Touch the shores of four Great Lakes. See incredible land formations. Explore immense stretches of beach. Be awed by rare plant and animal life. Discover the wonders that naturally await you in every corner of Ontario.
Nature Trails Echo Valley Observatory
On a clear Muskoka day, you can see an entire universe open up before you. Distant planets. Entire nebulas. Far off galaxies. See them all right here in a world within a world: Ontario.
Nature Trails Echo Valley Observatory
Wasaga Beach
Bask on a glorious 14 km (8 mi.) stretch of pure white sand at Wasaga Beach - the longest freshwater beach in the world. Dip your toes into the warm, shallow waters of Georgian Bay. Make friends with the wind as your surfboard skims across the water. Or explore a wondrous parabolic sand dune system.
Ontario Provincial Parks
Wasaga Beach
Bruce Peninsula
Come to land's end and explore rugged limestone cliffs rising dramatically from the brilliant blue waters of Georgian Bay. Discover grottos and strange formations sculpted by waves thousands of years ago. Hike and camp near Cyprus Lake in Bruce Peninsula National Park. Seek spacious beaches at Singing Sands of Dorcas Bay on the Lake Huron side of the peninsula.
Bruce Peninsula National Park
Great Lakes
Carved out by retreating glaciers from the last ice age, the four Great Lakes that touch Ontario offer endless opportunities for recreation and adventure. Be awed by the wilderness and remote beauty of Lake Superior. Cruise past the picturesque lighthouses that dot the sandy shores of Lake Huron and Lake Erie. Visit charming ports-of-call on Lake Ontario - the smallest of the Great Lakes.
Great Lakes
Long Point World Biosphere Reserve
Designated as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, Long Point is a 40 km (25 mi.) peninsula that supports an incredible diversity of rare and threatened plants and wildlife. Access to the delicate point is restricted, but you can explore many of its wonders on the paths and boardwalks in Long Point Provincial Park. In spring and fall, witness waterfowl migrations and in June, see up to seven kinds of turtles crawl from marshes to sand dunes to lay their eggs.
Long Point Provincial Park
Chapleau Game Preserve
Created in 1925 to protect the Algoma region from over hunting, the 700,000 hectare (1.73 million acre) Chapleau Game Preserve is the world's largest. Visit wildlife viewing stations and watch moose, black bear, fox, lynx, timber wolf and deer play uninterrupted by civilization. Camp and bait up for some of the best fishing in Ontario in Missinaibi Provincial Park in the heart of the Preserve.
Chapleau Game Preserve
Missinaibi Provincial Park
Manitoulin Island
It is told that when the Great Spirit Manitou set an island in Lake Huron's sparkling waters he included the best of everything. Manitoulin is the world's largest freshwater island with more than 100 inland lakes and countless rivers. Witness Aboriginal culture and lore in this land of legend. Climb the towering bluffs overlooking it all on the Cup and Saucer Trail. Relax on the beach at Providence Bay. And discover a rare wetland ecosystem at Misery Bay.
Manitoulin Island
Fathom Five National Marine Park
Explore the crystal-clear waters of Fathom Five National Marine Park - Canada's first underwater park and one of North America's premier diving spots. Strap on your scuba gear to explore 21 shipwrecks and a labyrinth of sea caves. Board a glass-bottom boat for an above water view and a visit to Flowerpot Island with lighthouses and unique limestone formations that inspired the island's name.
Fathom Five National Marine Park
Ouimet Canyon
Peer over the precipice of an awesome deep gorge cut into the rock of Lake Superior's northern shore by the action of glaciers millions of years ago. Hike along its edge or look down upon it all from the viewing platforms. Wonder at ancient forests and rare sub-Arctic and alpine plants forming a carpet on the canyon floor.
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Provincial parks
Discover Ontario's astounding natural wonders protected in nearly 104 operating provincial parks. Venture from beaches of Pinery and Sandbanks' and Rondeau's rare Carolinian forests to Wabakimi's boreal wilderness and across the tundra of Polar Bear Provincial Park. Even catch sight of magnificent ice volcano eruptions at Presqu'ile. In between, explore everything from the rugged, granite beauty of Algonquin, Killarney and Bon Echo to the spectacular cascading waters at Kakabeka Falls or Kap-Kig-Iwan.
Ontario Parks
National parks
Preserved for posterity, six national crown jewels proudly symbolize the diverse natural beauty of Ontario. Explore the rugged coast of a mighty inland sea at Lake Superior's Pukaskwa National Park. Be awed by amazing limestone formations at Bruce Peninsula or Fathom Five national parks. Follow Point Pelee's boardwalks to freshwater marshes teeming with waterfowl. Skim across the turquoise blue waters surrounding Georgian Bay Islands or St. Lawrence Islands national parks.
Parks Canada |
| |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Did you know?
Ontario shores touch four of the five Great Lakes that comprise the world's largest body of freshwater with a combined surface area of 246,000 km2 (93,480 sq. mi.)
|
| |
|
