The province of Ontario has the largest tourist industry within Canada, with the majority of its visitors coming from the United States. Ontario’s most noteworthy and scenic recreational attraction is water. The province contains some 250,000 lakes intermingled with thousands of streams and rivers. Four of the Great Lakes – Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario and their extensive shorelines provide endless recreational opportunities. Lake Simcoe, the Kawartha Lakes, the Muskoka Lakes and the Haliburton Lakes regions have always been important tourist destinations. The biggest water attraction is by far Niagara Falls, where the waters of the Niagara River plunge 57 metres at the Horsehoe Falls, on the Canadian side of the river.

Ontario has six national parks. Point Pelee National Park is located along 20 kms (12 miles) of Lake Erie shoreline and is a prominent bird migration area. St. Lawrence Islands National Park, is Canada’s smallest national park and consists of apx 20 islands and some mainland within the Thirty Thousand Islands region. Bruce Peninsula National Park is located in eastern Ontario on the shores of Lake Huron. The park is noted for its beautiful scenery and Lake Huron sunsets as well as over 300 bird species and over 40 species of orchids. Georgian Bay Islands National Park, located on an inlet on Georgian Bay within Lake Huron is in close proximity to Fathom Five National Marine Park, Canada’s first national marine park. Pukaskwa National Park is Ontario’s largest national park and most untouched and unspoiled. Located along the shores of Lake Superior the park is deep within a boreal forest and is a perfect example of Ontario’s undisturbed northern wilderness. Ontario also has 272 provincial parks which are divided into six categories – recreation, historic, wilderness, natural environment, waterway, and nature reserves. The largest, oldest, and best-known provincial park is Algonquin Park.