When people think of Canadian parks, Banff immediately comes to mind. Luckily for those of us in Toronto, that’s hardly the only Canadian parks that are worth visiting. Lots of amazing parks are accessible from Toronto without a flight or an epic road trip.
You can download the map here.
Canada’s national parks are sure to be extra crowded after all the promotion from #Canada150 last year, so don’t wait until summer vacation to explore! Get your layers on and go play in the snow or venture out as soon as it warms up. If you’re working remotely, adjust your schedule so you can get out on a weekday to avoid the crowds.
Day trips
These spots are all reachable with enough time to head home for the night. Just because it can be done as a day trip doesn’t mean it has to be!
No car necessary
The TTC just announced a new bus route that will take you to the Scarborough Bluffs. This is fantastic news, since I’ve walked there from the (previously) nearest bus stop and trust me, it’s not a great walk. Hop on the 175 at Kennedy Station and save yourself the trouble.
If you’re interested in naval history, the HMCS Haida is one of the easiest national historic sites to get to from Toronto. You can simply take the GO to Hamilton and walk over (or take the free tourist trolley).
Jon Nicholls Photography / Shutterstock.com
The Queenston Heights battlefield and Brock’s monument is a short cab ride (or a 30 minute bike ride or a 2 hour walk) from the Niagara Falls station. From there, you can continue north to Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake, either in a cab or on a bike. While Fort George is a bit harder to get to, it’s always worth the excuse to spend a day (or night) in Niagara-on-the-Lake and it’s essential for anyone who’s curious about the War of 1812.
Technically possible without a car
William Lyon Mackenzie King’s boyhood home is open to the public as Woodside in Kitchener. The home has been preserved to exhibit the Victorian era and turned into a museum. It stands on 11+ acres of forest. While it’s on a bus line, it’ll be a 3-hour ride from Toronto.
The Waterloo Pioneers Memorial Tower in Waterloo is nearby, so it pays to visit both on the same day. Be sure to make an appointment ahead of time to view the tower. Without an appointment, visitors can only view the grounds.
Long weekends
Parkbus will get you to Georgian Bay Islands NP in 2.5 hours. Right now they’re requiring an overnight (which seems reasonable so you have enough time to explore) but they might be offering day trips by the time you’re reading this.
The Bruce Peninsula NP and Fathom Five in Tobermory would be car only, if not for Parkbus. The 4+ hour trip necessitates at least one overnight, but there’s so much to do you’ll probably want to stay longer than that. Book early to make sure you get a spot on the bus (and one of the yurts).
While Kingston might not be as braggable as Bruce County, you can take VIA Rail or the bus to get to Bellevue House, which is right downtown. Not only do they offer guided tours of Sir John A Macdonald’s historic home, they also offer an escape room.
If you head to Montreal, you can visit:
- Lachine Canal
- The Fur Trade at Lachine
- The Louis-Joseph Papineau House
- Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue Canal
- Coteau-du-Lac’s archaeological remains
- The Chambly Canal and Fort Chambly
From Montreal, it’s technically possible but ill advised to travel to Sir Wilfrid Laurier NHS by bus.
A visit to Ottawa will unlock the Rideau Canal and Laurier House.
Car only
Thousand Islands NP is worth the hassle of renting a car. You can take transit to Kingston and pick up a rental car from there (but not a Zipcar).
Southwold Earthworks is 30 minutes south of London. Point Clark Lighthouse is about 2 hours north of London. Point Pelee NP is along Lake Erie on the way to Windsor. Outside Windsor is Fort Malden, Bois Blanc Island Lighthouse and Blockhouse.
You’re going to have to talk your friends with cars into taking you up to Bethune Memorial House, and Trent-Severn Waterway. It seems possible to hop a freight train up, but we can’t endorse that.
Oh my God! This stuff is so amazing. And I would love to explore some of these beautiful national parks. Thanks a lot for sharing this article as I would definitely like to visit some of them. And I want to spend lots of time visiting Canada.
I too always think of Banff when visiting Canadian Parks, in fact, I’ve been there three times now, so I suppose I have good reason to think of it. However, I definitely need to venture out more. I think Thousand Islands sound like my kind of park for sure. I foresee a trip to the more eastern part of Canada in the near future.
Haha, yes exactly! When I think of national parks in Canada, I go straight to Banff. But it’s amazing that the CNPS is celebrating its landmark anniversary by giving free access to any individual. Gorgeous night shot of the camp and the stars by the way! What type of camera do you use?
That lovely picture is actually from Shutterstock. I just use my Galaxy 5, so the photos aren’t nearly as good.
I’m actually going to Toronto in June and looking to do a day trip from the city! We’ll definitely looking into HMCS Haida, Queenston Heights battlefield and Brock’s monument as we’ll be heading to Hamilton and Niagara Fall direction!
Wow all of these photos are gorgeous! I’d love to visit some great parks. I actually have the free entry card for this year…but I just need to get my butt there! 🙂
How fabulous that you get them all for free. To be fair, we don’t generally pay for national parks in the Uk but frankly I don’t mind paying when the views blow me away
I’ve only ever been through the BC and YT National Parks. I’ve driven from Alaska to California three freakin times haha. It looks like you have some beautiful ones over on your end though! I would LOVE to be forced to stay the night at a park, sounds like a dream come true. I will be in Canada for Canada day, but sadly I don’t know if I will make any of the parks this year.
I got to know about the free entry to the national parks of Canada. It’s such a wonderful chance to visit these incredibly beautiful sites! All of these are on my bucket list – thanks to the nature lover in me!
I love that each of these are possible as day trips from Toronto – we usually rent a car when we get into a new destination, so we’re not worried about transport. But usually do like setting ourselves up with one base so we don’t have to move around from place to place. So day trips are our jam!
I love how all the National Parks are free this year! My brother is going to Canada next week so I´ll pass this on to him, and make sure he takes full advantage!