If a regular hiking trail has started to feel a bit same-old, Ontario has an alternative: boardwalks that hover directly over lakes and bogs, so you're walking across the water itself. They're scattered through conservation areas and provincial parks across the province, and several are easy day trips from major cities.
Closest to Toronto is the Crawford Lake Conservation Area in Milton. A 1.8 km wooden boardwalk loops right around Crawford Lake, a rare meromictic body of water, before winding back into forest. Entry costs $10.50 per adult and $7.25 for kids aged five to 14, making it an easy half-day outing.
Up in Huntsville, in the heart of Muskoka cottage country, the Hunters Bay Trail runs 3.6 km and includes a floating boardwalk section over the bay. It's a multi-use route — walk it, run it or cycle it — and it starts just off Highway 11 near Main Street West, so you can pair it with a town lunch afterwards.
Ottawa's Mer Bleue Conservation Area is arguably the most distinctive of the lot. The 1.2 km Bog Trail boardwalk crosses one of the most visited features of the National Capital Greenbelt, and it's fully accessible, which makes it a solid pick for families and strollers. Bring binoculars: the footbridge on the southern section of Trail 50 is a known spot for spotting turtles and frogs, bullfrogs included.
Down in Leamington, Point Pelee National Park has a one-kilometre boardwalk looping through its inland marsh, complete with lookout points and telescopes for watching birds and other wildlife. Autumn, when the surrounding foliage turns, is the standout time to go — and it combines neatly with Point Pelee being one of Canada's best-known migration hotspots.
Finally, London's Sifton Bog Trail hides a surprise in the middle of a city. A single-track path with wooden boardwalk sections leads out to Redmond's Pond, with interpretive signs along the way explaining the bog ecology. Parking is at the Oxford Street West entrance.
Who's this for? Pretty much anyone: all five are short, low-effort walks rather than hikes, most cost little or nothing beyond parking, and they work year-round with a change of scenery each season — frogs and turtles in summer, colour in fall, stark frozen bogscapes in winter. They also suit mixed groups, since the flat boardwalk surfaces are easier going than hill trails and several are wheelchair-accessible.
If you only have time for one, Crawford Lake is the most convenient from Toronto, while Mer Bleue is the most photogenic and Point Pelee the best for wildlife.
via Curiocity
