October is here; the wind gets chilly, and the sun hides more often than it is found. It’s time to break out the sweaters and curl up next to the fireplace inside. WRONG! It’s time to get outside. Don’t put away those hiking boots; there is a beautiful Ontario trail waiting for you to explore!
Fall in Ontario is undoubtedly the most stunning season, and we have so many trails in this province to enjoy. Hiking in the fall can be great! It’s not as hot, which means not sweating buckets and the fall colours can make any trail 100x better.
Bruce Trail
The Bruce Trail cuts 800+ kilometres along the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO world biosphere reserve. Spanning from Niagara to Tobermory and managed by many trail clubs, the Bruce Trail is one of the most famous Ontario trails.
It’s the oldest marked trail in Canada!
Grand Valley Trail
The Grand Valley Trail is a 275km trail that follows the Grand River. It starts at Port Maitland and travels north to Alton. The last few kilometres in Alton is straight up a mini mountain t no big deal. PS. The views from the top are amazing.
It’s not a well-known Ontario trail, but a good chunk of the population is located so close to it!
La Cloche Silhouette Trail
Located inside Killarney Provincial Park, La Cloche Silhouette Trail covers 78km. It’s not an easy hike and can take up to 10 days to complete. It is described as one of the most rugged in Ontario.
This hike is definitely on my hike-it bucket list, and it is definitely one of the most beautiful Ontario trails.
La Cloche Silhouette Trail. photo by Dennis Barnes via Flickr
Trans Canada Trail – Ontario trail
Okay, so the Great Trail – or the Trans-Canada Trail is a 24,000-kilometre journey from coast to coast to coast. But a huge chunk of it is in Ontario. It spans from Ottawa down to Windsor then follows Georgian Bay and Lake Superior until it reaches the Ontario-Manitoba border.
I have a soft spot for this trail because I live steps from a trailhead. Over 80% of Canada’s population lived within 30 minutes of the trail. Isn’t that fantastic? It truly is a Canadian trail.
The goal of the TCT Foundation is to connect Canada on the 150th anniversary of Confederation on July 1, 2017. The foundation is doing well; they have connected 87% of the trail and have under 4,000km to go.
Find out if you live close to the trail by checking out their map here.
Crawford Lake Conservation Area Trails
I’ll admit, Halton region is a beautiful area. It has some amazing conservation areas including Mount Nemo, Rattlesnake Point and Kelso. A great place for an afternoon hike is Crawford Lake Conservation Area.
Crawford Lake has 19km of trails, including a 1.4km boardwalk trail around the lake.
While you’re out on the trails, don’t forget to record your hikes. Check out my handy-dandy hiking log here.
What’s your favourite Ontario trail?
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