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7 Road Trips Near Toronto To Take In All The Fall Colours

Green, orange, yellow, and red is the best kind of rainbow.
Forest of colorful autumn trees reflecting in calm lake
Elenathewise via Getty Images
Forest of colorful autumn trees reflecting in calm lake

Toronto, you've got some work to do.

Despite having a very wet summer (which did, at least, bring on the monarch butterflies), the leaves are taking their time changing colour, meaning that you have to go a little further afield to find a vivid Thanksgiving getaway.

Luckily, there's a slew of websites geared towards finding out about fall colours in Ontario, so we decided to figure out which ones were telling us that the leaves are ready and waiting this Thanksgiving weekend (and beyond). Check it out!

Earl Rowe Provincial Park, Alliston

Distance from Toronto: Approximately 1.5 hours

Path to wander: Lookout Trail will give you a beautiful view of the whole park and surrounding area.

Other things to do there: Check out the park's fish ladder! Salmon spawning season is on now, and it's a great place to observe it.

Belfountain Conservation Area, Erin

Fall 2017 #ohcanada

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Distance from Toronto: Approximately 1.5 hours

Path to wander: Any of the options in the area are great, but we'd definitely recommend getting to the suspension bridge at some point for the waterfall views.

Other things to do there: Check out the gardens and terrace, which have just been redone.

Petroglyphs Provincial Park, Woodview

beauty hike with a beauty woman @jennyryder307

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Distance from Toronto: 3 hours

Path to wander: The Marsh Trail is the one that's likely to garner you the best views.

Other things to do there: Go learn about those super cool petroglyphs (i.e. the largest known concentration of Aboriginal rock carvings in the country) found in the park at The Learning Place. Nearby Kawartha Highlands is also a gorgeous place to check out.

Heart Lake Conservation Area, Brampton

Distance from Toronto: Approximately 1 hour

Path to wander: The area has extensive hiking trails (download the guide here) for every level of climber, leading to amazing views.

Other things to do there: Explore the zip lines and "aerial games" (yes, this is a thing) that go right over the lake.

Silent Lake Provincial Park, Bancroft

If only the Sun was shining. @kman.f150 #camping #Canadianthanksgiving #Thanksgiving #leafpeeping

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Distance from Toronto: About 3 to 3.5 hours

Path to wander: Bonnie's Pond Trail is perfect for an afternoon wander, complete with a lookout, while the Lakeshore Hiking Trail is for the more hardcore trampers.

Other things to do there: Stay at a yurt! (You know you've always wanted to.)

Oxtongue River-Ragged Falls, Huntsville

Ragged Falls trail is a very short hike which you see these amazing scenic views.

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Distance from Toronto: Approximately 3.5 hours

Path to wander: There's really only one hiking path, but it takes you to the thing you most want to see β€” the waterfalls.

Other things to do there: Well if you're already all the way there, you really have no choice but to go to Algonquin Park, which is magnificent any time of year.

No worries. We got a #drone. #phantom #4k experience. #algonquin #canada

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Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands

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Distance from Toronto: Less than 2.5 hours

Path to wander: There are no maintained paths in here, so it's very much a go-at-your-own-risk venture. That said, fans love its tranquility and seclusion.

Other things to do there: Canoeing, bird watching and a whole variety of outdoorsy activities.

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