Outdoor pursuitsCanada’s ‘heartland’ province of Ontario has its southern border running along the Great Lakes and its northern edge on Hudson Bay. There are six national parks and 260 provincial parks. It is particularly well known for canoeing, and has more canoe routes than any other region in the world – more than 1496km (930 miles) of routes in northern Ontario alone. Good locations for canoeing include
Kilarney and
Algonquin Provincial Parks in the south of Ontario near Lake Huron, the latter being within three hours’ drive of Toronto.
There are excellent facilities for all other types of
watersports.
Horse riding,
hiking and
cycling can also be easily arranged. Hiking is particularly good on the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron, where the views are spectacular.
Diving is popular on the peninsula, owing to the many wrecks in the lake. Favorite cycling destinations include the Bruce Peninsula and the wine route on the Niagara Peninsula, which takes in several wineries. For details of cycling routes, contact the relevant tourist board (see
General Info section). In winter, sports enthusiasts can choose from cross-country skiing (for which there are very good facilities), dog sledding, snowmobiling (along special trails) and other snow-based activities. There are ample opportunities to observe wildlife in the parks and less populated areas. Among the wildlife unique to Ontario are the monarch butterflies which stop off at
Point Pelee on Lake Erie in September during their annual migration. These colorful insects cover the trees, providing an amazing spectacle. Polar bears can be seen in
Polar Bear Provincial Park in northern Ontario, only accessible by light aircraft in summer. The bears come ashore when the ice melts in June and stay for around four months.
Spectator sportsThese include ice hockey, baseball and horseracing. For general information about sport and activities in Canada, see the main
Canada section.
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