Ontario Parks Algonquin West Gate There is also a second Algonquin – along the 56-kilometre stretch of Highway 60. Here you can enjoy camping at one of eight campgrounds, hike one of 14 trails, take part in extensive education programs, and visit Algonquin’s superlative Visitor Centre and the Logging Museum.

]]> -78.810000,45.450000 Algonquin East Gate There is also a second Algonquin – along the 56-kilometre stretch of Highway 60. Here you can enjoy camping at one of eight campgrounds, hike one of 14 trails, take part in extensive education programs, and visit Algonquin’s superlative Visitor Centre and the Logging Museum.

]]> -78.265000,45.515000 Lake Superior From Lake Superior’s rugged coast, this park moves inland over mist-shrouded hills and deep canyons whose breathtaking beauty and rich autumn colours inspired Canada’s Group of Seven artists. The Coastal Trail and part of Highway 17 hug Lake Superior’s rugged, rocky coast through this park, offering spectacular, unimpeded views of the legendary moody blue waters. Along the park’s eastern border the Algoma Central Railway snakes through Agawa Canyon, thrilling sightseers and dropping off hiking and canoeing adventurers along the way. Don’t miss the pictographs at Agawa Rock, and the park’s new Visitor Centre.

Lake Superior | Ontario Parks

]]> -84.634000,47.355000 Aaron Sandy beaches, playgrounds and the clear, shallow waters of ancient Thunder Lake near Dryden make Aaron an ideal family stop for swimming, boating and fishing. Hiking trails wind through white cedar and aspen forests, and double as ski trails in winter. Spring is great for trout fishing.

Aaron | Ontario Parks

]]> -92.640000,49.750000 Arrowhead At this year-round park in the heart of Muskoka, hike or bicycle on trails that wander through maple forests and past waterfalls, beaver ponds and homesteaders’ farms. Quiet Arrowhead and Mayflower Lakes, and the meandering Little and Big East Rivers, are ideal for paddling, fishing and swimming. Return in winter to ski on groomed trails, tube down a hill or skate on an outdoor rink.

Arrowhead | Ontario Parks

]]> -79.220000,45.380000 Awenda Nippissing Bluff drops 60 metres into Georgian Bay. Across the water is Giant's Tomb, an island where the spirit Kitchikewana rests. Below the bluff, sand, cobble and boulder beaches in sheltered Methodist Point Bay offer the best swimming. Like the kettle lake inland, they are signs of a glaciated past. From the shoreline fen to forest bog, on spirit walks and owl prowls, explore a unique convergence of wildlife and geography.

Awenda | Ontario Parks

]]> -79.991000,44.784600 Balsam Lake Located in the picturesque Kawarthas, Balsam Lake is an all-season recreational park along the Trent-Severn Waterway. In summer, swim at a clean, safe beach, hike to a lookout tower, fish for bass, sail and windsurf. Come in spring for wildflowers and in October for autumn glory.

Balsam Lake | Ontario Parks

]]> -78.860000,44.630000 Bass Lake Follow Waterview Trail and learn how Bass Lake park, a farm for more than 100 years, was transformed to a recreational area. Just west of Orillia – close to historic Huronia – it is a popular spot for swimming, hiking, fishing and boating. Its fields and trails are good for skiing and snowshoeing in winter.

Bass Lake | Ontario Parks

]]> -79.470000,44.600000 Batchawana Put on your bathing suit, pack a picnic and take the family to this popular sandy beach on Lake Superior just north of Sault Ste. Marie.

Batchawana | Ontario Parks

]]> -84.580000,46.940000 Blue Lake A popular recreational park northwest of Dryden, Blue Lake boasts a long, sandy beach and water so clear you can see the bottom at six metres. Take a hike with park naturalists through a spruce fen and stands of majestic pines, over ancient bedrock, past lady’s slipper orchids and blueberry bushes.

Blue Lake | Ontario Parks

]]> -93.460000,49.890000 Bon Echo Long a favourite destination for painters and photographers, this park north of Napanee is renowned for Mazinaw Rock. This 1.5-kilometre sheer rock face rises 100 metres above Mazinaw Lake, one of the deepest lakes in Ontario, and features over 260 native pictographs – the largest visible collection in Canada. Spend a day or plan overnight adventures in this hiking and canoeing paradise of deep, blue lakes, sandy beaches, granite outcrops and lush green forests.

