I have to admit, I am guilty of not visiting our provincial parks very often. I’m not sure why, I guess it’s because there is more planning involved: researching trails, making lunches, ensuring we have all the layers of clothes, packing backpacks, you get the picture.

However, this year, 2022, I vow to explore our provincial parks more than I ever have. Which, truthfully will not be too hard since I have not visited many.

But you have to start somewhere.

The parks featured in this article are mainly located in Southern Ontario because that’s where I live and I would prefer to stay closer to home, especially when traveling with a dog and kids.

Now, I want to make it easier on myself, and you, and do some research ahead of time before visiting any of these provincial parks.

Note that most of my exploring will be taking place in the summer and fall because quite frankly, the weather is the best in those seasons. 

There are some amazing trails at Ontario Parks, so let’s get exploring!

Ferris Provincial Park

I have been to Ferris Provincial Park in Campbellford and walked on the suspension bridge a few times. However, I have not explored it thoroughly.

A word of warning, one time I brought my dog Ollie, and he did not like the bridge at all. In fact, he would not set foot on it. He just sat down and would not budge. So this park may not be the best fit for your pooch if they have issues with bridges as Ollie does. 

Features

• Pedestrian suspension bridge over the Trent
• Over 10 km of trails through forest and riverside settings
• River Gorge
• Spectacular lookout over Ranney Falls
• Spring woodland wildflowers along Drumlin Trail
• Beautiful fall colours and vistas

Trails

Drumlin Trail System – 3 interconnecting looped trails: 

• Blue 1.2 km (1.0 hour)
• White 2.5 km (2 hours)
• Red 2.5 km (2.5 hours), moderate

The Drumlin Trail System takes you through mature mixed forest, by small wetlands, and along seasonal creeks that have developed on two elongate hills called drumlins.

These drumlins were formed thousands of years ago by glaciers and largely left as woodlots by European settlers. The spring wildflowers can be spectacular in spring.

The Blue and White Trails take you near areas where the Ferris family’s sugar houses, shingle mill, granary, and sheep pens once stood.

The Red Trail goes around the back of the second drumlin, taking you past the old W. Cock Brickyard. Little physical evidence remains of these pioneering enterprises but their legacy as the forerunners of today’s vibrant local communities is not forgotten.

Ranney Falls Trail – 1 km (0.5 hours), loop, easy, level

This trail follows the original roadway to Ferris Provincial Park before looping back along the river, where there are magnificent views of the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge and Ranney Falls.

The gorge edge habitat supports different vegetation from the rest of the park, including the regionally rare Chinquapin Oak. Look for its unique saw-tooth shape on trees along the trail or on fallen leaves underfoot.  The trail finishes by passing through a restful picnic area, perfect for lunch, or a short break.

River Gorge Trail – 3.5 km (2 hours), loop, easy, parts can be wet in the spring. (Yellow markers)

This trail offers magnificent views of the Trent River gorge from the Ranney Gorge Suspension Bridge, before continuing downstream past the old Ferris Quarry and onto the legendary “sheep wash”, now a picnic area.

The trail continues south, following the river’s edge for more fantastic views of the Trent River. On your way back upstream the trail travels through meadows and past Ferris’s unique stone fences, some of which have recently been rebuilt.

Open: May 13, 2022, to October 11, 2022

Location: 474 County Rd. 8, Campbellford 

Presqu’ile Provincial Park

I live about thirty minutes away from Presqu’ile and I am ashamed to say that I have only been there about twice in my adult life. Sad, really. 

It has some nice trails through the woods and is located on Lake Ontario. However, there are no dogs allowed on the beach, unfortunately. 

One aspect that I did not like very much about this park was that one of their paved trails is shared with vehicles. Not ideal for a walk with your dog in a provincial park, in my opinion. 

There are lots of trails in the woods though, so you can avoid the roadside trails.

Features

• 6 km of trails and paths along shorelines and through woodlands and meadows
• A migration hotspot in spring and fall, 338 bird species were recorded with 130 breeding species
• 1 km marsh boardwalk trail accessing the largest protected marsh on the north shore of Lake Ontario
• Two Visitor Centres; Nature Centre open daily in summer and the Lighthouse Centre open daily in summer and on weekends in the spring and fall
• Daily interpretive programs in the summer
• Second oldest operating lighthouse in Ontario
• World-class spring bird migration – waterfowl in March, warblers, and shorebirds in May.
• Open year-round for winter exploration

Trails

Presqu’ile was made for walking; its flat terrain and views of Lake Ontario attract walkers all year.

