One-Tank Trip for Aug. 9/14
By Jim Fox
A vacation in the
great outdoors often isn’t as enjoyable unless the whole family can go – and
that includes “Fido.”
All of Ontario’s 334
provincial parks are “pet-friendly,” while some of them cater to camping with
the four-legged family members.
 |
| One-Tank Trip writer Jim Fox with Cisco and Raven at dog-friendly Bass Lake Provincial Park near Orillia. (Barbara Fox photo) |
These are the some 30
parks with designated pet exercise areas and pet beaches, or both, said Lori
Waldbrook of Ontario Parks.
Some dog-gone great parks
- Rock Point
Provincial Park. On the north shore of Lake Erie, this is about an hour’s drive
to Niagara Falls and is excellent for car campers and RV travellers.
 |
| Dogs wanna have fun, too (Ontario Parks photo) |
One of its three
beaches was once part of an ancient coral reef, with one of them designated
pet-friendly with an exercise area.
- Wasaga Beach
Provincial Park. This is Lake Huron’s famous beach with the longest freshwater
stretch of sand in the world.
This day-use park with
a safe shoreline includes the eastern part of Beach 3 that is currently a popular
dog-friendly area.
 |
| Cooling off at Bass Lake Provincial Park. (Jim Fox photo) |
- Mikisew
Provincial Park. Called a “little gem of a park” on Eagle Lake off Highway 11
near South River, there are three beaches with shallow water good for swimming.
The pet-designated
beach, exercise area and obstacle course are said to be “really nice and not
heavily used since this park remains a best-kept secret.”
- Bon Echo
Provincial Park. Located north of Napanee, the Group of Seven artists liked it there
and so will your dog.
Four-legged campers
enjoy the 1.4-kilometre off-leash exercise trail and the pet-friendly beach with
its sandy bottom, all on Lower Mazinaw Lake.
- Restoule
Provincial Park. Get away from it all southwest of North Bay with an excellent
pet-friendly beach, exercise area and great hiking trails.
Stormy Lake Cliff
and its fire tower are favourite hiking destinations while the closest sites to
the pet amenities are in the Bell Point campground.
- Halfway Lake
Provincial Park. Author Kevin Callan, the “Happy Camper,” and springer spaniel
Bailey love it here with spacious campsites, making them perfect for dogs and
their owners.
There are great
hiking trails, a beach with a separate dog-walking area and visitors can paddle
to nearby smaller lakes for a quick overnight trip with their dog.
- Blue Lake
Provincial Park. This is a great camping choice for travellers on Highway 17,
the Trans-Canada Highway, east of Kenora.
There’s swimming at
the park’s long sandy beach, excellent hiking, a Natural Heritage Education
program and off-leash designated pet exercise and swimming areas.
 |
| Numerous Ontario Parks have hiking trails suitable for leashed dogs and pet-friendly beaches. (Jim Fox photo) |
Pet/owner obedience
All parks require
pet owners to follow a basic set of guidelines, Waldbrook said.
This includes
keeping dogs on a leash not exceeding two metres long and ensuring they don’t make
excessive noise or disturb others.
Dogs are not
allowed in park buildings, including roofed accommodations, or
on main beach areas and they must not chase or harass wildlife.
For those who prefer
to camp without pets or those of others, Awenda, Balsam Lake, the Pinery,
Voyageur and Algonquin parks have designated pet-free campgrounds.
To learn more about
pet-amenity Ontario Parks: parkreports.com/parksblog/?p=6358#more-6358;
and ontarioparks.com
 |
| Raven and Cisco check out the fishing dock at Bass Lake Provincial Park. (Barbara Fox photo) |
Canine approved
Room service for
your pet?
That’s the life
while on vacation and a U.S. company called Dog Friendly has the definitive
online guide to travels with your pooch and welcoming destinations.
The travel guide
lists 200 pet-friendly hotels, off-leash parks, campgrounds, beaches, restaurants,
patio dining and museums throughout Canada, the U.S. and the world.
There are guides to
each province and territory along with detailed information on basically every
city.
It lists many major
hotel chains offering pet-friendly accommodations along with those with such
things as pet-sitting services, welcome baskets, dog beds, doggy room service
and wake-up calls.
Along with its
web-based resources, Dog Friendly also has printed guidebooks, e-books and
offers a free newsletter. Details at: DogFriendly.com; 1-888-281-5170
-30-
Jim Fox can be
reached at onetanktrips@hotmail.com
For more One-Tank Trips: http://1tanktrips.blogspot.ca
No comments:
Post a Comment