This is a travel blog and sometimes traveling in my own backyard is the best. Fall in Northumberland county is always nice but this year (2022) was particularly amazing. All the stars aligned for beautiful colour and, most of the time, great weather for hiking. I just finished raking the leaves and using most of them to compost my gardens. The rest get brown bagged for pick up and compost by the county.

These were captured within a block of my house near the shores of Lake Ontario

There are so many places to see fall colours in Ontario but if you’re a visitor you will likely have to drive. Public transit can’t get you to the places with the best foliage. For the best views, get out of your car and hike.

Here are some shots of hikes within a 1/2 drive of my home

Some of these hikes are enjoyed with fellow members of the Pine Ridge Hiking Club. They meet at a predetermined location in Northumberland county most Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday mornings and are rarely cancelled due to weather. These hikers are a tough bunch!
Interested in joining? Find information here: https://www.pineridgehikingclub.ca/

A highlight of this year’s hikes (2022) was a multiday trip to Frontenac Provincial park. We rented cottages at Snug Harbour where we shared accommodations. Thankfully the cottages were warm and comfortable as we didn’t have great weather. Below are views from the resort: http://www.snugharbour.on.ca/

Despite the amazing weather we’ve had most of the fall of 2022, we managed to go on a hiking trip in the worst weather. One day we even had hail! Oh well. We’re hikers and are a tough lot and for the most part, we could dress appropriately. The trails are varied, with lots of interesting terrain including many bridges and lots of beaver dams. We took turns preparing dinner so we were well sustained too. It was a great trip and I look forward to going again next year!

Frontenac does a challenge every year. Over the months of September and October you’re challenged to hike all 11 loops totalling 160 km of trails in the park. Get more info here: https://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/frontenac-challenge/

In 2020 I went on a road trip to see more of Ontario. The province is HUGE and you could spend months exploring without getting bored

Here’s a post about autumn in Algonquin. https://whereisgrandma.com/2020/10/01/traveling-in-my-own-backyard-making-the-most-of-a-pandemic-lets-explore-ontario-algonquin-here-we-come/

And one on the Bruce Trail: https://whereisgrandma.com/2020/11/10/venturing-further-in-my-back-yard-chasing-waterfalls-on-the-bruce-trail/

The Warsaw Caves is another great hike. Find that post here: https://whereisgrandma.com/2020/10/23/keeping-a-traveler-amused-in-covid-times-its-a-challenge-warsaw-caves/

And here is the first post in a series on a 2021 Road trip to the Sudbury, Manitoulin Island and Tobermory area: https://whereisgrandma.com/2021/10/08/ontario-3-women-and-a-car-looking-for-great-hikes-restoule-grundy-np-sudbury-and-ay-jackson-conservation-area/

Even when the leaves have all fallen, they create a beautiful carpet to walk on and they have been known to cushion a fall as well 😉