Summer Road Trip Series: Ontario EcoTourism Guide

An ecotourism escape doesn’t always involve skipping over glowing lava flows in Hawaii, or tiptoeing around the rainforest floor in Costa Rica. Nor does any camping trip automatically qualify as an ecotour.

Right here in Ontario, you can enjoy thousands of unique green adventures not far from your backyard (well, not as far from your backyard as Hawaii.)

From fast action to graceful beauty, these low-impact tours of the province’s natural wonders will raise your awareness of our local wild spaces. And in doing so, you may just help protect these fragile treasures:

Foraging for your food in Temagami
One of the great hidden gems of the home of the world’s largest old-growth red and white pine forests. Check in to the Smoothwater EcoLodge for a truly sustainable stay (among other things, co-owner Caryn Colman encourages guests to “adopt a napkin” for use over several days) where you can pick and harvest your own food for a meal. All food (including vegetables, herbs, lamb, and edible flowers) are grown on-site. Try a fruit flan made from ingredients found within one kilometre, and take a sip of tasty home-brewed spruce-beer.
Location: 47.175026, -79.737332
More: http://www.smoothwater.com

Birding at Point Pelee
Close to 400 species of birds call this – the southernmost tip of mainland Canada – home, at some point in the year. If you’ve brought out the big guns for some prize shooting, you’re likely talking one of those zoom lenses so big that it (not the camera body) threads directly on to your tripod ; ) Also on-tap are hundreds of wetland species, viewable from a vast boardwalk and lookout tower.
Location: 47.175026, -79.737332
More: http://friendsofpointpelee.com/

Stargazing in Ontario’s Dark Sky Preserves
Believe it or not, the night sky is actually a protected resource in some parts of Canada, including several in Ontario. Just west of the cottage country town of Gravenhurst is the Torrance Barrens Dark Sky Preserve. Though it features crystal-clear views of planets, stars, nebulae, and galaxies, there are no overnight facilities. For that, hear to Manitoulin Island’s Gordon’s Park for a cabin or tepee-based astronomy experience. The park also holds several seasonal “star parties” to further celebrate the emerging ecotourism pursuit of “wilderness astronomy.”
Location, Gordon’s Park: 41.954639, -82.513161
More: http://www.gordonspark.com/astronomy.html
http://www.wildernessastronomy.com

Scuba diving in Tobermory
The scuba-diving capital of Canada is a few hours north of Toronto and features 20 shipwrecks, some more than 100 years old. If you haven’t already been certified to dive, local staff offer instruction and guided tours. Accommodation is available in town or at unserviced campsites in Fathom Five National Marine Reserve, the location of many of the wrecks.
Location: 45.713851, -81.963501
More: http://www.diversden.ca/ds_map.html
http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/amnc-nmca/on/fathomfive/activ/activ2.aspx

Touring the top of the forest in Haliburton
We’ve mentioned the Haliburton Forest several times, but this hidden gem deserves a re-mention here as a stand-out destination for sustainable touring. From canopy tours to stargazing to interior camping to trail running in all seasons, you could consider the facility Ontario’s ecotourism sample platter.
Location: 45.251688, -81.66687
More: http://www.haliburtonforest.com/canopy.html

Tracking extreme fauna in Algonquin Park
Why would you throw up around a moose? You wouldn’t, but if you’d like to attract one for a close-up (not too close – rutting moose can be more dangerous than a bear), you best make your best barfy sound, which it what a moose call sounds like. Not up for it yet, head to an Algonquin-area outfitter for a guided tour of the wildlife of one of Canada’s most prominent parks.
Location: 45.572716, -78.358612
More: http://www.paddlingontario.com/package.cfm?catID=5&subCatID=48&packageID=361

Soar with butterflies in Niagara Falls
Yes, we admit the city of Niagara Falls is about as far from an ecotourism Mecca as possible, but remember the small matter of the giant set of waterfalls across from all those casinos? Never mind the natural wonders of a little-known animal playground nearby…No, we’re not talking about Marineland, we’re talking the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory. Here, this waterfall-infused wildlife sanctuary for thousands of these fluttery creatures lets you see these wonders of nature up-close, from their emergence from their larval stage to adults who fly up and away.
Location: 45.729191, -78.714294
More: http://www.niagaraparks.com/garden-trail/butterfly-conservatory.html

The above is just our road-trip picks for our favourite unique ecotours in the province. But there are so many more adventures we couldn’t get to. For a more extensive look at what’s available, check out the Ontario Ecotourism Society: http://www.toes.ca/

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