Outdoors

What an incredible and fun trip this one was! We were in Site #299 in Hawk Ridge in the Huron Campground. This was a wonderful campsite, perfect for 2 tents and 2 cars and very private and quiet.

We left Mississauga after work and finally arrived at MacGregor around 9:15pm. Our buddy Matt arrived shortly afterwards which was helpful to have the extra hands in setting up out giant tent in the dark! After we were all settled, we sat around the campfire and enjoyed some drinks and catching up. No raccoons but there were tons of glow-worms everywhere! Very cool to see.

Saturday morning, we woke up and enjoyed a yummy breakfast of bacon and eggs (a staple in our camp trips). We packed up our hiking bag and ventured off for a day of hiking. We hiked Tower Trail and did some viewing at the Ducks Unlimited Wetland Project...looking for otters and King Fishers but only saw a family of ducks. Along the trail after the lookout, there were frogs everywhere! And I mean, you had to watch the ground because they were jumping out from under you with each step.

We hiked Kempf's Trail to the Old Shore Road trail and spent a lot of time exploring the rocky shorelines of Lake Huron. We treked to Mergenser Cove where we spent over an hour looking for frogs and snakes, hopping rocks and generally just being kids again...which was fun. Sometimes you have to do that.

There were so many frogs and Keir found a Northern Ribbon Snake along the pond which actually was fairly aggressive so we figuered that Keir may have stepped close to a den.

We continued to check out Water Snake Pond which was closed as the boardwalk was tilted and lifting. I was really disappointed as this is one of my favourite locations to look for frogs.

Sunday was a chilly day and we definitely needed some jackets. We decided to spend our last full day exploring the other half of the Old Shore Road Trail. We went to the beach where we found more frogs along the stream that trickles into the reeds at the beach. We explored all the small collections of water and rocks in search of more frogs and snakes. We continued hiking to the Huron Fringe Trail to Turtle Pond in hopes of seeing an Egret but definitely was not disappointed when we came across a Blue Heron instead.

Upon meeting back up with the Old Shore Road Trail, we hiked to Sunset Point for a gorgeous view of Lake Huron. Eventually, we ended up at Pitcher Plant Marl which is fascininating. The Pitcher Plant is a large, carniviorous plant and the entire area is just interesting.

By the time we returned to the beach, it was dusk. We once again looked for frogs and also captured some beautiful images of the sunset.

Before we went back to our site, we hiked Huron Fringe hoping to see the Heron but it seemed to have left for the evening. As we left the trail, Keir spotted a small raccoon climbing down the tree right beside us. Very cute!

No raccoons that night but we got some lightning and a bit of thunder rolling through.

Monday was our last day and we woke up early in the morning. It was very cold and wet, definitely needed some layers. Matt and I went back to Turtle Pond looking for the Heron and he was there. I was so excited. We went back and hung out at the site, waiting for the tent to dry which didn't take long as the sun peeked out for a little bit. Thankfully, we didn't need to dry the tent on the balcony!

Another wonderful trip to MacGregor!

Another trip to Murphys Point Provincial Park and returned to our home at site #135 on Old Stone Road in Fallows Campground.

We left Mississauga bright and early on Thursday morning and reached Murphys about 11:30am. The weather was grey and there was a very light drizzle on the way there. However, if you have taken Highway 7, no matter the weather, the view is gorgeous.

Once we had the site set up, we went to the store to purchase some firewood. Beside the store is the visitors centre where they had an information session about the endangered Rat Snake. What a beautiful creature!

That evening we took our fishing gear out to the end of the beach at Hogg Bay but cut it short as the wind was too strong and the fish weren't biting. On the way back through the parking lot, I spotted a large porcupine sleeping on a branch in a tree on the edge of the forest. That night as we sat around the fire, we had at least two small raccoons pass through...and there were definitely more visitors after we went to sleep. When we woke up, there were little prints all over the car!

We woke up on Friday to a cool, damp morning but after a hot breakfast of bacon, eggs and coffee, we were ready for a canoe trip. We packed our fishing gear, some lunch, rented the canoe from the store and launched from the beach at Hogg Bay. We paddled to the edge of Big Rideau Lake before turning back around. On our way back, we spotted what looked like a turtle swimming towards the canoe. As it got closer, it appeared to be a young beaver! He swam beside us, appearing to be unaware that we were there before he quickly dove under and changed direction.

We continued along Hogg Bay, past the beach until we reached the portage to Loon Lake. It was a very calm and beautiful location so we decided to sit down for a snack and some fishing. There were a few nibbles but didn't catch anything. We did however, get the opportunity to see a beautiful Great Blue Heron fly past us so close that you could hear and feel his wings as he flew past us.

We continued out trek on the portage to Loon Lake where we saw lots of little frogs in the mud and a few turtles along the way. Loon Lake has really pretty scenery and just a calm, relaxing feeling. It's not very busy as there is not a beach, however there is a portage to Loon Lake behind the campstore.

