2022 redo:Toronto- Bruce Peninsula- Niagara trip ideas

[Acorn]

Hi. We are looking at a summer trip to southern Ontario.  I'd like my son to attend an event in Toronto for a couple days, even though  cities aren't our usual vacation thing. We would be camping for the rest of the trip.  Some of the hiking in Bruce Peninsula looks great. Has anyone been there? Will it be crowded in June? Recommendations? The Hive has always planned great trips for us. 
 

ETA 2022:

The trip is back on, but without much planning time. I’m disappointed but not surprised to find the backcountry campsites in Bruce Peninsula NP are all reserved for the dates I’d like in July. 
We most likely will cross borders in Windsor and Niagara. I think there are car camping sites near Niagara Falls, NY. What is fun to do in Toronto, with a teen who resents being pulled along on sibling’s adventure?  We will be in Toronto for four nights, hope we can park SUV somewhere.  

Edited April 6, 2022 by Acorn

[MEmama]

I don’t think I’ve been to the national park but we used to camp in Goderich and I think we’ve been to Sauble Falls. It’s been a couple decades.

 Lake Huron is beautiful, the colors are gorgeous.  The weather is always bad—it’s essentially the upper Midwest after all, so it can be hot and muggy and buggy in June. Or nicer on the lake if you get lucky. But it is really pretty. 

Algonquin would be my rec for the outdoors. 

Of course I’d spend all my time in Toronto because there’s just so much to do. 🙂

ETA: I’d skip Niagara entirely. The crowds are not worth the 30 seconds of looking at a waterfall. 

Edited January 23, 2020 by MEmama

[wintermom]

People in southern Ontario seem to especially love the Georgian Bay area of Lake Huron, so you're probably right on focusing on Bruce Peninsula.

Other southern Ontario attractions are Stratford (Shakespeare festival and really pretty town), Niagara-on-the-lake (vineyards, wine tours, orchards, shops), and you pretty much have to at least stop and look at Niagara Falls once you're there. There are paths to walk under the falls, if you are adventurous.

 

Edited January 23, 2020 by wintermom

[Acorn]

Bumping back up for more ideas of where to go for hiking in Ontario, and how to enjoy Toronto-for people who don’t visit big cities.

Also, it’s a weird processing the pandemic thing of realizing how much our lives have changed. Yes, my son is finally going to a competition that got canceled in 2020.  However, we are realizing if he hadn’t missed two years of events, he would have been closer to his goals. I don’t know how to explain exactly. 

[wintermom]

Toronto has some really cool places to see. If you need to get out of the highrise jungle, taking the ferry across to Centre Island is really nice. There are really nice museums (art, science), the Beaches is a cool area, accending the CN tower is fun. There are also attractions like the Midieval Times dinner and tournament, and Canada's Wonderland amusement park. You might also be able to catch a major league baseball game. The Blue Jays play downtown right beside the CN tower.

Driving around and parking in Toronto is going to be like any big city. If you can get places by public transport, it may be easier. They have street cars in some parts of the downtown core, as well as subway and bus. 

Edited April 6, 2022 by wintermom

[MEmama]

Agreeing with @wintermom. Going to the top of the CN tower is fun—there’s a glass floor you can stand on (when DS was little he liked to jump on it, to the horror of helicopter moms lol) and see the city below your feet. I’m not usually into touristy things but I’d recommend doing it— if you get lucky with a clear day you can see the mist of Niagara Falls on the other side of the lake.

Centre Island is a lovely, quiet place to regroup if the city gets to be too much. We love cities but all three of us have a habit of seeking out natural areas within the urban landscape. Toronto has lots— or, it used to. I haven’t been in ages and it’s grown up so.much.

The Toronto Music Garden is lovely. It’s an open garden on the waterfront, with concerts in summer. I’ve not been to a concert but we always enjoyed the gardens, beautiful in all seasons. There’s a wetlands garden to, IIRC, also along the waterfront. Oh! And a childrens garden if you have little ones! Toronto is soooo family friendly.

Your teen might enjoy Kensington Market— it’s a cool, funky area with lots of vintage shops and so on. I’d turn them loose there for an afternoon. And of course if your family is even remotely interested in hockey, don’t miss the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Have fun! 

[wathe]

Hiking: Day hikes or multi-way back-country?

Keep in mind that the Bruce Peninsula and Algonguin Park aren't really all that close to Toronto - you can expect a 4 hour drive to get to Tobermory from downtown T.O., and 4 hours to Algonquin.

Algonquin has at least a dozen really good day hikes that are very easy to access on the highway 60 corridor section.  Range from 2 km super easy (mostly boardwalk Spruce Bog trail and mostly gravel Lookout trail) to quite challenging 10km with lots of elevation changes (Centennial Ridges trail). I've hiked them all.

Algonquin also has two multi-day backpacking loops accessible from the highway 60 corridor (which is the logical access from Toronto).  I haven't done these, by I hear they are nice.

Kilarney Provincial Park LaCloche trail  is a 78k multi-day loop  that is stunning.  Takes  a week to do the whole thing, but you could do shorter out-and-back trip from one of the trail heads - I've done this over a weekend.

The Bruce Trail is 900km and runs from Niagara to the tip of the Bruce Peninsula.  Some sections are very pretty.  Some are urban (it runs right through Hamilton), some through cultivated countryside, and much is through forest.  The northern sections are more rugged and wild, southern sections less so.  Maps are available online.

Provincal Park camping has exploded in popularity during the pandemic.  Reserving sites is a real headache.

[wathe]

June is peak mosquito season here.  Be prepared for that!

[wathe]

If you do decide to stay on the Bruce Peninsula, then Bruce Trail sections are definitely your best bet.