Rouge River trail in Rouge River Park shows off its autumn colours. ©Julia Pelish Photography

Where to See Fall Colours in Ontario

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By Vacay.ca Ontario Travel Experts

Fall in Ontario is a beautiful season. Here are three places to see the leaves change in autumn, all within a day’s drive of Toronto.

Agawa Canyon, north of Sault Ste. Marie

Members of the Group of Seven, including Lawren Harris, trekked up to Algoma routinely during September and October to be inspired by the glorious colours that abound in northern Ontario. Agawa Canyon features Bridal Veil Falls, which plunges 69 metres. It’s located 183 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie.

Getting there from Toronto: Take Highway 400 North to the Trans-Canada Highway West and connect to the Great Northern Road at Sault Ste. Marie. It’s about a six-hour drive to the Soo and about another two hours to the Canyon. But you’ll want to take the scenic train to Agawa Canyon. Packages on the Algoma Central Railway start at $99 per person for prime viewing season, which is from September 10 to October 10.

Algonquin Park

Ontario’s beautiful park is filled with lakes, hiking trails and wildlife. Plus, with the summer tourist season passed us, it will be less crowded and more magical. The foliage in the park is alive with bright yellows, oranges and reds. At half the distance from Toronto as Algoma, the expansive park is an easy-to-reach destination for a fall getaway.

Getting there from Toronto: Take Highway 400 North to Highway 11 North toward Huntsville, and then connect to Highway 60 East Algonquin’s West Gate. It’s 300 kilometres and can be reached in four hours or less (depending on traffic, of course).

Rouge River, Scarborough (eastern Toronto)

If you’re in Toronto, you don’t have to go hours away to see the beautiful colours of autumn. They’re right here, in the 47-square-kilometre Rouge Park at the edge of Toronto. It’s still not too cold, so you can get into a kayak and see the wildlife in our city, including cormorants, herons, minks and muskrats.

Getting there from downtown Toronto: Take Highway 401 East to Morningside Ave. North, turn right onto Sheppard Ave. East and left onto Rouge River Drive.

Read Tourism Ontario’s Fall Colours Report for more ideas and travel tips.

Vicky is the worldly publisher of Vacay.ca. Having graduated from McGill University in Montreal, she has set about building a talented team of travel experts to deliver to you words and images of the very best places to see and experience in Canada. Based in Yorkville in Toronto, Vicky regularly jet sets around Canada — be sure to catch up with her when she's in your part of the country.

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