Leaf Peeper - a person who visits wooded areas in autumn to view the changing colors of the foliage (Merriam-Webster, 2021)
I love the transformation of God's living landscape in the fall. When the weather cools His palette of greens convert into hues of warm yellows, oranges and reds. Did you know that sojourning through the woods for the purpose of seeing the leaves change their colour is strangely called 'peeping'? Hiking has often been a sacred time for me; a time when my busy thoughts quiet down to a soothing lull, a time when I feel one with the Creator, and a time that I let go and just breathe, rejuventating my body and mind in the process. Often I feel sad to see the leaves change, because summer is my favorite season, but the surrounding beauty consoles my sorrow and reminds me that with each ending there is a new beginning.
As Ontario is a very large province, you can imagine how many opportunities there are to witness the splash of warm colours line the sky. Ontario Parks provides an interactive map outlining the latest fall news. Their reports are updated daily with suggestions for best viewing at each park. Read on to gain insight into a few of my favorite places so far to leaf peep in the Central Ontario area.
Places to Peep in Central Ontario:
Peterborough and the Kawarthas
The Kawartha Lakes region, as well as Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park are two vast areas with plentry of leaf peeping opportunities. Although there are multiple ways to visit (hiking, canoeing, camping, boating, fishing, etc), there are also several scenic driving tours.
Peterborough and The Kawarthas is a great website for driving tours' itinaries. I tweaked their To Burleigh or Bust road trip so that it started and ended in Lakefield, ON and added Young's Point as a stopover for coffee, shopping and fall pics, as well as Kawartha Country Wines for wine tasting.
Pics above are from Young's Point, Lock 27
There were plenty of wine flavors to taste at Kawartha Country Wines - my favorite was their blueberry wine.
Warsaw Caves
Location: 289 Caves Rd, Warsaw, ON (About 30 minutes NE of Peterborough)
I find any conservation area to be a hiker's haven. Warsaw Caves Conservation Area offers trails to hike, caves to explore, a river to canoe or kayak and even a campground! The options are plentiful. Each trail is marked with a letter and easy to traverse. Follow the 'L' trail to the lookout for a great photo-op.
Map of Conservation area: https://www.otonabeeconservation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/WCCA-2020-park-map-1_KH.pdf
Ferris Provincial Park
Location: 474 County Rd 8, Campbellford, ON (About 45 minutes E of Peterborough)
At Ferris, not only are there woodsy trails with a few lookout locations, but you will also discover a pedestrian suspension bridge crossing over the Trent River Gorge. Facing North from the bridge you can view Ranney Falls, and if you turn to face the other way, you will capture the Trent River flowing with the woods of Ferris Park as a backdrop. A good photo opportunity for fall colors is to sit on one of the red Muskoka chairs that Parks Canada have placed at Locks 11/12 - Ranney Falls. They overlook the fall foliage at Ferris Provincial Park.
To get to the suspension bridge, enter the main gates and follow the road until you can't go any further (don't turn left to go to the boat launch). If you have an annual park pass, you can use it at this provincial park. After you park, it's a short walk to the suspension bridge. To get to the red chairs, cross over the suspension bridge and walk towards locks 11/12, staying to the left. You will need to walk down one flight of stairs to find the red chairs.
Photos above from left to right: Lock 11/12 with two red Canada Parks chairs on the left, Tas carrying Sparkles across the Ranney Falls suspension bridge, and the fall leaves along a Ferris Park provincial park road.
Eagle's Nest, Bancroft
Location: 79 Eagles Nest Park Rd, Bancroft, ON (About 1 1/2 hours NE of Peterborough)
Eagle's Nest (not to be confused with Eagle's Nest Lookout at Calabogie Peaks) overlooking York River valley offers spectacular views. After parking (which is free), you will hike along different trails to discover the lookouts. There is even a 'hawk watch' platform. Don't worry if you need to rest, there are benches along the paths. Bancroft Eagles Nest Park is a good website with lots of useful information, including a trail map. Schools can even plan a visit here (Contact info@bancrofteaglesnestpark.ca). I once had the pleasure of bringing my grade 4 class to this destination. To arrive, take hwy 62 north of the village (Tim Hortons will be on your left if you want to grab a coffee). Once you pass Tim Hortons, you will be turning right on Eagles Nest Crescent and then another quick right on Eagles Nest Park Rd. Follow this road up to the parking area.
