52 Hike Challenge
Goal for 2020
In an effort to spend more time outdoors (and let’s be real, to exercise more), one of my goals for 2020 is to complete the 52 Hike Challenge. As the name suggests, the goal of the challenge is to hike 52 times throughout the year. There are a few rules and guidelines: the hike has to be at least 1 mile (or 1.6km) long, you can only count one hike per day, you can repeat the same hikes.
Ontario | Algonquin Provincial Park
August 2020 – 4 days
For our annual trip to Algonquin this year, we planned a rather ambitious route to Erables Lake. Erables is the french word for maple, but shouldn’t be confused with Maple Lake, which is located just north of Erables Lake. Perhaps because our route was so challenging or maybe we had such a great time at Misty Lake last year, but we decided to extend our Algonquin trip by an extra day this year.
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Ontario | The Cabin
July 2020 – 2 days
With another heat warning on the forecast for the weekend, we decided to drive up north to the cabin and spend some time around the water. We somehow managed to convince my younger sister and her husband to come up with us even though the cabin has no running water and electricity.
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Ontario | Lake Superior Provincial Park
July 2020 – 2 days
Lake Superior Provincial Park is one of the largest provincial parks in Ontario. It is nestled along the eastern coast of Lake Superior and spans between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa. It features lush forests, rocky overcrops, cliffs, lakes, ponds, waterfalls and beautiful sandy beaches.
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Ontario | Sleeping Giant Provincial Park
July 2020 – 2 days
Jutting out along the Sibley Peninsula, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park is reputed to offer some of the best views overlooking the sparkling blue waters of Lake Superior and wildlife in northern Ontario. The park gets its name from a great land formation that when viewed from Thunder Bay, resembles a giant lying on its back. With over 100km of hiking trails, there are plenty of opportunities to see all the (non-sleepy) natural wonders in Sleeping Giant.
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Ontario | Pancake Bay Provincial Park
June 2020 – 1 day
Located on the northern shores of Lake Superior, Pancake Bay Provincial Park features a pristine sandy beach that spans across 3.2km. It is sheltered from the open lake, shallow, and is reputed to be one of the finest beaches in Ontario. In addition to swimming, Pancake Bay offers a couple of hiking trails that weave through a sand dune ecology and provide panoramic views of the surrounding area.
Ontario | Killarney Provincial Park
June 2020 – 2 days
Located on the crystal clear waters of Georgian Bay, Killarney Provincial Park is nestled in untamed wilderness, which include forests, mountains and wetlands. The landscape is so incredibly scenic that it inspired many members of Canada’s Group of Seven painters. It is also fitting that Killarney became a provincial park in large part because of the conservation efforts of these painters.
Ontario | Grundy Lake Provincial Park
June 2020 – 1 day
Since travel options are limited these days, we thought we might as well explore our home province of Ontario. We planned a nine day road trip around part of Lake Superior, which is an area of the province neither of us have visited. We were a bit concerned about the bug situation given that it was still early in the season, but the weather forecast for calling for no (or very little) rain for the week. Besides, it would only build character. The first stop on our itinerary: Grundy Lake Provincial Park.
Ontario | Forks of the Credit Provincial Park
May 2020 – 1 day
It’s finally starting to feel like spring (maybe even summer?) here in Ontario. Provincial parks reopened last week for day-use only, so we’ve been taking advantage of the nice weather and going for more hikes. However, the nice weather tends to bring out the crowds. Especially on the trails as they are one of the few things open these days.
Ontario | Pretty River Valley Provincial Park
May 2020 – 1 day
We’ve been under lockdown for the past couple of months, and as of this week, provincial parks and conservation areas in Ontario are back on the menu. What better way to spend the weekend than hiking. Especially since the weather was (finally) cooperating (i.e. not raining). We decided to hike through the Pretty River Valley Provincial Park, which contains geological features related to glacial and post-glacial processes, such as meltwater channels, moraine and talus slopes, along one of the highest points of the Niagara Escarpment.
Ontario | The Cabin
May 2020 – 2 days
I usually celebrate my birthday by going away on vacation. Obviously we couldn’t do that this year due to the pandemic (who would have thought?). Instead we went back to the cabin. The timing worked out well as the forecast was calling for fabulous weather. We also figured we might as well spend as much time there as we can before the bugs take over for the spring.
Ontario | The Cabin
April 2020 – 3 days
We usually try to incorporate holidays into our travel plans, so for the Easter long weekend we went to the one place we could still travel to: the cabin. Even though we’re encouraged to stay home, it’s hard to avoid other people when living in a big city like Toronto. Instead, we drove up north to spend a quiet weekend at the cabin away from everybody and everything.
Ontario | The Cabin
March 2020 – 2 days
Travel options have been limited recently as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic (and rightfully so). Since we’ve been spending a lot of time in our apartment as of late, we decided to head up to the cabin for the weekend for a change of scenery. Located in the middle of the woods near Bon Echo Provincial Park, the cabin has been in K’s family for over a century. It is quite rustic and has no electricity or running water. It is the perfect place to escape from the city and reconnect with nature. And to self-isolate.
Ontario | Noisy River Provincial Park
March 2020 – 1 day
Things have been a bit chaotic here with the COVID-19 outbreak. Since we would both be cooped up indoors working from home over the next three weeks, we decided to go for a hike. And because there hasn’t been much traffic on the road, we decided to drive further north to the Noisy River Provincial Park.
Ontario | Frontenac Provincial Park
February 2020 – 2 days
Frontenac Provincial Park is classified as a natural environment park. It is situated above an ancient granite ridge linking the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mountains and consists of forests, wetlands, marshes, lakes and granite outcrops. The park contains canoe routes through 22 lakes, over 100km of connected backpacking and hiking trails and four season interior camping on 48 campsites.
Ontario | Mono Cliffs Provincial Park
February 2020 – 1 day
Mono Cliffs Provincial Park is located in southern Ontario along part of the Niagara Escarpment, a long cliff-like ridge of land or rock that runs westward from New York, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. There are a number of trails that loop through the forest, providing ample views of the cliff faces along the Niagara Escarpment.
