Experience Spring at Ontario Parks

Spring is here and there is no better season to get out and enjoy the many wonders of our parks here in Ontario. Opening dates for seasonal parks vary, so be sure to check park operating dates before you go at https://www.ontarioparks.com/operatingdates/2017. Here are five fun ways to celebrate spring at Ontario Parks:

Take your kids on a kid-friendly hike

Matt Cunliffe, an Ontario Parks naturalist, has written a post for the Parks Blog that shows you how to get your kids interested in the magical sights, sounds and smells of the season.http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/5-kid-friendly-signs-of-spring/

Use your smartphone as a field guide

Photograph a butterfly, video tape a slow-moving turtle or record a birdsong then search a match for each and enter your geotagged observation. Turn your smartphone into a field guide on your next park visit. Here are seven free apps to choose from, http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/citizen-science-apps/

Get to know your songbirds

Provincial parks along Lake Ontario, Lake Erie and Lake Huron host songbird festivals every spring. If you’re a budding birder, this is an opportunity to learn your birds through the eyes of expert birders and park naturalists. Join morning bird walks, guided night hikes and workshops with birdbanding demonstrations and nature photography. Here are this year’s festivals and dates, http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/spring-birding-festivals/.

Go fishing

Anglers fish for trout just after April ice-out. Walleye fishing season begins a bit later, in mid May. If you’re looking for a fishing trip of a lifetime, try one of these Northeastern Ontario Parks, http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/8-bucket-list-fishing-trips-in-northeastern-ontario/. Would you like to learn to fish? Sign up for a free Learn to Fish lesson at Ontario Parks. Equipment and instruction are provided. https://www.ontario.ca/page/learn-fish.

Discover why your favourite park is a one-of-a-kind

Ontario’s most popular parks have a major challenge. They must balance their ecological integrity while providing park recreation. Discover what goes on behind-the-scenes of your favourite park and you may be surprised. Sandbanks Provincial Park is a good example. “Most people think of Sandbanks’ beaches, but there’s so much more.” says Yvette Bree. The park’s Natural Heritage Education Leader was this year’s winner of the Ontario Parks Ecological Integrity Award. She wants visitors to appreciate how unique and fragile Sandbanks is. Learn more about the “Protector of the Dunes” at http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/ecological-integrity-award-2016-sandbanks/

Do you have a favourite park in Ontario that you and your family love to visit? 

Share yours below, and how you love to experience your favourite Ontario Parks.

Reprinted with permission. Post provided by Ontario Parks.