Top 10 aquatic adventures in Ontario

With 4,000 rivers and lakes to splash about in, Canada’s gateway province is watersports heaven

Team Wanderlust

22 April 2011

1. Raft the Ottawa River

Plunge through class III and IV rapids, then soak up the history of Algonquin portage routes and colonial pioneer journeys along this historic waterway.

2. Paddle or cruise the Rideau Canal

Take a 3-5 day journey down the oldest continuously operated canal in North America, a Unesco-listed engineering marvel that tamed Ontario’s once-malarial wetlands in 1832.

3. Go moose-spotting, Algonquin Provincial Park

Keep an eye out for moose while taking a summer dip at Algonquin – as big, easily accessible and wildlife-rich as it is lake-studded, with some 2,000 campsites to get changed in.

4. View the Falls, Niagara

Walk alongside foaming class VI rapids at the Niagara White Water Walk, take the antique Aero Car to gaze into the Niagara Whirlpool, or board a Maid of the Mist boat to feel the spray from this colossal cataract.

5. Wreck diving, Fathom Five National Marine Park

Explore more than 20 wrecks in one of the world’s best freshwater dive sites, or take a glass-bottomed boat tour to the quirky rock stacks of Flowerpot Island.

6. Sea kayaking, Lake Superior

The largest of the Great Lakes is a current and tide-free joy for sea kayakers – choose anything from a lodge-based weekend foray to a fully-equipped traverse of the north shore.

7. Camp and canoe in Quetico Provincial Park

A tangled network of lakes, once ploughed by fur traders, beckons canoeists in search of middle-of-nowhere adventure.

8. Kayak Georgian Bay

Have a classic Canadian wilderness adventure in this vast eastern panhandle of Lake Huron – with 30,000 islands to choose from, there’s nearly 100 for every day of the year…

9. Paddle through history along the Grand River

Take a lazy paddle – or walk along the river bank – through First Nations and settler history on the Grand River, only an hour west of Toronto.

10. Paddle and hike, Pukaskwa National Park

Fringing Lake Superior and harbouring pristine boreal forest, Pukaskwa also hosts a healthy number of bears. Inland lakes and the foaming White River make for top drawer paddling trips.