A favourite route for many (but not me, lol) is the paved one-way driving loop (Lighthouse Lane and Paxton Drive) around the peninsula. This road has a designated walking/bike lane and is plowed in the winter. This is still a road however and walkers are urged to be cautious, particularly in the busy summer months.

For those wanting a more natural experience, Presqu’ile has 12 km of traditional “off-road” trails. All trails are clearly marked with coloured plastic blazes and are cleared of deadfall on a regular basis.

Jobes’ Woods Trail – 1.0 km, 30 minutes, loop, easy

This trail winds through an area that was once part of a farm settled by Thomas and Ezekial Jobes in 1835. This part of their farm remained relatively undisturbed by settlement activity and today contains one of the oldest deciduous woodlots at Presqu’ile.

The trail passes by towering old maples, vernal pools crossed by boardwalks, conifer plantations, and an old field that is filling in with ash trees after a century of use by the Jobes family. An interpretive guide introducing visitors to the ecology of the Jobes’ forest is available at the trailhead.

Owen Point Trail – 1.6 km, 45 minutes, loop, easy (the trail is usually wet in spring)

This trail offers excellent opportunities to see migrating shorebirds along the natural beach and distant views of the waterbird colonies on their island nesting grounds. The trail can be accessed from the south end of the beach or from the west end of High Bluff Campground.

To avoid disturbing migrating birds, the natural beach is closed to foot traffic between ice-out and ice-in, but the trail provides a number of lookouts allowing views of the entire shore.

In addition, pets are not allowed into any of the lookouts on this trail at any time but can be taken on the loop.

To protect the nesting waterbirds, access to Gull and High Bluff Islands is closed from March 10 to September 10 inclusive. Gull Island can usually be accessed by foot after September 10 from Lookout #5 of the Owen Point Trail.

An interpretive guide to the ecology of the point and the islands is available at the trailhead. 

Marsh Trail – 1.2 km, 30 minutes, loop, easy

This trail includes 800 m of boardwalk complete with two viewing towers and a teaching platform (great for picnics too!) that takes visitors into the marsh. Sixteen interpretive panels along the trail illustrate the story of the marsh and its inhabitants.  The boardwalk portion of the trail is barrier-free.

Pioneer and Newcastle Trails – 8.1 km, 3 hours, two interconnected loops, easy

These trails lead you through the forests, plantations, and old fields found in the heart of the Presqu’ile peninsula.  Along these trails, you will encounter a diversity of plants and wildlife in the mature beech-maple forest, old fields, and early succession forest which dominate this area of the park.

The Pioneer Trail is 3.8 km and is marked by yellow plastic blazes.

The Newcastle Trail is 4.3 km and is marked by orange plastic blazes. The trailhead for both trails is halfway along Lighthouse Lane, though there are a number of other access points along both trails. 

Both trails use park roadways for part of their length so be cautious of vehicles and monitor children running ahead on the trail.

Lighthouse Foot Path – 300 m, 20 minutes, loop, easy

This loop connects the Lighthouse Interpretive Centre with the lighthouse itself. There are great views of Lake Ontario and Presqu’ile Bay, with waterfowl in winter and spring, and a cool breeze in summer. Interpretive panels illustrate the history of the area.

Cemetery Trail – 300 m, 15 minutes, linear, easy

This path connects the cemetery interpretive panel at the Camp Office parking lot with the site of an abandoned pioneer cemetery. The site itself is marked with a commemorative granite boulder, though no other evidence remains.

Open: Year-round for hiking

Location: 328 Presqu’ile Parkway, Brighton

I have yet to visit the following Ontario Provincial Parks, so I can’t vouch for them. However, as I visit some of these parks, I will update this article and give my opinion on how fun they are for dogs (and kids!) 

Darlington Provincial Park

Darlington Provincial Park is located in Bowmanville near the shores of Lake Ontario.

With fairly short hiking trails, it would be a good spot for a young family to enjoy a day of hiking and picnicking. 

Features

• Great day-use and picnic facilities
• Nature trails
• A long sandy beach on Lake Ontario
• Interpretive programs and special events
• Open in the winter for hiking and snowshoeing

Trails

Burk Trail – 1.25 km (30 minutes) moderate

This trail moves through fields, meadows, and mature forest past a pioneer cemetery to a scenic lookout over Lake Ontario. Watch for the elusive Coopers Hawk at the bluff and songbirds in the meadows.