We then portaged back to Hogg Bay where we paddled along the shore looking for more frogs and turtles.

Keir dropped me back off as I needed to return to the campsite quickly but it wasn't until my way back to the beach that I spotted the same porcupine still sitting in the tree as the day before...except this time, there was a baby with it! You have not seen cute until you've seen a baby porcupine learning to climb a tree. After about 10 minutes, it made it's way to the top!

As I was helping Keir pull the canoe out of the water, a red and white water snake slithered out of the reeds and into the water. We definitely had a successful canoe trip with lots of wildlife to see.

We returned the canoe and were determined to catch a fish. We went to the boat launch along the shore near Big Rideau Lake and Keir caught a Rock Bass! I was also very excited as I caught my very first fish, also a Rock Bass...I was very excited. Keir ended up catching a small sunfish but when we ran out of worms, the fish lost interest...which was fine as it started to rain.

We had another raccoon go through the site but as we were sleeping, they were definitely not as quiet as the night before! They got adventureous and the corner of the tent was rattling...silly raccoons.

Saturday brought us to day 3. After breakfast, we immediately packed our gear up as there was a chance of rain ...it ended up not raining but better to be safe than have to dry a tent on your balcony!

On the drive out, we stopped at Noble Bay and got some pictures. Great scenery and there were lots of fish...good to know for next time!

We had an amazing trip and I can't wait to go back. See you soon Murphys!

Ferris Provincial Park is located in the Southeast Parks and is along the Trent River and south of Campbellford, Ontario. Our site was #123 in the Bedrock Campground. This was another quick weekend camping trip and definitely worth it. Like Sibbald Point, Ferris Provinical Park once belonged to a family (The Ferris Family) and became a provincial Park in 1975.

It was an insanely hot and humid weekend. It had not rained in awhile and everything was so dry. The grass was burned and the slightest movement cause a whirlwind of dust. Our site was small but with some good thinking, we placed the tent and car in spots that allowed us to maximize the space.

We hiked to the town of Campbellford and back...if you ran out of anything during a longer stay and the camp store didn't have it, the convenience of hiking into town is definitely a bonus.

Three campsites down from us there was a man-made nesting post where a family of Osprey were. No one had booked that site for the weekend so we had many opportunities to watch the family...which was incredible as we were able to watch them hunt and successfully catch a smaller bird...and then be attacked by its mate! We were also able to catch some glimpses of the baby osprey in the nest. It was really amazing to be that close.

There was a great spot for photos on the Ranney Trail standing on the suspension bridge. There was also 3 loops on the Drumlin Trail which were very hilly...probably more enjoyable on not such a humid weekend.

No raccoons but we did have a family of red squirrels nesting in a tree on our site as well as tons of dragonflies and fireflies. A very clean and well maintained park, quiet and a nice relaxing place!

Presqu'ile Provincial Park is located in the Southeast Parks, south of Brighton. We were in the Hidden Valley campground and originally booked site#259 but found it way too small for our tent and re-booked at site#259. This park is amazing for bird watching and actually has a huge bird sighting board near the gatehouse.

We arrived after two days of rain and the mosquitos were everywhere. All the campsites were fairly small but the new one we had worked out okay. Privacy wasn't fantastic but with proper placement of the car and tent, it ended up fine.

On our first day there, we checked out the Lighthouse Footpath (0.3KM). It is a historic trail important to the history of the park. There is a great gift store and information centre as well as lots of frogs poking up from the mud. We also went to Calf Pasture Lookout which was very pretty but had no luck in seeing a heron.

Jobes' Woods Trail (1KM) was an easy trail with SO MANY mosquitos. It was hard to stop and take pictures because the little things attacked you with any chance they got. We did however see a Green Frog and a Banded Garden Spider.

The Marsh Boardwalk (1.2KM) was by far, my favourite trail in the park. At the very first lookout we saw an egret and saw a great view of the surrounding land. As you walked along the boardwalk, it was a really amazing experience. The reeds and grass were tall and you couldn't see much on either side but you could hear the birds singing and the flapping of the wings. They were close but you couldn't see them. Once in awhile one would flitter out and land infront of you but by the time you pulled the camera up, it was gone.

We were very surprised as we walked around a bend and came face to face with a Mute Swan. Now if you have ever been to Stratford, Ontario and seen the swans there, they seem small after the ones at Presqu'ile. There were 4 adults and aproximately 3-4 babies...it was hard to tell as the babies were all bundled together.

This trail also took us through a really interesting part of the forest where we discovered "Horse Trees."

Owen Point Trail (1.6KM) was probably the most interesting trail. It had many lookout points onto protected parts of the beach where various birds breed/live. We saw a cute family of geese, hundreds of seagulls, and killdeer.

Needless to say, our first day there was packed full of hiking and exploring.

Our second and last day we returned to the Marsh Boardwalk in the early morning and once again saw the egret. We also saw 2 small beavers splashing in the water just before the second lookout.

