Exploring the National Parks of Southern Ontario

Blog #1: Celebrate Canada’s Sesquicentennial in Our National Parks!

By N. Glenn Perrett

Photos © Lynn and Glenn Perrett

For the last few years my wife Lynn and I have explored the six national parks in southern Ontario for our recently published book Southern Ontario's National Parks.

Those of us who reside in southern Ontario are fortunate to have this many national parks in this part of the province. We don’t have to travel too far to enjoy:

• Point Pelee National Park,
• Bruce Peninsula National Park,
• Fathom Five National Marine Park,
• Georgian Bay Islands National Park,
• Rouge National Urban Park and
• Thousand Islands National Park

And when it comes to wilderness and natural habitat these parks are some of the best in the area.

                                             Flowerpot Island
                              Fathom Five National Marine Park

There is lots to do in these parks – everything from hiking, camping, swimming and canoeing to picnicking, bird watching, photography – and lots more! And being in nature is good for you as studies show that being in forests and other natural surroundings can help with stress, ADHD, anxiety, depression and a variety of other ills. Being in close proximity to water also has health benefits and all six parks feature lots of water.

Every trip we made to a national park was a great time. Future blogs will feature each of the national parks in southern Ontario as well as what you can see and do there throughout the seasons so check back to learn more about these special places.

Marsh Boardwalk                                                            
Point Pelee National Park                                                      

N. Glenn Perrett is a writer and environmentalist whose book Southern Ontario's National Parks has just been published by Fitzhenry & Whiteside.

Next blog: Bruce Peninsula National Park & Fathom Five National Marine Park

Go to the Exploring Southern Ontario's National Parks blog home page

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                                              Beausoleil Island                                                                                                    Boulder Beach                                                                                                                 Landon Bay                                                                    Bob Hunter Memorial Park
                         Georgian Bay Islands National Park                                                                 Bruce Peninsula National Park                                                                                Thousand Islands National Park                                              Rouge National Urban Park

Click here to see a slideshow of full-size images from this page.