Tag Archives: Ontario

An Ontario Camping Confession

March 24, 2013 Red Hunt 3 Comments

It may seem odd, but for many people the excitement for summer camping in Ontario starts around Christmas time.

I’m not talking about getting a tent or Ontario Parks gift card as a present (although both would be cool), I’m talking about booking a campsite for your first camping trip of the year.

A well-treed Camp Site — A Well-Treed, Large Camp Site at Wakami Lake

May 2-4 long weekend is the unofficial start to summer camping season and in Ontario you can book a campsite up to 5 months ahead of time. This means when you’re enjoying a Christmas dinner, you can be thinking about where to camp in May. The next long weekend in Ontario is Canada Day and shortly after that is my birthday, so early July is my favourite time for camping in Ontario. Long daylight hours lure me further north in need of a nature fix. Sometimes it’s a park many have never heard of, like Esker Lakes Provincial Park, while other times it is a popular park like Killarney Provincial Park.

Now time for my camping confession:

I have never camped in Algonquin Provincial Park

An Alligator in Ontario — An ‘Alligator’ in Ontario – from the Logging Museum in Algonquin Park

Algonquin Park is an icon of Ontario. It is a big park, a very big park. At 7,600sq km it’s bigger than your average Caribbean or South Pacific island. It is also only 250km north of Toronto, making it very accessible to most people who live in Ontario. For outdoor and nature lovers, camping in Algonquin Park is a childhood rite of passage. It is where many people first spot a Moose in the wild, or hear Wolves howling at night. It is where you may first hear the haunting call of the Common Loon, or where you’ll take off on your first back-country canoe camping adventure.

It is one of our most cherished parks in Ontario and I have visited Algonquin Park somewhere around 20 times. But, I’ve only ever visited for day trips, or stayed overnight at cabins nearby, like the Wolf Den Nature Retreat. I did try camping at Algonquin once. It was a July long weekend and we took off to grab one of the first-come, first-serve sites that can not be reserved ahead of time. Standing in line, the person in front of us scored the very last site.

Moose at Algonquin Park — A Moose, spotted through the trees, at Algonquin Provincial Park

It was July and this massive park was 100% full. It was teeming with Canadians and other visitors who wanted to go camping, canoeing, swimming and hiking. The Highway 60 Corridor, which is home to most of the camp grounds and visitor facilities, had a constant stream of cars zooming along.

So, on a whim, we decided to keep driving north, to another park, in search of a camp site. We drove past Grundy Lake Provincial Park, past Killarney Provincial Park. We kept going past Sudbury, then beyond Sault Ste. Marie. After driving for about eight hours after Algonquin, we came to Lake Superior Provincial Park and set up camp.

Pictographs at Agawa Rock in Lake Superior Provincial Park

It was a great weekend of hiking on quiet trails and enjoying the rugged coastline of Lake Superior. It also got me hooked on the more northern parks of Ontario.

That was many years ago and I have camped at dozens of provincial parks since then but I’ve never had the urge to go camping at Algonquin Park. In a weird way, the popularity of Algonquin helped turn me on to the great, lesser-visited parks we have in our province. I still enjoy visiting Algonquin Park every year as it has superb hiking trails and canoe routes, but when it comes time to pitch a tent, my sights are set further north.

A Grey Wolf at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

I do know many people who swear by Algonquin Park and will go on 10-day canoeing adventures into the depths of the park. It definitely has a special place in many people’s hearts and I know – one day – I will explore the park more, and go camping there. But the beauty of Ontario is that we have such diversity. Our province is so large that the trees and animals I may see at Wakami Lake Provincial Park may differ from those I see further north at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park or further south at Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park.

So, to me, as impressive as it is, Algonquin is the ‘everyone’ park that attracts the crowds. Now, I’ll admit I have gone camping at many smaller parks during crowded, noisy times. So it isn’t just the fact that it’s a popular park that makes me avoid camping there. In fact, I know it is such a large park that it is easy to spend a week there without encountering other people. It’s just not my style of travel to do what everyone else likes to do. I crave different experiences in different places. Algonquin is famous for Moose-spotting, but other parks, with different environments and landscapes, are better for spotting other wildlife, a factor that weighs heavily on where I decide to camp.

