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Central
Ontario North is Ontario's outdoor playground stretching from
the wilds of Algonquin Park in the east, on through the beautiful
lake lands of the Muskokas, then sweeping across the endless
sandy shores of southern Georgian Bay, |
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before giving way to the towering dolomite and limestone cliffs of
the Bruce Peninsula. The region is located to the north of Toronto
and encompasses, from west to east, Bruce County, Grey County, Simcoe
County and the Muskokas. Map of the Region |
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For
those of you living or visiting the Golden Triangle,
this is your backyard and one of Canada's very best
and most accessible areas for all manner of outdoor
pursuits.
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| Cookstown |
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| Nature
lovers and outdoor adventurers of every strip will find exceptional
venues for pursuit of their individual passions. |
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The
Niagara Escarpment winds its way through the heart
of the region providing dozens of exceptional areas
for nature observation and outdoor adventure. The
Bruce Trail, a backpackers dream, follows the Escarpment
for hundreds of kilometres and showcases some of
the most spectacular scenery in eastern Canada.
Perhaps Ontario's best climbing area is Lion's head
on the Escarpment cliffs, and certainly some of
the provinces' best sea kayaking is done in the
Escarpment's shadow. Naturalists point to the Escarpment's
unique ecology which provides shelter for a wide
variety of flora, including stunted trees along
the cliffs believed to be over 1000 years old. |
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Huron and Georgian Bay shores have some of the east's finest freshwater
beaches, with such familiar names as Sauble, Inverhuron and Wasaga.
The southern shore of Georgian Bay also has a network of rail trails
which are slowly being interconnected, tying together many of these
exceptional beach areas.
Snowboarders,
cross county skiers and snowshoers have a variety of places to choose
from including the resorts at Blue Mountain, Talisman and Horseshoe
Valley. Back country skiers and winter campers can take advantage
of Algonquin Park or Bruce Peninsula National Park. Day trippers
can break trails through the Algomo Highlands. |
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| The Colours
of Awenda Provincial Park |
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Nature
lovers can explore dozens of parks, conservation
and wildlife areas. The Wye Marsh and the
Escarpment Centers will allow them to get
outdoors while adding to their knowledge about
their environment. Many of the parks and conservation
areas also have beautiful campgrounds in superb
natural surroundings. Bruce Peninsula National
Park between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay,
MacGregor Provincial Park on the shores of
Lake Huron, Awenda on Georgian Bay or the
(water access only) sites of Beausoliel Island
in Georgian Bay National Park are just a few
of the regions many possibilities. |
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| When
one of the big storms hits, the Great Lakes become formidable to navigate,
even for large tankers. Many ships have gone down, and other have
broken up upon rocky shores. These tragedies have turned the lakes
into a diver’s paradise. Scuba divers can easily explore several
wrecks off the tip of Tobermory on the Bruce Peninsula in Fathom Five
National Marine Park. The area's cold clear waters, combined with
the easily accessible wrecks make this one of the best dive spots
in the world. |
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Cyclists
can choose from a wide variety of routes that
follow along some of the less trafficked country
roads. Bruce County has laid out seven of these,
information is available at Sunsets.com.
If you prefer, there are a number of off road
cycle paths, most of which are converted rail
trails that have no significant grade. These include
the 32km Georgian Trail running from Meaford to
Collingwood, the Saugeen Rail Trail from Port
Elgin to Southampton and the North Simcoe Rail
Trail which, when completed will connect Barrie
and Midland.
Mountain bikers haven't been forgotten. The region
has some of Ontario's' best in the form of the
Mansfield Outdoor Centre, Hardwood Hills and the
our wicked favorite the Porcupine Ridge Trails
just outside of Gravenhurst. |
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| Riding the
Shield |
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Hikers
will find dozens of access points along the Bruce Trail,
allowing them to choose from a wide variety of distances
and terrains. There are other trials scattered all over
the region, with a heavy concentration in the Muskokas
outside Bracebridge, Huntsville and Gravenhurst. Most
of the Provincial Parks and Conservation Areas have
trail systems as well.
Algonquin
is best know for its paddling, the park has over 1000km
of canoe routes. Outside the park there are three well
know river routes in the form of the Saugeen, the Beaver
and the Rankin.The shores of Georgian Bay offer Canada's
finest inland paddling routes for sea kayakers. From
the intermediate routes in the Georgian Bay Islands
area to the expert waters off of the Bruce Peninsula.
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| Algonquin
Provincial Park |
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| Out-There's Ontario |
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| Provincial Parks in Central
Ontario North |
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| Conservation Areas in Central
Ontario North |
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| Visiting from outside Ontario
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Visiting from outside Canada
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