One-Tank Trip for
March 9/13
By Jim Fox
It’s time to get into
the great outdoors to perhaps start to say farewell to winter.
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| Titus Mountain Family Ski Center is the place for some Adirondack Mountains’ fun in New York State. |
Give a hoot
March is the time
for an owl prowl in Ontario Parks as some of the critters are nesting and many
will be hooting to proclaim their territories.
It’s more likely to
see or hear Barred, Great Horned and Screech owls in southern Ontario while
farther north, Barred owls are more common with their “who-cooks-for-you”
calls.
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| Owl sighting in Killarney Provincial Park. (Will Kershaw) |
Many provincial
parks also have saw-whet owls and Presqu’ile is regularly visited by snowy owls
from the far north.
It’s best to plan
an evening walk in an area with lots of cover at a time when it isn’t windy as
owls don’t tend to call then.
Hike, skate, ski
Over this March
Break week, there are plenty of other park options including hiking, skating,
skiing, snowshoeing and waterfowl watching.
As well, guided
hikes and natural heritage activities are planned on weekends this month in
numerous parks.
At MacGregor Point
Provincial Park on Lake Huron, northwest of London, break activities include
guided day and night hikes and an ice-skating trail through the woods.
The park has 16
eight-sided, heated yurts (tent-like structures) for overnight winter camping, also
available at six other parks.
Arrowhead
Provincial Park near Huntsville has cross-country skiing and snowshoe trails as
well as an ice-skating course through the woods lighted at night by torches, a
tubing hill and skating rink.
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| Skiers enjoy accommodation in a yurt at Algonquin Provincial Park. (Ontario Parks photo) |
Bronte Creek
Provincial Park in the Oakville- Burlington area has a Maple Syrup Festival
weekends this month and during the break from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There are pancakes
and maple syrup, a maple taffy station, park trails and a children’s farm and
play barn.
At Lake Huron’s
Pinery Provincial Park, there are naturalist-led hikes every weekend while the
toboggan hill is lighted at night and open daily, weather permitting.
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| There’s plenty of winter left for tubing. (Ontario Parks) |
Swan spotting
The Wings of Spring
Migration Festival, marking the return of the tundra swans and waterfowl, happens
March 16 and 17 at Rondeau Provincial Park on Lake Erie near Chatham.
This is said to be
the “first true sign” that spring is just around the corner and offers viewing
stations, a birdhouse building workshop, artisans displaying their wares and a
barbecue. rondeauprovincialpark.ca
There’s the Waterfowl
Weekend at Presqu’ile Provincial Park near Brighton on Lake Ontario also on
March 16 and 17.
Expect to see “tens
of thousands of ducks, geese and swans” representing 25 different species en
route to nesting areas farther north, said chief naturalist David Bree. friendsofpresquile.on.ca
The tundra swans star in the Return of the
Swans Festival at the Lambton Heritage Museum, south of Grand Bend, this
weekend through to March 31.
About 15,000 of the
majestic birds touch down annually in the wetlands and fields to feed and rest
on their 6,500-kilometre journey to the Arctic from Delaware’s Chesapeake Bay.
A favourite spot is
the Thedford Bog behind the museum where they’re joined by ducks and geese. returnoftheswans.com; 1-800-265-0316
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| Viamede Resort near Peterborough offers winter activities including skating and cross-country skiing. |
Take a break
Viamede Resort
offers winter activities, from skating and cross-country skiing, or simply
relaxing in a hot tub or by the fire.
Publicist Valerie
Stachurski said there is a March Break getaway package to the resort on Stoney
Lake, north of Peterborough.
From March 14 to 17,
it includes passes to the Nordic Ski Club and Buckhorn Maple Festival, hiking,
snowshoeing, playing snow Frisbee golf and “relaxing in the hot tub and sauna.”
Priced from $450
for three nights with daily breakfasts and a $100 credit for a summer stay,
there’s also the resort’s acclaimed fine-dining Inn at Mount Julian. viamede.com; 1-800-461-1946
Adirondack getaway
There’s plenty of
winter action at the “new” Titus Mountain Family Ski Center in the Adirondack
Mountains in Malone, N.Y., southeast of Cornwall.
Publicist Rick
Dodge invites Ontarians to come on down to enjoy the three mountains, 42 trails
and glades, 10 lifts, two lodges and a 2025-foot (617-metre) summit.
There is also a
snow tubing park, centre for the “special needs of beginners” and the recently
renovated main lodge, with ski, hotel and dining packages available. titusmountain.com;
1-800-848-8776
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Jim Fox can be reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com
For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca
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