I love hiking, but this past April I learned I love hiking even more when I’m amongst the mountains (see photo above). Unfortunately, we don’t have mountains in Ontario, so it’s been a bit an adjustment going back to our regular, mountainless hikes (and yes, apparently ‘mountainless’ is a real word).
However, despite the lack of mountains, there’s no denying that Ontario still has a ton of beautiful trails and parks that boast some amazing views. Here’s a list of some trails I would love to explore this summer:
River Gorge Trail
Only two hours east of Toronto, Ferris Provincial Park has over 10 km of trails. The River Gorge Trail is 3.5 km and runs along the Trent River. Along this trail you will also pass the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge, which sways 30 ft above and 300 ft across the river. I felt anxious walking across the crowded Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge in North Vancouver, which was only 130 ft across, so hopefully this one will be a little quieter.
Shield Trail
Bon Echo Provincial Park is high up on our camping list this summer, as Jason has never been, and I haven’t been since I was a kid. The amazing Mazinaw Rock stands 100 metres above Mazinaw Lake and is home to the largest visible collection of native pictographs in Canada. Though we will probably be spending the majority of our time canoeing, I would also love to do the Shield Trail, a beautiful and scenic 4.8 km hike.
Silver Queen Mine Trail
Located about an hour north of Kingston, Murphys Point Provincial Park is home to the Silver Queen Mine, a mica mine that was built in the early 1900s. The trail itself is only 2 km, but the main attraction is obviously venturing deep into the restored mine. In order to unleash your inner Indiana Jones, it does require the guided tour, which they offer twice a week during the summer.
Barron Canyon Trail
We tend to go to Algonquin Provincial Park every summer, but Algonquin is big, so there’s still so much of it I haven’t seen, which is why it would be cool to try and do the Barron Canyon Trail. At only 1.5 km, this loop trail is short and sweet, which is perfect for when you don’t want to commit to anything too long. This trail takes you to the top of the 100 m Barron Canyon, offering an incredible view.
Elora Gorge Trail
I went to the Elora Quarry a couple summers ago, which was beautiful, but it was too packed for my liking, so this summer I would love to spend a day hiking Elora Gorge instead. It says the trail in the conversation area is 3 km, but then there is another, longer trail nearby, so we could make this a full day excursion. Pack a lunch, hike along the gorge, check out the rapids and waterfall, do some fishing and then cool off in the quarry sounds like a great day to me!
There you have it—the 5 trails I want to do this summer. As I continue to transition my blog into more of a lifestyle page, I would love to start sharing more posts like this. I love the outdoors, and I have ton of places I would recommend for those interested in not just trails, but also beaches and camping here in Ontario. In the meantime, you can check out my Instagram here, as I’m always sharing places I explore over there!
