2013

Situated just 150 kms east of Toronto on the shores of Lake Ontario, Presqu’ile Provincial Park is a major migratory path for birds and butterflies and is a good alternative to the busy Sandbanks Provincial Park.

 

The park has 2 visitor centres, Lighthouse Interpretive Centre which interpretes the parks cultural heritage and the Nature Centre which educates visitors about the flora and fauna of the park.

 There are 4 trails and a marsh boardwalk which total 10kms that pass through wetlands, marshes and forests. The Marsh Boardwalk is a 1 km loop that consists of a series of boardwalks and floating bridges is the best way to experience the large protected wetland. Other trails are Owen Point Trail, Pioneer Trail, Newcastle Trail, and Jobes Wood Trail.

In the spring and fall come to the park for birdwatching and in the summer for a refreshing swim or a walk along the 3 km long sandy beach. Be sure to visit the lighthouse which is the second-oldest operating lighthouse in Ontario.

A great way to explore the park is by bicycle. I parked my car at the first beach and cycled along the parkway stopping at the many points of interest.



Lighthouse at Presqu'ile Provincial Park

Marsh Boardwalk Trail

Lake Ontario

 

Owen Point



 

 

 

Craigleith Provincial Park, Ontario

August 2013

Craighleith Provincial Park is located on Georgian Bay between Collingwood and Thornbury. It is roughly a 1.5 to 2 hour drive from Toronto. The park is very small consisting of only 66 hectares of land and was mainly established to protect the unique landscape of fossilized shale and limestone rock.

 

The area is home to many fossils dating back over 450 million years when the park was covered by a salt water sea and is considered as having some of the oldest fossils on the planet. Trilobites, brachiopods, cephalopods and gastropods spanning anywhere from a few millimeters to several centimeters long are some of the types of fossil specimens that can be found.

 

Like most beaches and parks on the Georgian Coast, Craigleith offers some amazing sunsets. Some other nearby provincial parks of close proximity are Awenda Provincial Park, Sauble Falls Provincial Park, Wasaga Beach Provincial Park and Pretty River Valley Provincial Park.

There are numerous things to do nearby such as visiting Blue Mountain, hiking the Bruce Trail, exploring the Scenic Caves, swimming at nearby Wasaga Beach, canoeing the Beaver Valley and biking the Georgian Trail. The Georgian Trail is a 35 km linear trail that starts/ends in Collingwood and passes through the town of Thornbury to  Meaford. It is a flat limestone surfaced trail that follows Georgian Bay and at certain points provides some scenic views of the Bay. The great thing about this trail is that it passes by Craigleith Provincial Park.

 



Craigleith Provincial Park

Highlights of Grey County, Ontario

April 2013

Harrison Park

This is a wonderful weekend trip from Toronto that I did in the spring to the Grey Bruce/Owen Sound area. Northern Grey County is known for its waterfalls and beautiful Escarpment views.  It's an ideal time of the year since many of the waterfalls that I planned on visiting would be at their peak water levels.There certainly is not a shortage of things to see and do in the area from exploring an ancient cave, admiring the many waterfalls, hiking the Bruce Trail, enjoying magnificent vistas, or just relaxing by the shoreline.

My first stop on my first day was to Jones Falls near Owen Sound. Within a short distance from Owen Sound lie three beautiful waterfalls-Indian Falls, Jones Falls, and Inglis Falls. Jones Falls is located in the Pottawatomi Conservation area where the Pottawatomi River cascades 12 metres over The Niagara Escarpment. You will find eastern white cedars clinging to the edge of the Escarpment. White trilliums and columbines are two types of wildflowers that can be found on the conservation property. The falls can be reached by following a trail through a beautiful old growth forest and by crossing an arched bridge for the best view.

My next stop was Inglis Falls. Inglis Falls is 18 metres in height and is the most spectacular and most visited of the 3 waterfalls in the Owen Sound area. It is situated in the 200 hectare Inglis Falls Conservation Area and is popular with hikers, cyclists and picnikers. The conservation area has a viewing platform which provide close up views of the falls and features over 7kms of trails of various difficulty, a series of geological potholes and remnants of a grist mill.