Before we left, we decided to hike the Pioneer Trail (3.8KM). The grass was extremely long in the field portion and actually made it very difficult to get through and not enjoyable at all...but it is what it is and it's part of the trail...I definitely liked Jobes Woods Trail better.

We had 2 raccoons travel through our campsite Saturday night but they didn't stop and stayed close to the edge of the forest.

It took us approximately 2.5 hours to get back home to the GTA which makes this place great for a short weekend trip when you're looking to get out of the city.

This trip was a short weekend trip with friends who introduced us to this park. The weather was good but chilly in the evening and it poured rain on our last day.

This park used to be property belonging to the Sibbald Family. There is an interesting museum located in the family manor which we visited. There is also the family church but we did not get a chance to check it out.

There is a nice large beach which was great for relaxing with friends. Sibbald Point does not have many trails and the few that it does have, are not very long and appear to take you around a short hike aproximately 2KM.

Sibbald Point was very clean and well maintained although very busy with a family and young people crowd...what we call a "party park". Beautiful scenery and a nice place to go with friends.

MacGregor Point is probably one of the most beautiful places to explore in the Ontario Parks system. Keir and I had both been here before with friends or school trips and we were eager to go back.

The weather was good; it was warm with a bit of sun although some of the days had cloud cover. When you're hiking in the summer, sometimes cloud cover can be a good thing.

We stayed in the Nippising Campground on Egret Circle, Site # 135. It was a great site, large and private surrounded by lots of trees.

MacgGregor Point has amazing trails but hike with caution as there is poison ivy everywhere. Some of the trails are also not very wide so if you are exploring on a bike, take care of hikers who might step in poison ivy trying to get out of your way....like me (wash with soap and water as soon as you can, it will help).

There is a great beach which has a huge number of frogs. There is also a large playground area for children....or us because tire swings are the best.

Our favourite trail at MacGregor is "Tower Trail" which is aproximately 3.5KM and takes you around an amazing view of the wetland and has a great observation tower where you can waterfowl and other wildlife. On a previous trip, I was able to watch an otter swim at the base of the tower. A few weeks prior to this particular trip, a mother bear and her cub were spotted wandering through.

We also hiked around a small area called "Water Snake Pond" which was a fantastic muddy area with tons of frogs and of course, raccoon prints.

Sunset Point was a trail off the beach which had a beautiful view with the sunset reflecting off the clear water of Lake Huron. We also explored "Turtle Pond" which can be accessed by the Huron Fringe Trail off the Old Shore Road Trail. Turtle Pond has never been a disappointment for wildlife viewing as we often saw an Egret in the shoreline.

On our last day, we decided to take an early morning hike to Turtle Poind which lead us to an amazing opportunity to vew a family of raccoons enjoying some breakfast. There were four, a momma and three babies. We were able to quietly observe them for about five minutes before the boardwalk creaked and they scampered underneath.

We have been able to explore all the hiking trails at MacGregor, approximately 15.5Km...and we often did many of the trails more than once, they are amazing.

This camping trip marked our first of many outdoor adventures together. Murphys Point is located in the "Southeast Region" of the Ontario Parks system, near Perth. It is a beautiful park, family oriented and although on the smaller scale, it offers wonderful opportunities for wildlife viewing with numerous activities to experience day or night.

During this particular trip, we booked in the Fallows Campgound on Old Stone Road, Site #135. The campsite was clean and private with water and privy a few sites down. We like booking sites that aren't directly around those areas to avoid pedestrian traffic.

The weather was good for much of the trip except for the last day when he had to pack up our gear in the rain. Since then, we have purchased a very large tarp to hang over the tent area as we only have a balcony and attemping to dry the fly of an 8-man tent takes 2-3 days.

This park had been a place of childhood memories for Keir and I was excited to share in what he loved so much about it. We rented a canoe from the park store and picked our canoe up from Hogg Bay where we spent the afternoon on the calm water exploring all the corners and edges it had to offer.

We had the wonderful opportunity to see a loon gliding across as well as a beautiful great blue heron on the small island across from the beach. If you paddle quietly or stop and allow the water to carry you, you can also see many turtles sunbathing on logs and fish swimming under the canoe.

The beach at Hogg Bay had frogs upon frogs in the reeds and along the shore, they were fun to watch...I can spend hours looking for frogs...ask Keir.

We had a few nightime visitors wander through the campsite but the raccoons were very shy and kept moving through the site.

For our canoe trip and our walks to the beach we packed peanut butter and jam sandwiches and dinner came with the usual hotdogs meal. I introduced Keir however to the simplicity of campfire quesidillas and now we have them everytime we go!

Murphys Point has hiking trails but this is the only provincial park we have been to...numerous times where we have not hiked a single trail! The wildlife viewing is so amazing even from the campsites along with the enjoyment of the canoe trips, we seem to run out of time! Our next trip to Murphys Point will definitely need to include the exploration of their trails!

It is a beautiful place to be; the staff are extremely friendly, the sites are well maintained, and the scenery of the park leaves it to be without a doubt, a favourite of ours and we will always go back.