Bon Echo | Ontario Parks

]]> -77.200000,44.900000 Bonnechere The meandering Bonnechere River once carried furs and pine logs out of this Ottawa Valley region. Now canoes move along its leisurely, ever-changing path to Round Lake where there is a buoyed, sandy beach. Trails pass an old beaver pond and marshes. An historic depot depicts the life of early forest rangers.

Bonnechere | Ontario Parks

]]> -77.570000,45.660000 Bronte Creek - Day Use area This pastoral, all-season oasis between Burlington and Oakville offers a place to unwind and step back in time. View living history demonstrations in an 1890s farmhouse. Take the children to the playbarn to pet the animals or romp in the outdoor playground. Camp overnight, swim in a huge outdoor pool, stroll along nature trails, and pedal your bicycle. In winter, skate outdoors, go tobogganing and cross-country skiing. The day use and campground areas in this park are separate; each has its own entrance.

Bronte Creek - Day Use area | Ontario Parks

]]> -79.768000,43.410000 Bronte Creek - Campground This pastoral, all-season oasis between Burlington and Oakville offers a place to unwind and step back in time. View living history demonstrations in an 1890s farmhouse. Take the children to the playbarn to pet the animals or romp in the outdoor playground. Camp overnight, swim in a huge outdoor pool, stroll along nature trails, and pedal your bicycle. In winter, skate outdoors, go tobogganing and cross-country skiing. The day use and campground areas in this park are separate; each has its own entrance.

Bronte Creek - Campground | Ontario Parks

]]> -79.768000,43.420000 Caliper Lake Small and serene, this park northwest of Fort Frances has excellent swimming and fishing. Its clean, warm waters are home to northern pike, walleye, smallmouth bass and sometimes nesting pelicans.

Caliper Lake | Ontario Parks

]]> -93.900000,49.040000 Charleston Lake Natives once sheltered under rock overhangs on the shores of this coldwater lake north of the St. Lawrence River. Then wealthy Victorian cottagers summered here. The rugged look of the north blended with the south still draws hikers and canoeists to these scenic shores and winding trails.

Charleston Lake | Ontario Parks

]]> -76.049000,44.497600 Chutes The only provincial park on Highway 17 between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Chutes is an excellent stopover for travellers and a base to explore the North Channel of Lake Huron. Situated on the Aux Sables River, the park gets its name from a chute that once diverted logs around the waterfall. Follow riverside nature trails to see rapids upstream.

Chutes | Ontario Parks

]]> -82.070000,46.210000 Craigleith Fractured plates of shale that form this Georgian Bay shore tell an ancient story. The rock contains invertebrate fossils 455 million years old. Now, the flat rock is ideal for launching a sailboard, fishing or watching a spectacular sunset. At the base of Collingwood's Blue Mountain, it's a short trip to Wasaga Beach, the Bruce Trail and historic Huronia.

Craigleith | Ontario Parks

]]> -80.368000,44.535000 Darlington The legacy of American settlers to Lake Ontario’s fertile shore remains – a tiny cemetery and log cabin – at this recreational park east of Oshawa. From the bluff, watch for migrating birds – warblers in spring, waterfowl and raptors in fall – or resident terns and plovers. In winter, skate on McLaughlin Bay or toboggan down the hills.

Darlington | Ontario Parks

]]> -78.780000,43.870000 Finlayson Point Gateway to Temagami’s vast wilderness, including Lady Evelyn Smoothwater, Finlayson Point is a base for canoeists, boaters, hikers and anglers. Camp here beneath towering stands of pine, swim at a sandy beach, dive in deep, clear water or hike to Caribou Mountain lookout and fire tower. A plaque to Grey Owl honours this well-known English conservationist and imposter.

Finlayson Point | Ontario Parks

]]> -79.800000,47.050000 Fitzroy Majestic white pine covers much of this park beside the Ottawa River. Among these century-old trees and a stand of 300-year-old bur oak by the Carp River, you can see kildeer, goldfinches, flickers and white-tailed deer. By river's edge, shale terraces and pillars reveal a glacial past and an even mightier waterway.

Fitzroy | Ontario Parks

]]> -76.210000,45.480000 Frontenac Situated on a southern arm of the Canadian Shield north of Kingston, this semi-wilderness park features granite outcrops, vast wetlands and mixed forests, plants and wildlife. Trails wind through rugged terrain to Moulton Gorge, the Arkon Lake Bog, the Black Lake homestead and the Crab Lake mines. From Otter Lake, hikers and canoeists head into the interior for glimpses of osprey and kingfisher, deer and black bear, coyote and fox, and abundant beaver. Wilderness skills courses are offered in summer and winter.

