Halloween fun happens at Ontario Parks

(News Release)

 

Cool Things in Wheatley Provincial Park

Play video One in a light-hearted series of videos on cool things in Ontario Parks. www.OntarioParks.com/coolthings 00:02:54 Added on 12/08/2014 543 views

 

Witches in the woods, skeletons in closets and shivers on the shale. Camper Halloween is back at twelve Ontario Parks this October.

 

Park staff and the Friends of Ontario Parks are putting the final touches on their spooky night hikes, owl prowls, wolf howls, and more. Many activities are cleverly linked to park and species ecology.

 

Halloween events have become so popular that campers are encouraged to book their campsites now, if they plan to participate. Below is a sample of this year's events. You'll find more on Ontario Parks' Calendar of Events, http://www.parkreports.com/events/events.php. Food plays a major role on any camping trip. This Park blog post highlights classic campsite recipes, new family favourites for fall and links to a post on how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey outdoors. http://www.parkreports.com/parksblog/?p=6585

 

Algonquin Provincial Park http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/algonquin

Algonquin's new Halloween Haunted Weekend will take place October 24-25, 2014. The Mew Lake Campground which rents heated yurts as well as electrical sites, will host most of the activities. Festivities begin with an owl prowl on Friday night. Algonquin's Visitor Centre will host a naturalist-led tour of animal skeletons on Saturday followed by pumpkin carving, trick or treating and an evening bonfire at Mew Lake Campground. A wolf howl and night hike cap off the new event. 

 

Bronte Creek Provincial Park http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/brontecreek

Bronte Creek's Halloween is the closest to Toronto. Due to its popularity with camper families, the park has planned back-to-back Halloween weekends this year, October 17-19 and October 24-26 with festivities now beginning on Friday night with a new campfire program. Trick or treating and the park's coyote howl and spooky night hike are all must-do's. 

 

Emily Provincial Park http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/emily

This Kawartha Lakes-area park near Peterborough is a favourite 'Halloween Haunt' for families. There is good fall fishing on the Pigeon River and nearby, the Trans Canada Trail which accesses Lindsay and Peterborough, is fun to cycle. 'Halloween Haunt' is planned for Thanksgiving weekend, October 11-13. Besides trick or treating, pumpkin-carving is a big tradition here and the best always wins a prize. 

 

Wheatley Provincial Park http://www.ontarioparks.com/park/wheatley

Ontario's 'deep south' provincial park near Leamington is on the same latitude as Northern California. By far, the coolest thing about Wheatley is its annual 'Halloween in the Park' which also takes place on Thanksgiving weekend, October 11-13. Park roads close and about 300 kids trick or treat here every year going from one decked-out campsite to another. The trees and the fishing at Wheatley are pretty cool too. Ontario Parks' new video series, Cool things at Ontario Parks, explains why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMD4fXllBOs

 

Camping continues into the late fall at Ontario Parks, especially for RV’ers. Check out this blog post for where to extend your camping season. http://www.parkreports.com/parksblog/?p=6579