Autumn is in full swing at Boyne Valley Provincial Park, as seen by the brilliant yellow and orange leaves on these maple trees. This picture was taken on the Monday of the Canadian Thanksgiving. It won’t be long before these trees are stripped of their leaves for the winter.

Boyne Valley Provincial Park is located just north of the hamlet of Primrose in Ontario, Canada. Primrose is equidistant from Shelburne in the west, Alliston in the east and Orangeville in the south. The park is a non-operating provincial park, meaning there are no facilities or fees. The Bruce Trail runs through the park and the highlights include Murphy’s Pinnacle, a tree-less high point that features great 360 vistas, and the Boyne River.

Picture taken at Hockley Valley Provincial Park while playing with the settings on our new Canon Rebel T3i. This is just a little brook among the cedars that empties into the main river.

Hockley Valley Provincial Park is located approximately ten kilometres from Orangeville, Ontario, Canada. It is a non-operating park, meaning it is a plot of land owned by the Ministry of Natural Resources that doesn’t have any ammenities (water, washrooms, etc.). The Bruce Trail runs through the park and there is a fantastic set of side trails within.

Climb through the forest on the Humber Trail.

 The Humber Trail or Humber Valley Heritage Trail, runs from Bolton, Ontario, Canada north to where it meets the Caledon Trailway. The Humber Trail is a relatively easy hike with rolling hills and well packed trails. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the trail is  easily accessible for over 6 million people in the Greater Toronto Area, it is somewhat neglected and overgrown. However, if a hike in solitude is what you’re looking for, it is the best place in the region to truly get away from people.

The trail runs through Albion Hills Conservation Area at its northern end. This is perhaps the most used section of the trail as the park has become very popular for mountain biking. The section between Albion Hills and the Caledon Trailway is so overgrown, it’s hard to tell if you’re on a trail or not. Luckily, the section is short and fairly open.

There is a lack of profound vistas along the trail which might explain why it’s passed over by hikers who would rather go a little further north to enjoy hiking on the Niagara Escarpment. However, bird lovers will enjoy as the forest is diverse and runs through sections of old apple orchard. There is a good chance that you will spot a deer if you are quiet enough.

The Big Nickel in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

The Big Nickel is a Sudbury Icon that has been around since 1964. The extreme coin is on the site of Dynamic Earth where you can tour an actual mine. The site is near the INCO Sudbury Nickel Mine which dominates the Sudbury skyline.

Sudbury is a city in the near north of the Province of Ontario, approximately a four hour drive north of Toronto. The population of Sudbury is nearly 160,000 and the greater Sudbury area is the largest by area in Ontario and the seventh largest in Canada.

Mining and logging has always been the main economic focus in the region.

View of the summit of Mount Carleton, the highest point in Canada's Maritime provinces.

Mount Carleton is the highest point in the Maritime provinces of Canada at just under 3,000 feet. The mountain is part of the Appalachians and is located in the northern portion of the province of New Brunswick. The peak is within the Mount Carleton Provincial Park and is about a six kilometre hike from the closest parking lot.

The provincial park is approximately 100 kilometres inland from the Trans-Canada highway and another 120 kilometres from Bathurst on the coast of the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Atlantic Ocean). The campground within the park is small at just 88 sites. Each site is quite private. There are showers and flush toilets at the campground as well as sites with electrical hookups. There are also remote walk-in sites along the lake.

Sunset as seen from campsite on the shore of Fairbank Lake.

 Fairbank Provincial Park is located a short drive northwest of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. Actually, Fairbank Lake is located within the boundaries of the Greater Sudbury Area.

Fairbank Lake is a springfed lake with crystal clear waters. The lake is, in reality, a crater created by a meteor that crashed to earth millions of years ago. It was the same meteor strike that created the rich nickel deposits that have propelled the regions economy for the past century.

Fairbank Provincial Park is a small campground on the northwest shore of Fairbank Lake. The campground has showers and flush toilets – a plus at any Ontario Provincial Park north of highway 17. All the sites are of good quality but the most sought after are the ones that have their own frontage on the lake.

The water is clean and clear and ideal for swimming and snorkeling. Their are several species of fish that seem a little finicky when it comes to biting. With a canoe, several rock cliffs can be accessed for jumping or diving. Unfortunately, the lake is not entirely within the provincial park and is mostly ringed with cottages – resembling a Muskoka lake.

Underbelly of an Emirates Airbus A380 on final approach to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The double-decker jetliner of Emirates Airlines arrives in Toronto every Wednesday at around 5pm.

Colourful float in the Caribbean Parade at the 2011 Barrie Caribe Festival.

The Barrie Caribfest celebrated it’s fifth anniversary in 2011. The centrepiece of the Caribbean Festival is the Saturday Parade. The parade takes place on Lakeshore Drive in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, a road that followed the waterfront of Kempenfelt Bay on Lake Simcoe. The parade is incredibly colourful and full of music and dancing.

The Barrie waterfront hosts booth after booth of Caribbean food and drink for the event. Arts, crafts and other trinkets abound at the festival, as well.

The arch at Eugenia Falls.

 This arch is all that is left of water tunnel that was completed in 1907 that was to divert water from Beaver River for hydro-electric purposes. The arch is hidden in the forest along the Bruce Trail, beside Eugenia Falls. Eugenia Falls is a 90 foot waterfall that is the highlight of Eugenia Falls Conservation Area just a short distance northeast of Flesherton, Ontario.

Eugenia Falls Conservation Area is part of the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority and is a day-use park only. The park is located right in the village of Eugenia and is free of charge. There are no facilities but portable washrooms.

Following the Bruce Trail south from Eugenia Falls will take the hiker to a smaller, yet no less spectacular, waterfall called Hoggs Falls. Following the trail north will backtrack along the north side of the Beaver River, past the arch and away from the river.

Flesherton is approximately 50 km from Owen Sound and 100 from the Greater Toronto Area. Although the waterfall is just a short distance off highway 6, a busy highway that transports tourists to and from the Bruce Peninsula pretty much all year round, the park is not advertised by the Province of Ontario on any signs. Therefore, even though Eugenia Falls is very easily accessible, it is relatively unknown and uncrowded.

Because the river is dammed up just a short distance away to form Lake Eugenia, the water flow is regulated. The waterfall is quite heavy in springtime but by late July and August, it is just a portion of what it could be.