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Fall Colour Routes    

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Looking for new routes in Southern Ontario to experience the majesty of the autumn colours. Check out these areas. You are sure to enjoy them!

Norfolk and Elgin Counties

For a route that incorporates a variety of small communities, offering down home hospitality against the backdrop of a rich tapestry of vibrant fall colours, get in the car and head to Norfolk County. Offering extensive trails, that incorporate trestle bridges and endless acres of rich

Carolinian flora and fauna, you’re invited to hike, cycle or drive to experience the beautiful lakeshores, diverse nature reserves, and unique observation areas of the area. This year in early October Simcoe will be transformed into a site of celebration with the arrival of the Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show. While visiting Norfolk, don’t miss Waterford, home of the Norfolk CountyPumpkinfest, this small community becomes a warm and exciting travel destination mid October.
Tour Route #1 | Map #1

In mid to late September, Hawk’s Cliff is where you want to be in the Municipality of Central Elgin. An area that provides you with a wonderful vantage point to view the hawk and Monarch butterfly migration while experiencing a scenic view of Lake Erie. Driving routes for this area also include opportunities to visit a Rhea bird farm, a winery or pick apples from a local orchard, providing you with a pleasant and relaxing way to enjoy the display of seasonal colour in Central Elgin. Tour Route #2 | Map #2

Grey County 

If you’re looking for majestic views of the palette of nature’s glory, or if you want to see waterfalls as they rush over the Escarpment’s edge, come to Grey County. Caves, rare ferns and orchids are dotted amongst hardwood forests ablaze with colour. For more fall colour, tour the spectacular Beaver Valley, beginning in Flesherton. Start atop the shoulder of the steep hills, and then ascend to the valley below, as it widens before you to display a blanket of reds, yellows and golds, enroute to Georgian Bay. Visit Old Baldy, a limestone cliff face on the Bruce Trail, a remarkable vantage point to view all the majesty of the season.  Sample the harvest of Apple Country, where 25% of Ontario’s apples are produced annually.

Tour Route #3 | Tour Route #4 | Tour Route #5

Map # 3 | Map #4 | Map #5

Mennonite Country

Beginning in the village of St. Jacobs, on the banks of the Conestogo River, discover the colour and aroma of harvest at the local market of over 400 vendors offering fresh meats, cheeses, produce, baking and crafts. Visit Elmira and Woolwich Township as you travel along scenic vistas. Drive past examples of the thriving Mennonite culture including a little red, one-room schoolhouse, an Old Order Meetinghouse and a white clapboard church, surrounded by waiting horses and buggies. In West Montrose, drive or walk over the last remaining covered bridge in Ontario as it is reflected on the waters of the Grand River, and continue past the acres of sugar maple, harvested each year, to produce the golden maple syrup served at the annual Elmira Maple Syrup Festival each April. Tour Route #6 | Map #6

Tourism Stratford  

For days of fall delights, ranging from farm fresh food and fun, to unique public gardens and Victorian comforts – tour Stratford this fall. Stratford’s natural areas allow you to hike through forests, meadows and along the water’s edge under a canopy of pine and maple trees. Visit seas of orange in area pumpkin fields. Watch  graceful swans as you dine under the willows along the banks of the picturesque Avon River. Or take in a performance at the Stratford Festival. Experience fall amongst the drama and colour of Stratford.
  Tour Route #7 | Map #7

Bruce Peninsula & Bruce County

Grey CountyThis fall, surround yourself with the remarkable natural diversity of the Bruce Peninsula. Witness the wonder of the fall season on a driving route narrated by a young member of the community. Routes offer interesting trails and breathtaking views of Lake Huron, the annual fish migration, and a unique opportunity to see rare ‘Canadian horses’. All this can be seen while travelling amongst the unique and incomparable wildlife, wildflowers, and beautiful metamorphosis of the region's maples, birch, and ash. The bush here is dense and the road is winding, in some places, the trees arch to form a canopy over the road. And as beautiful fall days are intermixed with some of Mother Nature’s most wicked weather, Bruce County offers you a front row seat to the wonder of "storm watching". See the waves crashing into the shoreline as seagulls ride the wind with ease, as you travel scenic escarpment routes that include lighthouses, spawning fish and rare orchids and ferns.

