Unique Ideas for Celebrating the Holidays in the North

Traditional holiday greeting card for celebrating the holidays, featuring St. Nicholas on skis.

Most of us tend to spend the holidays visiting with family and friends, though some people like to travel, since for many, this is also vacation time. Either way, sometimes it’s hard to come up with something different to do, especially for special occasions. If you’ll be celebrating the holidays in the North, here are some festive ideas […]

Winter Walking the Laurentian Escarpment Trails in North Bay

City scenery from the Laurentian Escarpment Trails in North Bay.

It’s a lot of fun going to different places to discover new trails. Most recently, we ventured out to North Bay so we could go winter walking the Laurentian Escarpment Trails. Part of a conservation area, there are perhaps seven or eight kilometres * of interconnecting non-motorized multi-use trails overlooking the city. We brought our snowshoes along with […]

Snowshoeing Along French River to Récollet Falls

A bit of snow covers the rocky riverside, the water surface still on this cold winter's day.

For us, visiting the area’s most famous historical site is an annual tradition, whether we’re hiking or snowshoeing along French River to Récollet Falls. The last time we went was a snowshoe trip on a sunny day that gave us a colourful perspective of the always beautiful scenery. Its trail head located just outside the French River Visitor […]

Snowshoe Hiking Mashkinonje Park’s Samoset Loop to Lapin Beach

A bay of Lake Nipissing seen from Lapin Beach.

Mashkinonje Provincial Park is one of my favourite places to hike, no matter the season. Most appealingly, there are over 30 kilometres of natural trails, accessible for free and usually not crowded. On our last trip snowshoe hiking Mashkinonje Park, we tackled the Samoset loop to Lapin Beach. The Samoset loop to Lapin Beach is approximately five kilometres […]

Exploring Vancouver While Backpacking British Columbia

The Pacific Ocean and the downtown skyline with a mountainous backdrop, as seen while exploring Vancouver.

Once I arrived in Vancouver following my Western Canada rideshare road trip in a transport truck, I settled in over the next few days, and got to know the nearby area. I was ready to begin backpacking British Columbia, and I planned to start by exploring Vancouver! But before I could spend any time exploring Vancouver and more […]

Snowshoe Hike on the Loudon Peatland Trail in Mashkinonje Provincial Park

Lovely view of the Loudon Peatland from the top of the tower.

Mashkinonje Provincial Park’s got some great snowshoeing trails, so we were surprised that the Blandings Access Point wasn’t ploughed the few times we drove passed there this winter, and it looked like it hadn’t been done all season. But on our snowshoeing trip, it wasn’t a big deal — we just drove a little further on for a […]

Layering Winter Wear for Warmth

Layering winter wear for warmth is important when snowshoeing, like during this outing on Lac Clair in French River.

Staying warm outdoors in winter is all about layers. Layering winter wear for warmth is simple once you know the tricks: a thin, non-absorbent, moisture-wicking, and fast-drying base layer that fits snug to the skin; a loose insulating layer in the middle; a warm, breathable, and protective layer on the outside. From toe to head and inside-outwards, here’s […]

Snowshoe Hiking to The Lake Above, French River

Scenery from snowshoe hiking to the Lake Above.

Easily accessible though possibly a little tricky to find, a couple of hours is all the time needed to go snowshoe hiking to The Lake Above. At the very end of Mayer Road in Noëlville, the snowmobile trail leads to The Lake Above side trail, which, if it hasn’t been used lately, is impossible to see. The snowmobile […]

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