As the cold weather arrives, opportunities arise to see a stunning array of fall colors across the province.
Ontario Parks is committed to making our parks as accessible as possible to visitors. If you’re planning a trip, we’ve put together a list of parks with accessibility features that are perfect for taking in the beauty of fall.
Awenda Provincial Park
Located in Georgian Bay, Awenda Provincial Park’s trails, lakes, shorelines, marshes, swamps and campgrounds offer a mix of habitats for a variety of wildlife viewing opportunities. In autumn, the park is filled with stunning autumn beauty.
Awenda has a wheelchair accessible platform on the Kettle’s Lake boardwalk. Visitors in wheelchairs can follow the platform to the water’s edge for a view of the beautiful lake and the many colors of fall.
Awenda also has a barrier-free trail called the Beaver Pond Trail. It is a 700 m circuit located in a nature reserve area. Most of this trail is a boardwalk that takes you through an area disturbed by past and present beaver activity. The area also offers excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife, wildflowers, and many species of fall migratory birds.
Awenda also has an all-terrain wheelchair available for visitors to borrow. This is a free service for visitors through the park office. Park staff can also meet you with the chair where you need it and collect it later.
Awenda is 2 hours from Toronto and 3.5 hours from London.
Bonnèchere Provincial Park
The Bonnechere day use area has great accessibility, thanks to recent investments in new features to make the park more accessible. These include busy trails, wheelchair-accessible picnic tables, and barrier-free buildings and bathrooms.
There are also beach mats along Round Lake Beach, meaning visitors in wheelchairs or with mobility issues, and parents with strollers can access beautiful fall views at the water’s edge. Wheelchair accessible parking is also available.
Bonnechere is 2 hours from Ottawa and 3 hours from Kingston.
Brontë Creek Provincial Park
Bronte Creek Provincial Park offers fantastic interpretive experiences including a children’s farm.
Maiden’s Blush Trail is a 1 km wheelchair accessible trail located in the day use area. This paved trail winds through mature forest and is suitable for a leisurely walk among the beautiful fall colors. The trailhead is located near the playground, closest to parking lot C.
Bronte Creek is 30 minutes from Hamilton and 1 hour from Toronto.
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park
Kakabeka Falls Provincial Park is home to the second tallest waterfall in all of Ontario. Visitors can take in the majestic 40m Kakabeka Falls, as well as the surrounding gorge and stunning autumn colours.
Kakabeka Falls has two wheelchair accessible trails for visitors. The 750m Boardwalk Trail circles the top of the falls and is located near accessible parking.
The scenic 1.25 km Mountain Portage Trail is part of the historic transportation that early travelers used to traverse around Kakabeka Falls. The trail also offers great views of the falls, gorge, and river from different vantage points.
Kakabeka Falls is 30 minutes from Thunder Bay.
Mashkinonje Provincial Park
Mashkinonje Provincial Park features a diverse wetland system that supports major wetland types, including swamps, peat bogs, bogs, swamps and ponds. Fall is a great time to enjoy this park, as even the wetland grasses turn golden.
The first 600m of Mashkinonje’s Loudon Peatland Trail is barrier-free and leads to an observation platform at the edge of the peat bog. The trail has a fine surface and a long boardwalk that crosses the first wetland.
There is also an observation deck overlooking the wetland with some interpretive panels. The trail includes accessible parking, restrooms, and picnic tables at the trailhead.
Mashkinonje is 1 hour from North Bay and 1 hour and 15 minutes from Sudbury.
Ouimet Canyon Provincial Park
Ouimet Canyon is a day-use park with panoramic views of a 150m wide gorge and steep cliffs that drop 100m to the canyon floor. Arctic plants, typically found 1,000 km to the north, survive in the unique environment of the canyon floor.
The park’s 1.7 km loop trail leads to two viewing platforms along the canyon rim. One direction along this trail allows barrier-free access to the viewpoints, so you can experience stunning views like the ones above.
Ouimet Canyon is 1 hour from Thunder Bay.
Pinery Provincial Park
Pinery is not only home to beautiful beaches. The park also features beautiful fall colors that peak later than anywhere else in Ontario. You can usually see reds, oranges, and yellows from late October to early November.
Pinery has many wheelchair-accessible options for viewing fall colors. Three of the park’s trails are wheelchair accessible: Cedar Trail, Heritage Trail, and Riverside Trail. The trails offer examples of the park’s Oak Savanna habitat and views of the Old Ausable Channel.
Beach and all-terrain wheelchairs can be rented free of charge.
Pinery is 1 hour from London or Sarnia.
Rondeau Provincial Park
Rondeau Provincial Park is known for its beaches and impressive bird watching. However, the park also features stunning fall colors, which also peak late in the year.
Rondeau Road is a great place to see the fall colors of the park’s ancient Carolinian forest. A 2km stretch of paved road in the park is closed to vehicles and makes an excellent, rugged trail for viewing the surrounding forest. Parking is available at both ends of the road.
Rondeau is a world-renowned birdwatching destination, so bring your binoculars and keep your eyes peeled!
Rondeau is 3 hours from Toronto and 1.5 hours from London.
Do you need more details?
We will be happy to answer any questions and provide more details about the accessibility features of any of our parks.
If you want more information please:
- Call the park directly using the number listed on their home page.
- send us a direct message on any of Ontario Parks’ core social media channels (Facebook, TwitterInstagram)
- Send us an email
Ready to plan your fall color viewing trip?
Be sure to check out our Fall Color Report before you head out!