Inglis Falls

I had planned on visiting Indian Falls but was unable to reach it since the trail was washed out.

My next stops were Bruce Caves Conservation Area and Skinners Bluff.  Skinner’s Bluff is a long escarpment face which looks out towards White Cloud, Griffiths and Hay Island and provides beautiful views of Georgian Bay and the surrounding rural landscape.

Skinner's Bluff

Bruce Caves Conservation Area is located on Grey Rd #1 near the town of Wiarton. The conservation area is made up of Niagara Escarpment, hardwood forests, swamps and caves. The largest of the caves which was formed roughly 12,000 years ago features a huge stone column which is very much similar to a flowerpot but is attached at the top. There are no viewing platforms at the cave and in order to explore the cave you’ll have to rock scramble. The caves can be reached via a short trail which also connects with the Bruce Trail for a longer hike. The Bruce Trail connects Bruce Caves and Skinner’s Bluff and offers many spectacular lookouts of Colpays Bay and along the 11km portion of the trail.


Bruce Caves

The next day was a visit to Harrison Park and a visit to 3 waterfalls (Walters Falls, Eugenia Falls, Hoggs Fall) on the way back to Toronto.

Walters Falls is a spectacular double plunge waterfall dropping 14 meters into the gorge below. There is a viewing platform which provides good views of the falls.



Walter's Falls

 

Plunging over 98 feet over the Escarpment into a narrow gorge, Eugenia Falls is the second highest waterfall in Ontario. Eugenia Falls was once the site of an ill-fated gold rush and in 1913, a hydroelectric power plant was built. The surrounding land was flooded resulting in the formation of Eugenia Lake which today is a great place to fish and to pursue such activities as canoeing and kayaking. While visiting Eugenia Falls, stop off at the Beaver River Grill and Eugenia Falls Emporium across the falls and treat yourself to a burger, sweet potato fries, an old fashioned soda or ice cream.



Eugenia Falls

 

A nearby waterfall, Hoggs Falls can be reached from Eugenia Falls by way of the Bruce Trail (Falling Water Trail). For those you do not wish to hike, they can drive. Hoggs Falls is much smaller than Eugenia Falls with a height of 25 feet. It is a beautiful tranquil and secluded spot and is well worth the visit while in the area.  



Belfountain Conservation Area, Ontario

February 2013 

 

Belfountain Conservation Area is located about an hour's drive north of Toronto in the Credit Valley. The conservation area is a very popular picnic area in the summer. The park features a suspension bridge that spans a beautiful waterfall and some historic ruins. The conservation area also connects with Forks of the Credit Provincial Park by way of the Trimble Trail which is a Bruce Trail side trail.

 

Here are a few photos from my day trip to Belfountain Conservation Area in the winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rockwood Conservation Area, Ontario

October 2012

Rockwood Conservation Area makes for a great day trip. The park features towering limestone cliffs, caves and glacial potholes(there are 200 of them within the conservation). You can rent a canoe and paddle along the Eramosa River, hike the trails that offer many nice views or simply spend the day relaxing on the sandy beach. Be forewarned as the park is very busy during the summer. You'll also find some restored ruins of an old woolen mill which closed in 1925.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leonard Harrison State Park, Pennsylvania

December 2012

Leonard Harrison State Park is situated on the east rim of Pine Creek Gorge which is also known as the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania". The park offers exceptional views of Pine Creek Gorge and Pine Creek which carves it's way through the canyon. The park is accessible during winter months however the visitor centre and other facilities are not open. Although the Turkey Path Trail was closed for the winter for safety concerns, we decided to hike it anyway since there was alot of snow. The trail winds it's way past several waterfalls along Little Four Mile Run to the canyon floor. It's 1 mile down and 1 mile back up and in deep snow, it is quite the workout but the views and scenery make it well worth it.



Panoramic winter view of the Pine Creek Gorge and Colton State Park from the main vista terrace in Leonard Harrison State Park

Little Four Mile Run's first waterfall, seen from the Turkey Path Trail.

The second waterfall on Little Four Mile Run produces beautiful ice formations.

The Pine Creek Rail Trail located at the bottom of the canyon is 62 miles in length making it ideal for hiking, biking and cross country skiing.