Track the fall colours in 49 Ontario Parks

Track fall colours at Ontario Parks

   The fall colours have begun to appear at Algonquin Provincial Park. (Ontario Parks photo)

Track Ontario’s fall colours with the Ontario Parks’ fall colour report, http://www.parkreports.com/fall/ . The report is live and will be updated as conditions change. 

Forty-nine (49) Ontario Parks across the province are reporting on the dominant colour in their parks, the latest percentage of colour change and the amount of leaf fall.

 

An Ontario map highlights provincial parks by region and tracks Ontario’s fall colours by averaging the colour values entered for each park.

 

The darkest reds indicate regions that have reached their colour peak. Each of the 49 parks also links to Ontario Travel’s “Great Fall Drives”. The regional touring routes suggest things to see and places to stay. Cozy yurt or cabin getaways can also be booked at many Ontario Parks. https://reservations.ontarioparks.com/Home.aspx

Sugar and red maples generally reach their peak towards the end of September. They are followed by a second colour wave from American beech trees, yellow and white birch, trembling aspen, largetooth aspen, red oak and tamarack. Ian Shanahan, a naturalist with Algonquin Provincial Park calls this second wave, “the golden encore”.

 

He’s written an entertaining post on the golden encore that occurs every fall. You can link to it from this post http://www.parkreports.com/parksblog/?p=4041 which also includes links to an Ontario Tree Atlas, a hiker’s paradise and some of Ontario’s best fall vantage points.

Birdwatching is another popular fall activity at Ontario Parks. Thousands of birds of prey, such as hawks, eagles and falcons fly over beach parks along the lower Great Lakes. Peak times are from mid-September to late October. This bird watching post http://www.parkreports.com/parksblog/?p=4064 provides further details. 

For more information on Ontario Parks, visit http://OntarioParks.com/