Four Days in Paddling Heaven: Canoeing in Quetico Provincial Park

September 16, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 23 Comments

Humbling is the first word that comes to mind when I think of our canoe trip in Quetico. Our most challenging camping experience so far, it was also exhilarating, spectacular and awe-inspiring but, first and foremost, it was humbling. The couple that we met right after finishing the route echoed our sentiments. As the guy put it, any delusions he may have had about being a tough outdoorsman that never gives up and keeps battling the elements were put to rest. And I have to agree. If I were to pick the most important lesson learned, or rather reinforced, during our Quetico canoe trip, it would be respect for the power of nature.

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Camping in Quetico Provincial Park

September 11, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 1 Comment

A few years ago, as I was looking through Wilderness Ontario, a beautiful book of images by photojournalists and explorers Gary and Joanie McGuffin, I came across a picture of a canoe gliding across a vast expanse of a blue lake with a rocky outcrop and a lone pine in the foreground. According to the caption, the picture was taken in Quetico Provincial Park. I didn’t know much about Quetico back then and we were just novice canoeists but I knew I wanted to go there. So imagine my excitement when we finally arrived in this remote northern park on a beautiful August evening.

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Pinery Magic: 10 Things We Love About Pinery Provincial Park

September 9, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 5 Comments

Camping at Pinery Provincial Park during the Labour Day Weekend has now become a tradition. This beautiful park with its endless sand dunes and inviting waters of Lake Huron is an excellent place to cap off the adventure-filled camping season. This year was no different. With firm support from weather gods, we spent the last few school-free days trying to wring every last drop of the fleeting summer out of the unusually hot September weekend.

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Almost Backpacking in Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

September 3, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 13 Comments

Sleeping Giant is one of our favourite Ontario Parks. It boasts some of the highest cliffs in the province that look like a enormous lying figure, hence Sleeping Giant (although to me, it looks more like a giantess). Add lots of amazing views of Lake Superior, over 100 kilometres of hiking and biking trails, swimming and canoeing, and excellent wildlife viewing opportunities and you’ve got Sleeping Giant Provincial Park. (Read my post on Parks Blogger Ontario to learn more about Sleeping Giant and all the fun things you can do there.)

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Hiking the Western Uplands Backpacking Trail in Algonquin Provincial Park

August 6, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 18 Comments

Anyone who has ever tried backpacking knows that it comes with many challenges. Trekking through the woods with a heavy backpack is a major trial of physical fitness and stamina. It is also a test of character: ability to keep going even if your backpack seems to be getting heavier with every step, readiness to pitch in with campsite chores even when you’d rather collapse in your tent after a long day on the trail, willingness to adjust your expectations, remain patient and find ways to enjoy the experience through every rugged turn of the trail, pouring rain, relentless mosquitoes and occasional complaints from the youngest members of the group.

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Camping in Silent Lake Provincial Park

July 20, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 5 Comments

Some camping trips are filled with a lot of activities, while others are for relaxing and taking things slowly. Our camping trip this past weekend was of the latter kind: relaxing, slow-paced, with good friends, delicious food, beautiful music and interesting conversations.

We headed to Silent Lake Provincial Park near Bancroft in Eastern Ontario. This park is named after a beautiful, placid lake with a rocky shoreline typical of the Canadian Shield region.

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Lake Superior Circle Tour: Part II – Porcupine Mountains, Apostle Islands and more

July 13, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 3 Comments

In my previous post, I wrote about the first part of our Lake Superior Circle Tour, which included a train ride through Agawa Canyon and exploring Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. After we left the Bay Furnace campground near Pictured Rocks, we made a few stops at various waterfalls and arrived at Porcupine Mountains shortly after sunset. The Lake was unusually quiet and perfectly smooth, and the transition between water and sky was seamless, almost invisible.

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Lake Superior Circle Tour: Part I – Agawa Canyon and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

July 9, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 3 Comments

Lake Superior doesn’t need introduction or promotion. Part of the Great Lakes, it is the world’s largest freshwater lake in area and third largest by volume. The Ojibway called it the Gitche Gumee, which means ‘great sea.’ And that’s exactly what it is – a great, beautiful sea.

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Canoe Camping in Killarney Provincial Park

June 29, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 7 Comments

Where do I even find the words to describe the beauty that is Killarney Provincial Park? It is often called the crown jewel of Ontario Park system, and deservedly so. Over 600 square kilometres of iconic wilderness, these striking landscapes of pink granite and white quartzite ridges peppered with jack pines and interspersed with clear, sapphire lakes were an inspiration for the Group of Seven artists. In fact, they were so captivated by its beauty that they persuaded the Ontario government to turn the area into a park. The birthplace of Killarney, formerly known as Trout Lake, is now called O.S.A., which stands for the Ontario Society of Artists, to recognize their role in the creation of Killarney Provincial Park. And that’s where we got to camp this past weekend.

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Around the Big Bend: Canoeing in Arrowhead Provincial Park

June 16, 2015August 12, 2016 / Oleksandra Budna / 14 Comments

I remember the times when we only went camping on long weekends. I can’t help but wonder how we managed to survive between the trips. Now to get a constant supply of Vitamin N, we plan quick weekend getaways at least every other week throughout the summer.

Camping at Arrowhead Provincial Park

This past weekend, we headed to Arrowhead Provincial Park. We have already been there a few times but we like going back. This park is a little over two hours away from Toronto but has a pretty secluded, remote feel to it. Plus it offers a variety of activities so you never get bored. The only drawback is occasional noise from Highway 11. This time we booked a site close to Stubbs Falls so the sound of the rushing water helped to drown out the road. Close proximity to the waterfalls also meant that we could just stop by any time we wanted. For our younger son, it was a big outdoor playground where he could climb, slide and pretend he was Spiderman.