Three Provincial Parks in Ontario, Canada

Canada...we need to talk. I'm not sure you were even trying. I mean, seriously, you might have given us poutine, maple syrup, Coffee Crisp, Hickory Sticks, pictographs, sunrise kayaks, beautiful walks in the woods, bike rides along scenic rivers and old railway beds, and more than enough reasons to visit you and spend more than a week, but you also gave us mosquitoes. Mosquitoes large and angry enough to make it look like a bad blood drive experiment gone awry. But, you're still on the list of places to go if we ever get kicked out of the States or have a long enough weekend.

Where to begin? Well, we left Lake Placid and headed back through the Adirondacks up to cross the border at Ogdensburg. As our first foray across an international border with the YOFOHome, avoiding the more popular (read: traffic) sites was important. Still managed to nearly goof it up since someone opted to sneak across the stop-here line by a tire. The Canadian Customs agent wasn't fazed, but the co-pilot was hardcore mocking. The Border Agent was most interested in asking if we were bringing guns. Our return agent was most interested in finding out if we had alcohol. (Not touching any of that.) Our route went from Bon Echo to Algonquin to Chutes and then back through Sault Ste Marie.

Bon Echo: bring kayaks. Our campsite practically backed onto Bon Echo Creek right near a boat launch. It's a short paddle to get to the Narrows and cross over to the cliff side where you can see pictographs and a rather curious carving to Walt Whitman. Plenty of space to paddle and play in Mazinaw Lake. While motor boats are allowed on the lake, we had no issues; we were more interested in being near the shores than playing in the wide open water. We went on a few hikes - well marked, rocky, rooty, and almost deserted. In about 10 miles of hiking / trail running over two days and three trails...two human sightings. And they were together, so one instance. The Shield Trail is a lollipop trail that delivers on lake views and offers the chance of a beaver sighting. The Clutes and Essens Loops are connectable (along with an Abe's Lake Add-on) that wind up and down drainages giving views of Lakes, meadows, hardwood forests, and marshes.

Algonquin - we weren't there nearly long enough. The Highway 60 corridor has a staggering array of options and that is only a tiny part of the whole park. Because we can't resist a bad analogy, it'd be like going to Denver and saying you checked Colorado off your list of places to visit, ever. There's something for everyone - ADA trails, railways converted to bike path, easy hikes, flat water, rivers, creeks, portages, more rugged trails (both hike and bike), and then there's the whole backcountry. We camped in the Pog Lake area - was very central to everything we wanted to do. We biked the Old Railway Trail to catch the portion of Track & Tower that provides a gorgeous overlook onto Cache Lake. We kayaked up to Squaw Bay in Lake Opeongo and then played a bit down in the Costello Creek area. It sounds cheesy - but don't miss the Spruce Bog Boardwalk Trail. Their guidebook even had a speck of snark, so besides seeing and learning about bog formation, well, snark! We later found out that you should go to a spot off the boardwalk at night and try to call for wolves. Totally would have stood on a rock in the dark and howled, but we didn't know it was an option...which is pretty absurd if you know us at all. Of course howling at the moon is an option!

The overlook to Cache Lake from Track & Tower trail

Chutes - honestly, we picked it because it was along our route and about the right distance, but dang, we lucked out. The park is near a bunch of mining and logging history, has a cool waterfall and a bunch of rapids you can check out along the Two Bridges Trail, is close to a bike network that stretches from Sault Ste Marie to Sudbury, and the town has a super fun Back Room Cafe with excellent food. We wish we'd have had the time to check out the town museum as some of the displays around town sparked our curiosity.

Rapids just above the chute area of Chutes

Overall: heck yeah with a "stay longer" bit of advice. You already know to bring your preferred toys, so check out Canada's provincial park system. We went three for three on semi-random picks and heard good things from folks about other parks (Killarney, the Pinery). An important note: we were there in mosquito season. Our sprays helped, but long sleeves, long pants, and hats helped more. Be prepared. Similarly, be prepared for temps a few degrees cooler (aka awesome sleeping weather) than you think when you think mid June.

they have maple flavored mallows in Canada, since s'mores weren't epic enough