Hardy Lake Provincial Park, Ontario

June 2015

Hardy Lake Provincial Park is located in the Muskoka Region of Ontario. It is a day use park meaning that there are no facilities and no camping. This is  a wonderful park to spend some time either swimming or hiking or just looking for a for a little tranquility as it is not heavily visited like the other provincial parks or Ontario Conservation areas.

There is a nice loop trail that circles the lake passing over rocky outcrops, boardwalks, shoreline and forest.

Mono Cliffs Provincial Park, Ontario

Mono Cliffs is situated northeast of Orangeville around 1.5hr from Toronto. It is part of the Niagara Escarpment which runs from Niagara to the Bruce Peninsula. The main features of the park include crevice caves, limestone plains and talus slopes.

There are 7 trails in the park for activities such as hiking, biking, and horseback riding. These trails include the Carriage Trail, Spillway Trail, Cliff Top Trail, McCarston’s Lake, South Cutler Trail and Lookout Trail.The Bruce Trail also runs through the park.

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

Awenda Provincial Park, Ontario

October 2011

Situated near Penetanguishene on Georgian Bay, Awenda Provincial Park is one of the most popular parks in Ontario. The great thing about Awenda is that it’s only a 2 hour drive from Toronto therefore making it an easy day trip if one wants to escape the city briefly. The park offers magnificent views of Georgian Bay and has several clean beaches making it ideal for swimming. There are over 30 kms of trails for hiking and biking that provide nice views of Georgian Bay. The 4 km return Beach Trail skirts the shoreline and allows visitors to walk along the park’s four beaches. The Beach Trail also provides a great view of Giant’s Tomb Island in the distance which is also part of Awenda Provincial Park.

The longest of the trails, the Bluff Trail (hike and bike) which is a 13km circular trail offers wonderful views of Georgian Bay from a 60 meter high bluff especially in the fall when the leaves have fallen from the trees.The Wendat Trail is a 5 km loop trail that circles Kettle Lake. There are plenty of opportunities on this trail to view red-winged blackbirds and blue herons in the swamps surrounding the lake. The Nippising Trail provides nice views of the forest canopy as you descend or climb the 155 step staircase of the Nipissing Bluff. I’ve been to Awenda many times but never during autumn. Awenda is one of the nicest parks to view the autumn colours which usually peak during the second week in October. A favourite hike of mine which showcases Awenda’s brilliant foliage is to start at the parking lot at First Beach and take the Nippising Trail to the Bluff Trail. Follow the Bluff Trail to Kettle Lake and then do a loop around the lake and return to the parking lot the same way you came. The total distance of the hike is around 12 kms. After working up a sweat it’s really nice to spend the rest of the day enjoying the beach and if possible do stay around for the spectacular Georgian Bay sunsets.



1st beach, Awenda Provincial Park

View of Tomb Island from 1st beach

Bluff Trail on the way to Kettle Lake

 

Kettle Lake 

 

Awenda Park Drive

 

Boardwalk through marsh area at far end of Kettle Lake

 

 

 

For more information visit the following related links.

Ontario Parks:Awenda Provincial Park

Friends of Awenda Provincial Park

 

 

 



French River Provincial Park, Ontario

October 2010

Once a major travel corridor for native Americans, the French River flows for 105 kilometres from Lake Nipissing to Georgian Bay. The park’s landscape consists of rugged hills and dense forests, channels, bays and many lakes that interconnect along this expansive waterway system making it a favourite destination because of the variety of water-based recreational activities such as kayaking, canoeing, sailing and angling.

French River Provincial Park is a nice place to stop if you are on your way to either Killarney Provincial Park or Sudbury. There is a Visitor Centre just 2 minutes off of Hwy 69 with a gift shop and many interpretative displays that provide a history of the area and its geology. From the visitor centre be sure to hike the short trail to the scenic Recollet Falls nearby. It’s a short hike roughly 30-45 minutes return and is a good place to have lunch. Don’t miss the view of the French River Gorge from the 300 ft suspension bridge that crosses it. This cable supported bridge was built by the local snowmobile club. Its span is 300 ft and rises 50 ft above the French River.



View of the French River from the snowmobile bridge

View of Highway 69 and bridge from snowmobile bridge

View of typical Canadian Shield cliffs while hiking along the French River to Recollet Falls.

Recollet Falls

Recollet Falls

 

French River Provincial Park can be assessed by Hwy 69 about 70 kms south of Sudbury.

For more information visit the following related links.
Ontario Parks:French River
Visit French River

Oxtongue River- Ragged Falls Provincial Park, Ontario

July 2010

Ragged Falls Provincial Pak is located a short distance outside the western gate to Algonquin Park off of Highway 60.

A short trail leads to a lookout of the thundering whitewater falls, one the best in Ontario. Depending on the time of year, you can climb along the rocks (with caution) to the bottom of the falls and vice versa. The view looking up from the bottom of the falls is equally impressive. One great way to access the falls is to rent a canoe at a nearby outfitter (Algonquin Outfitters rents canoes for a reasonable price for the day) and paddle along the Oxtongue River to the base of the falls. The falls are very beautiful, one of the Top Ten waterfalls in Ontario, and well worth a stop while en route to or from Algonquin Park.

If coming by car, a parking permit is required and can be obtained from a meter costing $2 per hour. But if you are staying at the Wolf Den Bunkhouse nearby, it's a nice short 15 minute walk over and you save a few dollars on parking.

 

View of Ragged Falls and the Oxtongue River

For more information visit the following related links.Ontario Parks:Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls Provincial Park