Sunday, 17 June 2012

Ontario Summer Trips


Summer in Ontario is not complete without planning a trip to a cottage, provincial park or just visiting a town or city somewhere in our vast Province. I have assembled a list of three different destinations that are great experiences that I have personally enjoyed and would recommend as a Summer Trip.
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Evening at Port Burwell Provincial Park Beach


I have broken down my three recommended destinations into Day Trip, Weekend Trip and Week-long Trip.  All of the listed destinations offer many different activities that can be enjoyed individually or as a family.

Day Trip

Port Burwell, Ontario

Port Burwell was originally surveyed in 1830 by Lieutenant-Colonel Mahlon Burwell, a surveyor for Colonel Thomas Talbot. Situated at the mouth of Big Otter Creek on the north shore of Lake Erie, it has over 1000 residents. Like many of the Ports along Lake Erie, it is known for its fresh perch and pickerel. 

It is also home to one of Canada’s oldest wooden Lighthouse. Standing 20m (65ft) in height visitors can climb to the top.

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Port Burwell Lighthouse



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Port Burwell



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Monument to Fisherman lost on Lake Erie

Port Burwell Provincial Park

The park has 232 campsites, great trails for hiking and many other activities. I think it has one of the best beaches in Ontario. I love camping here or just visiting for the day.
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Beautiful day at the Port Burwell beach

Location Coordinates:  42° 38 48 N, 80° 48 10 W    UTM  17N  516167 E   4721598 N
Check out these links for more information:

Weekend Trip
Algonquin Provincial Park
 
Algonquin Provincial Park holds the title of being the oldest provincial park in Canada. It was established in 1893. Encompassing about 7653 square kilometres, it is bigger than the state of Delaware or Prince Edward Island. Over 2,400 lakes and thousands of kilometres of rivers and streams are located within the park boundaries.

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Algonquin Provincial Park Plaque

There are many places in Algonquin that are fantastic to visit - two of my favourite are the Lookout Trail and Whiskey Rapids. The view from Lookout Trail granite outcropping is breath taking and really worth the hike. Whiskey Rapids are worth exploring for the sheer beauty of the surroundings. Once you visit Algonquin Park you will be planning another trip soon.
Barron River Canyon in Algonquin


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Canoeing on the Barron River
 
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Whiskey Rapids in western Algonquin Park

Location Coordinates:   West Gate  45° 26’ 34.16” N   78° 49’ 14.98” W   
                                      UTM  17N  670416.12 E   5034464.80 N
Check out these links for more information:


Week-long Trip
Killarney Provincial Park
Once you arrive at Killarney Provincial Park you are surrounded by what makes Ontario one of the best places to live - beautiful lakes, Georgian Bay and the La Cloche mountain range.  There are only a few places on earth that have taken my breath away. Killarney is one of them. I think I waited too long to finally make the trip.  It was really worth it.

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The natural beauty of Killarney




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Great trails to explore




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Aspen and Birch forests



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La Cloche Mountain Range with white quartzite


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Canoeing in Georgian Bay



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Pink granite dominates the shore



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Large eastern white pine

Location Coordinates:   46° 5′ 0″ N    81° 20′ 0″ W     UTM 17N  474228 E  5103360 N
Check out these links for more information:

2 comments:

  1. Your BBQ Helper18 June 2012 at 08:22

    Nice pictures Frank. Ontario has many beautiful places to explore!

    ReplyDelete