Get outside with these fun activities on Healthy Parks, Healthy People day (July 15)

Algonquin Outfitters wants you to get outside. July 15 is Healthy Parks, Healthy People day and in addition to free day admission to Ontario Parks, Algonquin Outfitters has some fun activities in Algonquin Park that you can participate in. (See the full list of activities below.)

Have you ever heard of bikepacking? Think long-distance backpacking, but with a bike. Bikepacker and adventure cyclist, Miles Arbour, will be at the Algonquin Outfitters Lake of Two Rivers store from 10-4 to talk about his experiences with bikepacking and how you can plan your own trip. (Read about Miles’s recent bikepacking trip from Algonquin Park to Huntsville here.) There will also be a bike scavenger hunt and obstacle course – fun, family-friendly activities to introduce you to the bike trails in Algonquin Park.

Visit the Algonquin Outfitters Lake of Two Rivers store during Healthy Parks, Healthy People day on July 15 to learn more about bikepacking and go on a bike scavenger hunt

You can see nature in another way with a free Sketching Nature by Design workshop with Janine Marson. Under Janine’s instruction, use a viewfinder to sketch what you see using pencils, pigma micron black ink pens, pencil crayon, and markers – no previous experience required! You’ll amaze yourself with what you can create and it’s a great opportunity to develop ideas for AO’s Paddle Art Contest. For a $25 registration fee you’ll receive a blank paddle to use as a canvas to create something unique in celebration of AO’s 55th anniversary (1961-2016) and the 100th anniversary of Tom Thomson’s death in Algonquin Park (1917-2017). The Sketching Nature by Design workshops run from 10-12 and 1-3 – arrive 10 minutes early to prepare for the water taxi.

Also at Lake Opeongo, you can rent a canoe, kayak or paddleboard for free at the Opeongo Store and explore Lake Opeongo or Costello Creek. (If you can’t make it on Healthy Parks, Healthy People day, you can still rent equipment for the rest of the summer. You’ll find details and rates here.) Or if you’d prefer to kick back, relax, and watch the scenery go by, the Opeongo Store is also offering $10 scenic boat tours of Lake Opeongo.

Healthy Parks, Healthy People day is a fun and inexpensive way to explore the great outdoor opportunities we have right on our doorstep.
Randy Mitson, Algonquin Outfitters

For more information on Healthy Parks, Healthy People Day, visit ontarioparks.com/hphp. Scroll down to see the schedule of events.

Healthy Parks, Healthy People events in Algonquin Park on July 15 (remember, a day pass to the park is free that day!):

8:00 am – 10:30 am: On the Trail of Wildlife
Join a Park Naturalist in an exploration of animal tracks and signs in the morning. Meet at the Mizzy Lake Trailhead (km15.4).

8:00am–7:00pm: Free Rentals at Lake Opeongo Store with Algonquin Outfitters
Get out on the water with Algonquin Outfitters for a free 1-hour rental of their canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards. Paddle on Lake Opeongo or Costello Creek right from the dock at the Opeongo Store located 6.2 kilometres north of Highway 60 (km 46.3).

8:00am – 7:00pm Boat Tours of Lake Opeongo with Algonquin Outfitters
Enjoy a scenic boat tour of Lake Opeongo for just $10 per person. This guided tour departs every hour and half hour from the Opeongo Store located 6.2 kilometres north of Highway 60 at km 46.3.

9:00am-1:00pm: Paddling Information Sessions and Free Rentals at Portage Store
Join one of the paddling demonstration and information sessions at 9:00am, 11:00am or 1:00pm. Participants are required to register beforehand at the rental counter. Participants that attend one of the sessions will qualify for a free 2-hour canoe rental which would include use of paddles, life jackets and bailer kit. The Portage Store is located on Canoe Lake (km 14.1).

10:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-3:00pm: Sketching Nature by Design with artist Janine Marson at Lake Opeongo with Algonquin Outfitters
This fun hands-on workshop is sure to help even the most timid of artists to enjoy seeing nature in a fresh new way! This event is free and sketching materials will be provided (children must be accompanied by a participating adult). At Opeongo Store located 6.2 kilometres north of Highway 60 at km 46.3.

10:00am–4:00pm: Bikepacking demonstrations, bike obstacle course and bike scavenger hunt at the Two Rivers Store with Algonquin Outfitters
Introduction to Bikepacking demonstrations with adventure cyclist Miles Arbour. Build your bike skills with their obstacle course and compete to win prizes and get a discount at the Two Rivers restaurant. Ride the Old Railway Bike Trail and complete as many photo scavenger hunt items as you can to win prizes. Remember to bring your digital camera or smart phone. Bring your own bike or rent one from their fleet. The scavenger hunt is geared toward adults or families. The Two Rivers Store (km 31.4).

10:30 am: Insect Hunt Children’s Program
Meet at the Algonquin Visitor Centre. Program lasts approximately 1 hour and takes place partly outdoors. From beautiful butterflies to dashing dragonflies, insects are an amazing group of but we hardly know them. Join Park Naturalists to discover the world of insects! An insect-catching session will follow (weather permitting) beside the Visitor Centre. Bring a net if you have one!

11:00am–4:00pm: All You Can Paint at the Algonquin Art Centre!
Under the guidance of art instructors Josee Trahan and Chelsea Bourget, you have unlimited paint for your own take-home wood panel and for the Art Centre’s collective art project! Lots of creative fun for the whole family! Price: $5.00/person. The Algonquin Art Centre (km 20).

12:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Tracks on the Trail
This is a wildlife themed biking event for children on the Old Railway Bike Trail. Participants may pick up their official tracking booklet at the registration table just off the Mew Lake parking lot for the Old Railway Bike Trail and may start any time between 12PM and 4PM. The 2km route features 5 stops each with a different Algonquin mammal theme with a Park Naturalist on hand to teach kids about each mammal and where participants will receive wildlife track stamps in their booklets. Once they complete the route and have collected their stamps they return to the registration table to receive their badge.

9:00 pm -10:00 pm: Evening Program
Do humans really need time in nature? Find out why spending time in nature is good for us; for both physical and mental health, and creativity. We will also explore why our time in nature is getting cut short, and what we can do about it. Outdoor Theatre (at km 35.4).

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