Welcome to
“Take A Hike Ontario”
Hiking With My Family
Every year we try to go to Algonquin Park and do a full day of hiking with the family, some years schedules work out and we can, some years we don’t. This year we were able to.
In the morning my wife and three kids, and myself, pack up jackets, a change of clothes, towels, and snacks and hit the road for Algonquin Park.
We hike, as a family, somewhat frequently so the kids are getting better at doing harder trails and doing more trails, which is great.
There are pitfalls that we encounter such as general sibling bickering, complaints about the heat, humidity, or bugs yet generally the kids do well.
I will add some of our pics from the hikes to the site soon. We only were able to get one good video Of our hikes due to some technical issues with our young film crew that was assisting and trying to shoot some B-roll to add into the type of hiking videos I usually put up. They are learning what to do, and what not to do, and that it isn’t as easy as they thought to shoot stable video of a hike while watching their step and not falling (my wife and I were very careful to not let them out of arm’s reach in case they did trip and fall while filming).
I do plan on returning alone to catch the trails we did and lost the video from. I will post those as soon as I have them and will post the one video we did get when we return home to no data caps and our own wifi.
Are you stuck at home self isolating due to Covid-19?
Do you want to hike along to a video on your treadmill?
Do you love hiking on and off trails?
Do you want to explore Ontario, it’s nature, and trails?
If so, we have you covered?
Follow the links in the upper right hand of this page to our Instagram, Twitter, or our YouTube channel for videos and pics from our hikes in and around Southern Ontario, and Northern Ontario.
You can also browse our gallery of pics from our hikes here at the bottom of the page.
We hope you’ll join our exploration of these trails and hikes and enjoy through what we post. We’ll post more as soon as we can.
Summer Is Here
Summer has officially arrived as of June 21st, but only a month or two ago (depending on your location) the Dandelions started popping up.
Most people think of these as just weeds, but did you know that they are some of the first flowers to come up and stay up for a significant amount of time? This means that they are some of the first flowers that bees can depend on to start their collecting with to make honey. This means Dandelions are an important part of our ecosystem.
Dandelions can grow almost anywhere whether moist, dry, or very wet. They can also support a lot of bees for a significant period of honey-requiring gathering operations, and they can spread their seeds across great distances via the wind, and on animal coats.
So the next time you go to pull up some Dandelions think about the time of year it is and whether there is an abundant source of flowers in the area that bees like.
Dundas Valley Conservation Area - Main Entrance
Griffin House Historic Plaque - One of three
Dundas Valley Conservation Area - Main Loop Trail
FWR Dickson Wilderness Area - Short 1.9km Hike. Coming July 3rd
Lily pads at Beaver Pond -Algonquin Park
Signs along trails are important to read. They aren't just put there to amuse you.
Muskoka Chairs on the dock, ready for relaxation
Little flowers growing by the lakeside given to me by my daughter
Alligator boat once used for moving log booms , currently located on the grounds of the Algonquin Park Logging Museum
Beautiful colours exposed during rain over the rocks in Elora along the riverside
The river flowing in Elora past where most tubers used to venture to because of the fallen trees and large rocks in the water creating small pockets of standing waves
Mist and wildlife on this small pong just off the Caledon Cataract Rail Trail just outside of the small town of Erin, Ontario
Mist on Turnbull lake just outside of Ayr, Ontario
Along the Beaver Pond Trail - Algonquin Park
Caledon Cataract Rail Trail
Way back pic of me hiking with our oldest boy on my back. We started all our kids out this way, and then when they could hike parts of the trail they would until they were big enough to do whole trails
Our kids love to get the trail books, learn all about what is going on around them in the ecosystem
#1 reason for staying healthy and exercising is this woman, my wife. I'm pretty lucky
Sometimes even an accidental camera click ends up looking pretty cool just like this old deck board
I love finding beauty along the trails like this adorable little mushroom
The #2 reason(s) for staying healthy and exercising is our kids.
Our boys climbing up the stairs on this trail. Our youngest found that these particular steps were almost too tall to climb up easily so he ended up going along the side of them at times
Made it up that last big stair so big brother comes up to rejoin his little brother after following in case lil’ bro needed help
With Summer comes cottage country time for many here in Ontario. Although COVID-19 has caused restrictions around some cottage related areas and activities we hope that you and yours will remain safe and healthy should you be allowed to go to a cottage this summer.
This is one of my favourite things to see in cottage country, mist rolling on the lake at Sunrise. This, coupled with the sounds of loons, make for some seriously good for the soul R&R.
If you want to see the lake rippling with the light morning breeze, and the mist rolling in and out check out the links to our Instagram, or YouTube located at the top right of this page.