A Groundhog — Groundhogs are one animal I’ve more commonly seen in Ontario Parks other than Algonquin Park

You will find me up at Algonquin Park soon though. As the spring takes hold and snow begins to melt in coming weeks, the Moose migrate to roadside ditches in search of salty goodness. For a couple of weeks of the year it isn’t unheard of to come across a dozen Moose on a visit to Algonquin during this time. But, it will only be a day trip for me as I have other parks to book my camping sites at.

Road Trips

Scenic Caves and Suspension Bridges

March 17, 2013 Red Hunt 6 Comments

Lover's Rest — The View from Lover’s Rest at Scenic Caves Nature Adventures

When it comes to road trips, I’m generally a fan of the bigger the better. But, sometimes a simple daytrip road trip is all you have time for.

A couple of hours north of Toronto is a place called Scenic Caves, located on Blue Mountain. The caves are found along the highest part of the Niagara Escarpment in Ontario and on a clear day from here you can see the bright blue waters of Georgian Bay, it’s a pretty sweet location! I’ve known about the Scenic Caves for many years but never visited until last summer.

The big draw here is, obviously, the caves. But they also have treetop trekking on suspended platforms and ziplines which are quite fun, plus you can walk across the longest foot suspension bridge in Ontario. (If you’re like me, then half the fun of suspension bridges is jumping around and trying to make them swing and sway!)

It was a fun day hanging out and exploring the caves that are still an important heritage site for the Huron and Petun peoples who once lived here.

With caves like Fat Man’s Misery and Ice Cave some places are naturally cold, while others are a tight squeeze to get through! (Although you can go around if you’re claustrophobic). Add in some interestingly shaped rock formations like Indian Chief and Ekarenniondi, some cool lookouts like Lover’s Rest, and you start to get an understanding that the area is more than just a series of rocky outcrops and caves. You can ‘see’ the history here when you stare out at the Indian Council Chamber, where Petun chiefs would meet in privacy. Signs and story boards along the nature trail help bring things to life, creating a nice mix of nature and culture.

Scenic Caves Nature Adventures — Going down towards Fern Cave

Rare ferns, including the Maidenhair Fern grow here as well. The only drawback is it can get pretty crowded around the tight spaces in the caves during summer, but it’s a fun day trip in Ontario and if you start early enough in the day, you can drive down to Wasaga Beach for lunch or a swim.

The 126m Suspension Bridge – Longest in Ontario

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Groundhog

January 2, 2013 Red Hunt Leave a comment

A Groundhog, or Woodchuck, photographed in Wakami Lake Provincial Park, Ontario

Groundhogs are a type of marmot characterized as furry, lowland creatures that can be found across a large part of US and Canada. They’re also called Woodchucks sometimes!

Close to home, in Ontario, Groundhogs are the main ‘hole-digging’ animal, creating underground burrows and homes for themselves – but also subsequently providing shelter for other animals like foxes, rabbits, skunks and raccoons.

They’re famously known from the movie ‘Groundhog Day’ and the myth that if a Groundhog sees its shadow on Groundhog Day (Febraury 2nd) then there will be six more weeks of winter. If the Groundhog does not see it’s shadow that day, then it will be an early spring.

Groundhogs can swim very well and climb with ease, but tend to spend almost all of their time on land, or in their burrows.

Wildlife and Nature

Six Great Day Hikes in Ontario

October 1, 2012 Red Hunt 4 Comments

The start of October also marks the start of Ontario Hiking Week, so it seems the perfect time to put together a few photos from some of my favourite day hiking trails from the Ontario Provincial Parks that I have visited.

I’ve hiked all around Ontario, from the shores of Lake Superior to the Niagara Escarpment to the southern tip of Point Pelee. It’s not easy choosing just six hikes that stand out, but these ones are some of the most enjoyable short hikes I’ve come across.

#6 – Kabeyun Trail, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park (40km)

Sea Lion Rock in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park — Sea Lion Rock, a highlight on a side trail of the Kabeyun Trail

As with many parks further north in Ontario, hiking opportunities are plentiful, with many more options than you see at parks in Central or Southern Ontario. In total, Sleeping Giant boasts 17 different hiking trails, ranging from easy strolls to tough multi-day treks. The Kabeyun is known as a challenging hike with excellent wildlife viewing opportunities and plenty of great scenic lookouts.