Frontenac | Ontario Parks

]]> -76.500000,44.530000 Fushimi Lake A popular fishing spot for 800 years, this quiet lake north of Hearst still teems with walleye and northern pike. Fishing is the biggest lure, but the tranquil setting also attracts campers yearning to see wildlife large and small or the dazzling brilliance of the northern lights at night.

Fushimi Lake | Ontario Parks

]]> -83.950000,49.790000 Greenwater Except for a few derelict buildings, no signs remain of the farming and logging that cleared this park near Cochrane. Boreal forest surrounds the glacially formed 26 kettle lakes and eskers where you can paddle quietly on the green waters, fish for stocked trout or follow trails for signs of birds and furry wildlife.

Greenwater | Ontario Parks

]]> -81.270000,49.180000 Grundy Lake From several lakes in this park off the Trans-Canada Highway, you can paddle to the voyageurs' route along French and Pickerel rivers into Georgian Bay. Beaches and smooth rocky shores provide excellent swimming. And mixed forest marks this area as the boundary between north and south. Hiking trails explore the forest.

Grundy Lake | Ontario Parks

]]> -80.550000,45.920000 Halfway Lake You might see heron rookeries, moose, nesting osprey and beaver ponds as you paddle, hike and camp among the 20 lakes in this wilderness northwest of Sudbury. Abundant fish, game and berries fed the Ojibway here before park visitors discovered the beauty and solitude of Halfway’s lakes and forests.

Halfway Lake | Ontario Parks

]]> -81.630000,46.900000 Ivanhoe Lake A long, curving lip of sandy beach with warm, shallow water for swimming beckons families with young children to this lake between Chapleau and Timmins. This park is a popular spot for family holidays, fishing trips and canoe outings. Hike alone or with park naturalists to a bog and kettle lakes, or paddle on your own to a favourite spot for viewing moose.

Ivanhoe Lake | Ontario Parks

]]> -82.520000,48.140000 Inverhuron Welcome to Ontario Parks’ best kept secret! Inverhuron – popular for its sandy beach, dunes and glorious sunsets – is open for camping again.

Inverhuron | Ontario Parks

]]> -81.580000,44.300000 John E. Pearce From bluffs high above Lake Erie, you can see lake freighters, fishing tugs, sometimes a bald eagle and migrating hawks. Woodland trails blooms with unusual flowers in the spring -- yellow mandarin, stiff gentian, beech fern. Nearby the Backus Page museum celebrates the history of the Talbot settlement.

John E. Pearce | Ontario Parks

]]> -81.450000,42.620000 Kakabeka Falls Known as Niagara of the North, Kakabeka Falls plunges 40 metres over sheer cliffs and some of the oldest fossils in the world. Get a bird's-eye view from jutting platforms and trails along the gorge. Trace voyageurs' steps around the falls in this history-rich park.

Kakabeka Falls | Ontario Parks

]]> -89.622500,48.403000 Kap-Kig-Iwan The Englehart River plunges down whitewater rapids, over a waterfall (Kap-Kig-Iwan in Ojibway), past rugged rock outcrops, through deep ravines and by flats of colourful wildflowers in this picturesque park near Englehart. Hiking, birdwatching and spring fishing are excellent. Bonus: no blackflies. Day use only.

Kap-Kig-Iwan | Ontario Parks

]]> -79.880000,47.790000 Kettle Lakes This park near Timmins is dotted with 22 deep, spring-fed kettle lakes – reachable by trails and roads – where you can swim, paddle or fish. Whether you come for the day or camp overnight, you are welcome to enjoy the many beaches and take part in summer programs. After the snow falls, try our cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails.

Kettle Lakes | Ontario Parks

]]> -80.870000,48.560000 Killarney Considered one of Ontario Parks’ crown jewels, this majestic, mountainous wilderness of sapphire lakes and jack pine ridges so captivated artists – including The Group of Seven’s A.Y. Jackson – that they persuaded the Ontario government to make it a park. Once higher than the Rocky Mountains, La Cloche’s white quartzite cliffs gleam like snowy peaks from afar. Where paddlers, hikers, skiers and snowshoers now journey through in this craggy, imposing landscape, there is evidence that others passed thousands of years before.

Killarney | Ontario Parks

]]> -81.400000,46.010000 Killbear This Georgian Bay peninsula is a water lover's paradise for swimming and sailing, fishing and boating. Camp by a sandy beach, on a rocky shore or under the trees. Hike to lookouts for views of Parry Sound, that lonely white pine on a windswept rock or one of Georgian Bay's spectacular sunsets.