
Every fall, Ontario transforms into a glorious kaleidoscope of colours as the leaves begin to signal the arrival of cooler weather.
While Toronto’s foliage may still lean mostly green, if you travel just beyond the outskirts of the city, several parks across the province are already showcasing stunning vibrant red, gold, and orange hues, particularly across northern Ontario.
If you’re up for a road trip to go to see the best of this year’s fall colours, Ontario Parks’ Fall Colours Report is one of your best resources to perfect your itinerary.
The report is updated regularly throughout the season, displaying an interactive map with colour-coded leaf icons which lets you see the current colour change in Ontario’s provincial parks.
The colour of the leaf icon, which ranges from dark green to dark red, represents each specific park and its up-to-date fall colour report, and the colour of each region reflects the average of all parks within that region.
As of October 6, Algonquin Park leads the pack having reached its full peak for colour change, with 100 percent of its trees showing fall colours and 30 per cent of leaf fall.
Algonquin is one of the most popular destinations for leaf peeping every fall, particularly along the Highway 60 Corridor.
Not far behind are Lake Superior and Mikisew Provincial Parks, with an 80 per cent colour change. Most other parks remain a 60 per cent colour change and below.
Parks closest to Toronto range from a 10 to 30 per cent colour change at the time of writing, so you still have some time to plan ahead. Factors like temperature and precipitation will also impact colour change, so keep an eye on the Ontario Parks website over the coming days and weeks for the most accurate predictions!