Grand Bend: probably the best beach in Ontario!

Grand Bend, ON

Last summer, we went with another family to Grand Bend. We found one of the best beaches in Ontario about 3 hours from Toronto. Hubby would say it was the best. The waters of Lake Huron were clear and the sand was lovely (well after you hurdle the many stones at the main beach). I will say, though, that over 8Km away, at Pinery Provincial Park beaches (still Lake Huron), the sand was much better. There were less stones and the waters were shallow. The temperature of the water, as well as the strength of the waves, depends on the weather, of course. A couple of days before we arrived, another friend was at the same beach and he said the water was freezing. When we were there, the water was just perfect—strong waves the first day and calm the next.

Grand Bend

We stayed at the Bonnie Doone Manor, the only one which was right across the beach. It was a lovely place. The owners were very hospitable, rooms were clean, and we had everything we needed in our stay. It is actually one of the landmarks of the area with their pink and yellow Adirondacks on the lawn. 

Bonnie Doone Manor @ Grand Bend

It was a perfect place to watch the beautiful sunset at Grand Bend.

sunset @ Grand Bend, ON

It was also a short walk from the beach to the bustling Main St. We enjoyed walking and looking at the many shops along the way. There were many treats for kids of all ages—there were snow cones, ice cream, fudge as well as several bars for the adults. No worries if you forgot your beach wear as you can easily get a pair in one of the shops. Grandma spent over an hour browsing from store to store. There were also a few restaurants, including a Japanese place!

Sno Shack @ Main St., Grand Bend

shops at Main St., Grand Bend

There were also many other activities offered—parasailing, paddleboating, jetskiing, and even water trampoline. You can stroll along the boardwalk or catch one of the summer concerts at the main stage. There was also a splash pad area for kids. They had a clean rinse area with hot water and parking was $20 for the day.

Main Beach entrance at Grand Bend--check out the parasailer!

Wish we could have stayed for week there! We will definitely return as we have marked this as one of our favourite family destinations!

A day in Algonquin

Algonquin Park, Ontario

Coming from one of the cottages in Huntsville, my friends and I decided to make a day trip out of Algonquin Provincial Park, the first provincial park in Ontario and the largest. It was about 20 minutes from Huntsville to the West gate, where we went to get information and daily permits. 

We looked at the map and decided to check out the Logging Museum as our farthest point and make our way back along the Highway 60 corridor. As we were driving for over 15 minutes already, it dawned on me that I did not really digest the scale of the map—that the Logging Museum was actually about 50km from the West Gate. We realized how huge this park really was. And actually, looking more closely at the maps, we saw that the developed area (including the Highway 60 corridor) was only a fraction of the whole park! The backcountry is only accessible by canoe or on foot--with over 2,000km of canoe routes and about 140km of backpacking trails!

views along the way @ Algonquin Park

Anyway, we spent a good hour walking through this outdoor museum. It was the most refreshing thing to walk under the canopy of trees while the smell of pine enveloped us. There were 20 stations and a total of a 1.5km easy walking trail. The trail took us back in time through the history of logging from the early days to modern management. They had a recreated camboose camp where loggers used to sleep. They had different log transportation featured from horses, tug boats and trains. It was very interesting and worth the drive!

Camboose Camp @ Logging Museum, Algonquin Park

Tugboat @ Logging Museum, Algonquin Park

Beast of burden, one of the outdoor displays @ Logging Museum, Algonquin Park

After the museum, we had a picnic lunch at the East Beach before checking out the Algonquin Art Centre (by the KM 20 mark). The Art Centre had an indoor gallery showcasing works with varied style, medium and subject. There were paintings, backlit art, sculptures and many more.

outdoors @ Algqonquin Art Centre, Algonquin Park

Before heading home, we went on our last hike at the Hardwood Lookout Trail, a moderately difficult 0.8km trail. The trail culminated in a nice area with a couple of benches so you can enjoy the view of Smoke Lake.

Smoke Lake from Hardwood Lookout Trail @ Algonquin park

There were many, many other things to do at the park. While I would not recommend the beaches for swimming (the girls said the ground was slimy and the area for swimming was small), it would be great for kayaking and canoeing. Of course the park was perfect for what most people come to Algonquin to do—camp.

There were several signs along the way to watch out for wildlife. We actually saw a moose so we stopped the car and ogled along with others. 

Wildlife Crossing @ Algqonquin Park, Ontario

Moose sighting @ Algonquin Park, Ontario

It may seem like this was all so much wilderness but, civilization was not so far away. Within the park, there were cabins (if you are not into setting up tents), they were groceries, outfitters who rented out equipment and the public washrooms were actually clean!

Algonquin was a great park and I’m glad we were able to check it out, even for just the day.