If you appreciate the Great Outdoors, you’ll love Ontario. This beautiful province boasts breathtaking scenery, superb lakes, and rich cultural sites. Here are just 5 exciting activities you can enjoy in Ontario.
#1. Visit Blue Mountain
Whether you’re visiting in winter or summer, Blue Mountain Village Resort offers a range of outdoor activities to entertain your whole family.
During summer, thrill-seekers enjoy mountain biking, rock climbing, ziplining, and free-fall jumping. To appreciate the scenery, you can walk along the world’s longest freshwater beach, hike sections of the Bruce Trail, play golf or go paddle boating.
In winter, Blue Mountain is Canada’s 3rd-busiest ski resort. So, pull on plenty of layers and don heated gloves so you can make the most of Ontario’s fantastic winter sports. Visitors flock to Blue Mountain to enjoy skiing and snowboarding, sleigh rides, ice skating, and snowshoeing.
#2. Cruise across Lake Muskoka in a historic steamship
Sail across Lake Muskoka in the oldest steamship in North America. The Royal Mail Ship Segwun was originally launched in 1887 and is so famous in Canada that it has appeared on a postage stamp. Today, you can enjoy a luxurious dinner cruise aboard this carefully restored ship and admire Ontario’s breathtaking scenery.
Another restored historic ship, the SS Bigwin launched in 1910, sails out of Dorset. During its illustrious past, this beautiful vessel transported many famous people, including Winston Churchill, Greta Garbo, and Clark Gable.
#3. Enjoy canoeing and camping at Algonquin Provincial Park
With over 745 miles of rivers and streams and 2,400 lakes, Algonquin Provincial Park is a veritable paradise for canoeing enthusiasts. The lakes were formed by retreating glaciers toward the end of the ice age. The forests and waterways support a diverse range of animal and plant species, making the park a popular destination for nature lovers.
Many keen canoers head for the park’s backcountry and camp overnight. There are established hiking trails, canoeing routes, and portages around the park that enable paddlers to reach sites of cultural and natural significance. Trail guide booklets are available from trailheads.
#4. Explore the wilderness in Wabakimi Provincial Park
Wabakimi Provincial Park is Ontario’s second-largest park and contains one of the biggest boreal forest reserves. Because this pristine wilderness is road-free, you’ll need a canoe to get around. There are over 1,200 miles of canoe trails crisscrossing the wilds. You can opt to explore by yourself with a map or join guided tours.
Wabakimi Park is also popular for sport fishing, with abundant stocks of walleye and northern pike. Several First Nations communities are based within the park, which boasts a long cultural history.
#5. Scuba dive in Fathom Five National Marine Park
With 22 fascinating shipwrecks and stunning underwater geologic formations, Fathom Five National Marine Park is a popular destination for snorkeling and scuba diving. The park is a National Marine Conservation Area in the Georgian Bay area of Lake Huron established to preserve freshwater ecosystems, lighthouses, and shipwrecks.
There are also numerous islands within the park including Flowerpot Island, where unusual rock stacks off the coast with vegetation on top resemble flowerpots. Park visitors who don’t want to dive under the waves can view two of the 19th-century shipwrecks by joining a glass-bottom boat tour.