Other reasons to come visit Bancroft are for their gems and to shop in the village stores. Bancroft is known for its many minerals. You can visit the Bancroft Mineral Museum to learn more about this rich history. Fun Fact: In 1901, after receiving a gift of the blue mineral, sodalite, the Princess of Wales had enough sodalite sent to England to decorate a whole room. If you're interested in doing a little of your own 'farming for sodalite', you can visit the rock farm at Princess Sodalite Mine Rock Shop, located 4 km East of Bancroft on Highway 28.
Huntsville
Location: (About 2 hrs and 20 minutes N and a little W of Peterborough)
Lions Lookout Trail is a popular spot to see the leaves turning colour and another great photo-op. This 1.3 km trail with some steep inclines offers a spectacular view of the city, surrounding hills, Muskoka River and Fairy Lake. Check out this link for all the details.
Arrowhead Provincial Park located about 10 km north of Huntsville offers 15 km of hiking trails, including a trail leading to the Stubb's Falls waterfall.
Pics above: Arrowhead Provincial Park
Haliburton Highlands
Location: (About 1 hour and 20 minutes N of Peterborough)
All you need to do is find high ground, or drive over a hill, and you will find yourself immersed in beauty. The artistic town of Haliburton is in this area and the perfect spot for a coffee or lunch.
All you need to know about fall color viewing here, including the suggested trails below can be found at this website: https://www.algonquinhighlands.ca/fall-colour-viewing.php
Algonquin Highlands trails, particularly: Circuit of 5 Viewpoints, Crests of Kennisis, or James Cooper Lookout Trail. Visit http://algonquinhighlands.ca/visitors/hiking-trails.php for details and maps for each of these routes (copied from https://www.algonquinhighlands.ca/fall-colour-viewing.php)
Skyline Park - off Highway 118, just East of the Village of Haliburton (copied from https://www.algonquinhighlands.ca/fall-colour-viewing.php)
Pics above: Skyline Park, Halibruton, ON
Panorama Park - Hwy 35 to South Lake Road, then to Panorama Park Road, just outside the Town of Minden (copied from https://www.algonquinhighlands.ca/fall-colour-viewing.php)
Pics above: Panorama Park, Minden, ON (The road leading up to the lookout is blocked off. In the picture on the right you can see my car parked at the end of the road.)
Dorset
A noteworthy destination with a tower, but currently closed due to Covid.
Algonquin Provincial Park
https://www.algonquinpark.on.ca/index.php, https://www.algonquinbound.com/discover-algonquin-park.html, https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/algonquin
Location: Ontario 60, Ontario (About 2 hours and 30 minutes N of Peterborough)
Technically, Algonquin Provincial Park is not completely in Central Ontario, but it's too beautiful not to include, and the south of it sits within the Haliburton Highlands region Check out my blog, Algonquin Park Paddle-In, if you want to experience camping at Canisbay Lake, in addition to hiking and peeping. Even if all you do is drive along Hwy 60 Corridor through the southern end of Algonquin Park, you will have much to see and enjoy!
Can't make it to Algonquin, but you still want to view the leaves? Try out the live webcam hosted by The Friends of Algonquin Park: Algonquin Park Webcam.
South of the border:
For anyone visiting the United States, check out this interactive map that will update you on the intensity of peakness from Smoky Mountains: https://smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/ . One day I'm looking forward to spending time in Maine, Vermont and New York during the fall.
Wherever you go to leaf peep in the fall, I hope you enjoy yourselves immensely. Feel free to comment and let us know your favorite destination!
Useful Websites:
Ontario Tourism: https://www.destinationontario.com/en-ca
Ontario Provincial Parks: https://www.ontarioparks.com/fallcolour
Bonjour Quebec (official tourism website): https://www.bonjourquebec.com/en-ca/explore/seasons/fall
Peterborough and The Kawarthas: https://thekawarthas.ca/itineraries/fall-driving-tour-to-burleigh-or-bust/
Kawarthas and Northumberland: https://www.destinationontario.com/en-ca/regions/kawarthas-and-northumberland
All Trails Ontario: https://www.alltrails.com/canada/ontario
Trans Canada Trail: https://tctrail.ca/
Smoky Mountains National Park: https://smokymountains.com/park/
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