Canada

by

Park Bus – Gateway to Ontario’s Parks from Toronto or Ottawa!

The minute I saw this site I was impressed.  I am sure there are many who are interested in experienceing what Ontario‘s parks have to offer, but lack the nessecary transportation to get there. Park bus tackles this problem head on providing direct transport at a reasonable price. For those of you who have never heard of parkbus (myself included until recently), they are an organization dedicated to the accessibility of Ontarios park system.  They operate bus routes that connect Toronto and Ottawa to four major parks: Algonquin, Kilarney, Bruce Penninsula and Bon Echo.

I encourage you to check it out and pass the link along!

https://www.facebook.com/#!/parkbus?group_id=0

park busparkbus

by

Algonquin Park Map

Algonquin Park is undoubtedly a core symbol of Canada and represents the biodiversity of Ontario.  It is majestic, mysterious, and for many, limited only to the campgrounds adjacent to Highway 60 which traverses the south arm of the park.  I was once a part of this group, albeit a happy member.  So when my first chance came to enjoy the interior of the park I was interested, but skeptical.  Turns out, interior campling is not all that hard as long as you do your research and little preparation.  I hope to discuss this topic at great length but for now, feel free to peruse the link below which contains a pretty sweet map of the park, its lakes, camp site, fishing oppourtunities and canoe routes.

http://www.algonquinmap.com/

Cheers

Al

by

Quinte Tourism – interactive Map

Once again I have been suckered in by the bells and whistle of a good online interactive map.  The following link is provided by Quinte Tourism and shows locations of interesting sights and tourism features in the Quinte Area.  I am always amazed at how many hidden gems there are right in my own back yard!

http://tourism.bayofquinte.ca/interactive-map/

by

April 6, 2013 – Lake Ontario

For years I have hear stories of the elusive, yet beautiful brown trout that frequesnt the shore lines of lake Ontario during the spring months.  These stories have always facinated me and I have alsways wanted to get out and try for them myself.

Finally I was able to make the trip up to Wellington in Prince Edward County (Ontario) to take a crack at these elusive fish.

Wind conditions were perfect and the temperature was a balmy 5 degrees.  Pretty decent for being on such a big lake in April!

We launched out of the Town of Wellington which is just north of the Sandbanks Provincial Park.

The launch is pretty decent and constructed of concrete at a good angle.  Launch Fee was 6$.  After a painless launch we were off and heading through the channel to the big lake. ( TIP: I hear the channel at the launch needs to be dredged every year due to inflow of sand so be warned, you may not be able to get out if you are trying to launch a big boat any sooner than mid March)

IMG_0914

We moved south about 500 metres and began trolling an assortment of spoons and stick baits in anywhere from 9 to 30 FOW using straight lining and planar boards.  Trolled past the sandbanks right up to and round the point just west of west lake.  We clearly werent the only ones with the idea of chasing Brown trout as we encountered at least 10 other boast and a pair or adventurous Kayak fisherman.  Marked a few fish in varying depths of water but couldnt get any hits.   As they say thats why they call it fishing, not catching.

On the bright side we were at least we were able to enjoy a beautful day on the clear blue waters of Lake Ontario away from the stresses of life.

IMG_0917 IMG_0918 IMG_0920

Until Next Time…

Cheers

Al

by

2013 Ontario Fishing Regulations

Exactly what it sounds like, Fishing Regulations for the province of Ontario.

Notable Changes:  Bass season opens on June 15 and a slot size has been added for Walleye in Zone 18.

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/LetsFish/Publication/STEL02_163615.html

by

Hiking Opportunities near Kingston, Ontario

Hiking oppoutunities in the Kingston, Ontario area as provided by the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve Community.

HikingTrails_Overview_with_roads

http://www.frontenacarchbiosphere.ca/explore/fab-trails/hike/hiking-trails

This resource impressed me when I stumbled upon it for the first time.  Although it does not include all the hiking oppourtunities in the area it does include some of the more well know and better maintained trails, parks and reserves.

Enjoy!

UPDATE 2017-02-28 – The map is no longer available at the old link.  I have replaced the link with a list of trails instead.

Cheers

Al

by

Topographical Maps

Topographic maps are vital components to many outdoor activities.  Knowledge of the landscape can assist with choosing portage routes, selecting promising hunting grounds or even identifying the best spots to set up camp.

One of my favourite sources for topography maps is the Atlas of Canada‘s data delivery system Toporama (and not just beacuase I am a sucker for a good online mapping program!).

Toporama provides 5m topographic contours for all of Canada overlaying some decent base mapping layers.  Although other more detailed sources are available, not many are available online or are this easy to use.  As an added bonus, Toporama also includes some pretty comprehensive base mapping layers ranging from from road networks all the way to wetlands and almost everything in between.

Toporama Website:

http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/toporama/index.html

by

Crown Land Use

Is the reason why you are not outside right now enjoying what nature has to offer because you don’t know where to go?

Your in luck!  Crown land is publically accessible and available to everyone.  The following link is for the Ministry of Natural Resource’s online mapping program which identifies areas of crown land in Ontario.

http://www.mnr.gov.on.ca/en/Business/LUEPS/2ColumnSubPage/STDU_137972.html

Please note, some areas have limited or restricted uses.  these uses are described by type in the legend or information sections of the browser.

Enjoy!