McLaughlin Bay Trail – 1.5 km (1 hour) easy

As you hike this trail from McLaughlin Bay, you travel through a marsh ecosystem into the transitional zone between wet and dry land. Plants and animals abound here, especially nesting waterfowl such as the Great Blue Heron.

This trail links to the wildlife reserve and Oshawa Second Marsh Trails system at the west boundary of the park.

Robinson Creek Trail – 1 km loop (30 minutes) easy

Starting and finishing at the Visitor Centre, this trail follows the intermittent Robinson Creek through a forested ravine full of mature willow, Staghorn sumac, maple trees, and a diversity of plants and wildlife.

Waterfront Trail – 2.6 km (1 hour) easy

A small section of the 350 km, multi-use trail that follows the shore of Lake Ontario from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Trenton and passes through Darlington.

Open: Year-round for hiking

Location: 1600 Darlington Park Rd., Bowmanville

Mark S. Burnham Provincial Park

To be honest, I had never even heard of this park before, and after a little bit of research, I know why. 

It only has one trail that is 1.5km long. Not exactly a challenge.

A visit here would be worth it if you lived in Peterborough. Other than that, I don’t think it’s worth the gas money to make a special trip if you’re looking for an energy-burning trail to hike with your pooch.

 Features

• Day-use park; great for a quiet walk in the woods or a family picnic
• Majestic stands of maple, beech, elm, and hemlock – among the oldest in Ontario
• In the middle of the Peterborough Drumlin Field, which contains more than 3,000 of these glacial remnants
• Great fall colours

Trails

Mark S. Burnham Trail – 1.5 km, easy

This trail winds through a mature hardwood forest

Open: May 6, 2022, to October 23, 2022

Location: 846 Highway 7, Peterborough

Petroglyphs Provincial Park

This park has been on my radar for many years now, and I still have not gone to visit. I vow to go there in 2022.

Seriously, it will happen.

There are some decent-length hiking trails that I would love to explore with Ollie as well as really cool indigenous rock carvings that the kids and I would love to see.

Features

• The largest known concentration of Indigenous rock carvings (petroglyphs) in Canada, depicting turtles, snakes, birds, humans, and more; this sacred site is known as “The Teaching Rocks”
• Visit the Learning Place Visitor Centre to discover the traditions of the Ojibway (Nishnaabe) people through the teachings of the medicine wheel
• Visit bright blue/green McGinnis Lake – one of only a handful of meromictic (layers of water that don’t intermix) lakes in Canada
• Great opportunities for wildlife viewing

Trails

Marsh Trail – 7 km (2.5 hours) moderate

This trail winds through dense pine forest and marsh and then climbs – steeply in parts – to uplands.

Nanabush Trail – 5.5 km (1.5 hours) easy

The trail crosses a variety of terrain from wetlands to rock outcrops.

West Day Use Trail – 5 km (1.5 hours) moderate

This narrow trail winds through large pine stands and areas of oak and birch. A bridge crosses an ancient stream bed made thousands of years ago.

Open: May 13, 2022, to October 10, 2022 

Hours: Daily 10:00am – 5:00pm (No vehicle access after 4:00pm. All vehicles must exit before gates close at 5:00pm).

The park is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in the Spring and Fall with the exception of Holiday Mondays.

Location: 2249 Northey’s Bay Rd., Woodview 

Parks Pass

Visiting Ontario Provincial Parks does require some planning beforehand.

You will need a permit to get into the parks. You can purchase it at the entrance gate or, your local library may have a week-long park pass you can sign out for free.

Our library started this last year, making it easy to visit many parks in a week for free. I regret not taking advantage of this offer in 2021, but 2022 is a new year and I fully intend to rent a pass for a week and explore these amazing parks.

However, if your library does not have any passes to rent, you can purchase them at the gate.

A daily pass ranges from $12 to $20. 

A season’s pass is around $111.

If you buy a permit in advance, it guarantees your spot at that park for the day. You may want to consider reserving your spot in the peak summer months when the parks tend to be busy.

I hope this list of Ontario Provincial Parks gets you motivated to get out there and explore more places this year. I know I am excited to plan for and visit more provincial parks this summer and fall. 

Please share any hidden gems you may know of in the comments below so that we may explore more of this great province with our pooches.

For more outdoor fun with your pooch, check out this article, and maybe this one too!