Eastern Canada’s Ontario province is especially enchanting in the autumn months, when the days are sunny, the evenings crisp, and the landscape bursts into captivating hues of yellow, orange and red. Between mid-September and late October, cities, parks and the rural countryside are rife with opportunities to explore the colourful foliage, making for an idyllic seasonal sojourn.
A variety of colours: No need to go on a special fall foliage tour unless that’s your preference.Leaf-peeping – or travelling to view and photograph fall foliage – abound in Ontario whether you’re wandering a provincial park, paddling to remote islands, riding the train, taking to the skies on a helicopter or zipline tour, driving the Niagara Parkway, or strolling the streets of Toronto or Ottawa on a crisp, cool day.
Consult the Ontario Fall Colour Report before your visit to confirm peak viewing times and locations – then pack your camera and prepare to be dazzled by autumn in Ontario.
Did you know? Changes in the length of daylight and in temperaturecause leaves to stop their food-making process. And as the chlorophyll breaks down, the greencolour disappears, allowing the yellow to red colours to shine.
Toronto: Gardens, islands and bluffs – see autumn’s majesty transform the landscape as you tour this cosmopolitan city.➢ Ontario’s gardens are particularly pretty in fall,and now is the perfect time to visit with 2022 marking the official Year of the Garden in Canada.
One alluring option: the Royal Botanical Garden in Burlington – part of the Greater Toronto Area – which explodes with colour as cooler temperatures return. View autumn perennials at the park’s Rock Garden, stop and smell late season roses at Hendrie Park, and wander 27-kilometres (16 miles) of trails lined with trees adorned in their fal lwardrobe.
In fall, the Toronto Islands welcome cooler temperatures, fewer crowds and astounding colours. Reach the islands via ferry or water taxi and spend the day picnicking among the leaves, walking or biking leaf-carpeted trails, or snapping a photo of the iconic CN Tower and downtown skyline framed by fall hues.
Scarborough Bluffs, an escarpment on Lake Ontario, transforms with a riot of colours infall. Explore the 15-kilometre (nine-mile) stretch, which features 11 natural parks offering plenty of opportunities to hike, sail or paddleboard amid a fiery backdrop of red andyellow.
Ontario parks: The region’s national and provincial parks honour the shift in seasons with photo-worthy natural phenomena.
For a few days each fall, Point Pelee National Park –located southeast of Windsor – welcomes thousand sof migrating monarch butterflies. While these exquisite insects have been spotted on almost every continent in the world, the migratory population in North America is deemed a natural phenomenon. As soon as favourable conditions arrive, the butterflies begin their journey across Lake Erie, headed for their final destination – the mountains of central Mexico.
The shorelines of the Canadian Shield blaze with colour in the fall, and the perfect way to catch the show is by visiting Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site. Here, you can rent a boat or kayak and navigate the heritage canals and locks along the386-kilometre (239-mile) waterway, which connects Lake Ontario and Lake Huron. Keep your camera at the ready: in fall, the waterway pops with red and orange leaves whose flaming hues reflect in the placid water.
Algonquin Provincial Park in southeastern Ontariois home to nearly 25 species of trees that don aspectacular variety of fall colours every year. Wander among iconic red maples dotted with brilliant yellows and persistent greens, or take the scenic drive along the Highway 60 corridor, where lookout points facilitate the perfect autumn postcard. Refer to the park’s Fall Colour Report to plan your leaf-peeping excursion.
Ottawa: Ontario’s capital city celebrates the season with themed festivities and adrenaline-pumping activities that showcase fall colours from up high.
Experience the seasonal spectacle at Fall Rhapsody, an event taking place over three weekends each October that celebrates the colours in Ottawa’s Greenbelt – a parcel of urbanland that surrounds the city’s core.
Hop aboard Ottawa Biplane Adventure, which treats guests to the seasonal sights from an opencockpit biplane from the 1930s.
See the changing leaves from a bird’s eye view by taking a treetop walk at Camp Fortune, an alpine ski centre located near Gatineau, Quebec, just 15 minutes fromdowntown Ottawa. Debuting in September 2022, the aerial experience features anexhilarating zipline and ropes course which soars over Gatineau Park – the perfectopportunity to leaf-peep from above.
Eastern Ontario: Destinations to the east welcome fall’s arrival with unparalleled natural beauty that can be experienced from the water, roads or parks.
From Kingston, Rockport or Gananoque in Eastern Ontario, cruise to the 1000 Islands, a scenic archipelago where fall colours light up the banks of the St. Lawrence River and island shores. See the sight from above by climbing the 1000 Islands Tower ,which displays the islands’ fall glory sprawled 400 feet below.
Northumberland County, which borders the north shore of Lake Ontario, features a series of fall driving routes to maximize visitor enjoyment of seasonal hues. Cruise through the rolling hills, forest and lakeside and immerse yourself in a magical setting where colourful trees glow in the sunshine.
York Region is populated by trails, parks,conservation areas and forests brimming with towering trees adorned in fall garb.Wander through Rouge Valley Park, whose 5,000-hectares (12,355-acres) of protected woodland is one of the best places in the region to get your fill of fall, or tackle part of the 20-kilometre (12-mile) Nokiidaa Trail, which follows the East Holland River and passes through groves of blazing deciduous trees.
For more information on Autumn in Ontario go to : https://uk-keepexploring.canada.travel/things-to-do/11-ultimate-fall-colour-lookouts-ontario
For more information on Canada go to www.explore-canada.co.uk