Best places to see beautiful fall foliage in Ontario over the Thanksgiving weekend

Aside from visiting local pumpkin patches while physically distancing, looking for foliage in Ontario is probably our favourite fall activity.

There’s something magical about seeing the leaves slowly change colour from vibrant green to fiery red.

While there are plenty of incredible places to watch the leaves change right here in our own backyard, the real gold; however, can be found at various parks throughout the province.

And it just so happens that according to the Ontario Park’s Fall Colour Report, which indicates how the leaves are changing across the province, a number of parks currently have great leaf-peeping conditions.

Ontario Parks

As of Tuesday, October 6, colour progression has improved thanks to the recent chillier temperatures throughout the province.

The current report is showing central and northern regions have nice pockets of colour, with some further north-west regions already in peak viewing stages.

Ontario Parks

If you’re looking to check out some beautiful fall foliage over the Thanksgiving long weekend, check out one of the parks listed below which are showing leaves in the orange to deep red and brown stages, which are the ultimate fall backdrop.

Note: As per Ontario Parks, Algonquin Provincial Park has implemented measures to address overcrowding this fall. The park may be closed at any time of day if park capacity is reached. For more information on the park, read our guide to what you need to know before visiting.

• Algonquin: Yellow/Orange
• Arrowhead: Red/Orange
• Batchawana Bay: Red/Orange
• Chutes: Red/Orange
• Darlington: Orange
• Fitzroy: Yellow/Orange
• Forks of the Credit: Orange
• Frontenac: Orange
• Grundy Lake: Yellow/Orange
• Kakebeka Falls: Yellow
• Killarney: Yellow/Orange
• Lake St. Peter: Yellow/Orange
• Lake Superior: Red
• Mark S. Burnham: Yellow/Orange
• Mono Cliffs: Orange
• Pancake Bay: Red/Orange
• Pigeon River: Yellow
• Restoule: Red/orange
• Samuel de Champlain: Yellow
• Sauble Falls: Red/Orange
• Sharbot Lake: Red/Orange
• The Massasauga: Orange

If you’re interested in visiting a specific park that’s not listed above, the Fall Colour Report lists when the best viewing time is for all 62 provincial parks and the surrounding areas, so you’ll never arrive at a park disappointed by what you see.

According to Ontario Parks, visitors should continue to follow public health advice including physical distancing by keeping at least two metres from others, wearing a face covering where required and when physical distancing may be challenging or not possible, washing hands regularly with soap and water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available.

“While some services remain closed in Ontario Parks, priority for cleaning and disinfection is placed on essential areas and high-touch surfaces in public spaces including washrooms and other shared facilities,” says the Parks website.

“The safety of our visitors and staff is always our top priority. We have implemented measures to address overcrowding and promote physical distancing in our park spaces and buildings during busy visitation times by limiting occupancy for day-use and camping in select provincial parks. This includes limiting the number of daily vehicle permits sold or the number of campsites available for reservations.”

With files from Ainsley Smith