You don’t have to do the entire hike to appreciate it, this photo is of ‘Sea Lion Rock’ (the head of the sea lion broke off years ago), which is only a hike of a few kilometres from the trailhead parking lot.

#5 – Mizzy Lake Trail, Algonquin Provincial Park (11km)

Mizzy Lake Trail - Moose — A juvenile Moose in the forest on Mizzy Lake Trail

More famous for canoeing routes, Algonquin Park also offers great hiking options, with 13 hikes along the popular Highway 60 corridor and numerous hikes accessible via other entry points.

Of all the hikes along the corridor, Mizzy Lake stands out for a few reasons. First, it is an ideal day-hike length of 11km, taking you anywhere from 3.5-6 hours depending on how often you stop and what your hiking speed is.

The Mizzy Lake Trail also passes through a great variety of landscapes, from open forest, to dense pines and shores of lakes. Wildlife viewing here is the best of any trail, with patient hikers being able to catch glimpses of everything from chipmunks to moose. This is also the only trail along the corridor that does not allow dogs on the trail, so as not to disturb the wildlife. (Note, however that you may encounter hiking groups along the flat and easy ‘old railway’ portion of the trail that have dogs.)

#4 – Mayflower Lake Trail, Arrowhead Provincial Park (1km)

Mayflower Lake Trail - Beaver Lodge — Green scenery and a Beaver Lodge along Mayflower Lake Trail

Arrowhead Provincial Park is a fun park to visit on a weekend, as the handful of trails on offer total only 13km, making it easy to hike all of the trails and enjoy the rest of the park over 2-3 days. The Beaver Meadow Trail is the only one of substantial length, at 7km, but I found the short Mayflower Lake Trail to be the most impressive, and conducive to photography.

If you are like me and like to take photos of nature, then the Mayflower Trail hike provides some nice green scenery and points of interest. Beaver lodges, rocky shorelines, changing trail conditions and a variety of plants make it a fun, short hike.

#3 – Agawa Rock Indian Pictographs Trail, Lake Superior Provincial Park (0.4km)

The shortest trail on this list, it is also one of the most interesting. Few places in Ontario let you get so close to a piece of history as this trail does.

Some of the most impressive and most accessible pictographs are found along the rocky shoreline on this trail. It has a steep and sometimes slippery descent to view the pictographs up close, but on a clear day it’s well worth a glimpse of centuries old Indian rock paintings.

#2 – Chikanishing Trail, Killarney Provincial Park (3km)

Chikanishing Trail in Killarney — Windswept trees and coastal Georgian Bay views of the Chikanishing Trail

For such a large park, Killarney has surprisingly few hiking trails if you skip doing any section of the 100km long La Cloche Silhouette Trail. Yet, the few trails it offers are all superb, with different landscapes and environments. The Chikanishing Trail is my personal favourite on a nice day, as it offers a pleasant hike along ridges and shorelines of Georgian Bay.

A great hike for staring out across the water and watching kayakers go by, or for stopping along the rocky ridge line for a picnic.

#1 – Etienne Trail, Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park (2.5-9km)

Etienne Trail - Nature Loop — Relaxing along the Nature Loop of Etienne Trail in Samuel de Champlain Provincial Park

Nestled above the immense Algonquin Park, getting to Samuel de Champlain park is a bit of a chore for people from Southern Ontario. It is well worth the effort though.

There are no simple ‘boardwalk’ hikes here. Each of the hikes at Samuel de Champlain has a bit of a challenge to it, and the Etienne Trail is the best of the bunch. This trail is actually comprised of three loops, so you can pick and choose the length of your hike based on your interests. I suggest doing all three loops for 9km, but in the least, don’t skip the Nature Loop part of the Etienne Trail.

Around the beautiful Long Lake, the Nature Loop offers a fun trail with plenty of rewarding lookouts, as well as potential animal encounters. This is the kind of trail that can be enjoyed by virtually any park visitor – from hikers and wildlife enthusiasts to photographers.

Enjoy Ontario Hiking Week! Hope you have time to get out and explore a nearby park.

Red Hunt Travel