Posted : August 26, 2016
Our blog is chock full of great ideas for fun things to see and do in York Durham and Headwaters. We are always adding new content and updating old posts, but sometimes you might stumble upon something from our vault. If this article has inspired you to hit the road, be sure to double-check that the featured stops in this post are still welcoming visitors.
Ontario is home to lush green forests, rivers and lakes, and spectacular sky views of the Oak Ridges Moraine and farmland. If you like to play outside, take a step into Ontario’s outdoors where you can trek, zip, paddle, and fly — all within an hour from Toronto. Start planning your outdoor adventures!
Treetop Trekking & Ziplining
Take a trek or zip between timbers at one of these two heart pumping Treetop Trekking locations.
Photo Credit: www.treetoptrekking.com/en/stouffville/
Treetop Trekking Stouffville in The Bruce’s Mill Conservation Area, earns top marks for their five exhilarating aerial courses, geared to participants 9 years and older, where you can improve your balance on swinging logs, climb over suspended bridges, and soar through the trees on one of the park’s many zip lines. This park also has a Treewalk Village where you and your younger daredevils (age 3+) can explore on a scale suited to your abilities.
Photo Credit: www.treetopeco-adventurepark.com/
Treetop Eco-Adventure Park, north Oshawa, is split into 60 aerial activities with 3 colour-coded routes. The green course is for beginners, blue for intermediate, and red for advanced. You must complete each level in order before advancing to the next. Their Canyon Zipline soars 70 to 80 feet over the Oak Ridges Moraine. For young trekkers, there is a children’s course for ages 5 years and older. This course incorporates the safe roller system that ensures your child’s safety with no clipping and unclipping.
Reservations are recommended.
SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board)
Originating in Hawaii as an offshoot of surfing, SUP is the fastest growing watersport in the world. If you are looking for a new challenge on the water this summer, keep cool and build your core muscle strength on a paddleboard. Check out the locations below.
Looking for adventure? Consider Port Perry SUP. They offer a welcoming and supportive environment on Lake Scugog to try out this challenging and dynamic sport. Try renting a board and heading out on your own, joining one of their classes, SUP yoga, or participating in one of their many events throughout the summer season including SUP demo days and race days.
Seeking some zen? Try Strong Roots Yoga and Paddle Boarding. They offer “invigorating classes” in SUP and SUP Yoga classes in picturesque Beaverton Harbour, Lake Simcoe. Their instructors are World Paddle Association Certified, Paddle into Fitness Ambassadors and CPR/First Aid Certified.
Do-it-yourselfer? Consider renting a paddleboard during a visit to Island Lake Conservation Area, located in Orangeville. The lake is home to an abundant wildlife population, that includes deer, red fox, raccoons, porcupines, flying squirrels, osprey, great blue herons, mallards, as well as painted turtles and leopard frogs.
Hang Gliding
Dream of flying? Soar up to 2,000 feet in the air and enjoy a bird’s-eye view of lush Ontario landscapes and lakes. Take a tandem flight or lessons at two hang gliding facilities with certified hang glider instructors.
High Perspectives, North Pickering, is a year-round hang gliding school where you can take a Tandem Discovery Flight, try flying on your own with a low and slow introductory session, or learn to fly in their beginner’s course. Their team members are senior tandem and tandem instructors.
Fly Gravity Sports, East Gwillimbury, is a hang gliding school and adventure tour company where you can fly tandem with an advanced certified instructor or take a beginner course.
If you are a first-time flyer and nervous, consider flying in the morning or late afternoon/evening for a smoother, more stable ride. Flying in the evening gives you the opportunity to catch a sunset from the sky.
