Going on a picnic and hiking trails have become weekly activities for our family with this pandemic. As we felt it was safer to be outdoors, this became our new outings. I always knew that there were a lot of Provincial Parks and Conservation Areas in Ontario. But we have never been to so many until this summer. Gone are the days of spontaneous excursions, though. Before each trip, I would go to the Ontario Parks website or any of the other Conservation websites to see what was open and what each location has to offer. The Ontario Parks and Conservation areas guaranteed a few things for us—parking, a picnic spot, activities (hiking, fishing or swimming) and washrooms.
A few blogs back, I have shared why parking has become a main consideration for us. It is not something to be assumed anymore even if you have parked in an actual parking area with signs not indicating what infraction you may be committing. Our trips since then would see us leaving our car parked with peace of mind as we set off to find a picnic spot. Another important thing, especially for Hubby, is access to washrooms. As not all public washrooms are open on the road, we pick destinations where these are available. Of course, the degree of cleanliness is weighed vis a vis the desperation level. The skill of holding one's breath and having masks handy can prove to be essential!
And while the list is extensive and there is so much more to discover, here are some of our favourite provincial parks:
Pinery PP—we love Lake Huron so Pinery PP is the preferred swimming spot for the family. It has separate beach areas for our Traveling Yorkie!
Ferris PP—highlight
is the Ranney Gorge and the Suspension Bridge (closed during this pandemic) but
can still be seen from the trails
Balsam Lake PP—nice trails with diversity in topography and interesting facts posted along the way; they also have fishing!
Great thing about this is that the trails only get nicer in the fall. So, here’s to more treks in the upcoming season!