Tour Route #8 | Tour Route #9 | Tour Route #10

Goderich & Huron  County    

Visit  “Canada's Prettiest Town," mid September to mid October for some of the foremost fall colour in Southern Ontario, as Goderich and Huron County come alive, before a long winter’s nap. The former Railway Bridge, Menesetung lets you stroll over the Maitland River and Valley offering breathtaking vistas of all the natural splendour of this time of year. Easily accessible local hiking trails travel for several kilometres through rural fields and woodlands, and if you haven’t had enough of the beaches of Lake Huron, autumn is an ideal time to stroll the uncrowded boardwalk and dip your toes into the refreshing waters. For an afternoon of seasonal delights, visit Huron County and the Town of Goderich.  

Tour Route #11 | Tour Route #12

Kitchener-Waterloo

Offering a number of inviting, well-managed trails in the region, Kitchener-Waterloo Tourism invites you to experience this fall season at their heritage sites, and natural areas. Experience magnificent displays of both mature and regenerating forests along with a variety of wildflowers, waterways and park settings, any of which you can hike, bike, stroll or ski. The wheelchair accessible Iron Horse Trail, formerly a railway line, offers just one of the relaxing ways to view Mother Nature’s colourful dance, this autumn in Kitchener-Waterloo. Tour Route #13

Oakville

Enjoy a ride through a different world. Tired of sitting around you house being lazy all summer?  Pack up the car with some snack, your bikes and take a tour around Oakville. Check out Gairloch Gallery,  Downtown Oakville, Erchless Estate, and take a picnic in Oakville's Coronation Park.  The waterfront trail, which connects through Coronation Park, offers a serene bike, walk or blade right along the lake.  Tour Route #14

Caledonia      

In the heart Southern Ontario, come to Caledonia and see nature in its most colourful fall dress along the Canadian Heritage Grand River. Come to the Caledonia Fair, a local tradition for over a century. In a town that is truly a photographer’s delight, walk on the tow path from the landmark nine-span bridge to the Caledonia Dam. Drive beautiful tree-lined streets and enjoy the new Riverwalk or the Rotary Riverside Trail, a vividly scenic stroll. More Info.

Burlington and Halton

Explore vivid colours in Halton and Burlington by touring the sights of outdoors and indoors. Conservation Halton offers a number of interpretive centres for the very best of fall colour in the area. Lookouts dot the edge of the towering cliffs of the Escarpment to deliver some of the most spectacular viewing of the fall season, available anywhere. Witness the rich backdrop of green ferns blanketing limestone boulders scattered amongst old growth forests, crevice caves and ancient cedars. Continue your visual autumn feast with visits to the City of Burlington’s area churches. Built in the 1800s these buildings offer unique and significant examples of Neo-Classic stained glass. More Info.

St. Catharines & Niagara

Fall is breathtaking in Niagara as the Escarpment explodes with vibrant colour. Take a leisurely drive along the Niagara River Parkway or Welland Canal, then cycle or walk one of the off-road trails to behold the beauty of nature’s vibrant palette. Beginning late September through to mid-October, Niagara’s fall foliage performs. Tour one of the award-winning Niagara wineries brimming with activity as the grape harvest is being brought in, view red maples, green and white ash trees, and Norway maples along the way. Playing host to many regional festivals, St. Catharines starts off the fall season with the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival.). More Info.

Fergus & Elora

The Fergus Fall Fair and the Elora / Fergus Studio Tour are just two events held against the historic backdrops of these towns in Centre Wellington.

  More Info.

 

 

 

Sarnia & Lambton County

A multicoloured landscape and quiet spaces make the fall season one of the best times to visit Sarnia & Lambton County.

At Pinery Provincial Park catch the Carolinian Forest at its peak in the second last week of October. Watch the progression of colour, from the yellow of the Tulip Tree and the red of the Sumac to the gold blaze of the Oaks.

Cool nights and sunny days make it an ideal time to camp, hike or bike. You can listen to the gentle sounds of falling leaves in the woodland or find yourself strolling along a deserted beach. Try howling for coyotes on a fall evening or observe the behavior of buck White-tailed deer. During the fall rut, or mating season, in late October and early November their antlers finish growing and become polished. Trails with good views of fall colours include the Nipissing, Carolinian, Riverside and Lookout Trails.

Another prime viewing location is just on the outskirts of Arkona. Rock Glen Conservation Area is a unique island of nature within the Ausable Bayfield watershed jurisdiction. Whether taking a hike along the Ausable Gorge or within Rock Glen's Carolinian forest, you'll see the many vibrant fall colours of the trees and plants that are provincially distinct to this area.

Don't forget about our many unique and hearty Fall Fair and Craft Shows where you're sure to find one-of-a-kind items, home-cooking and true fair atmosphere.


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