Are you longing to escape and explore the outdoors?  Look no further than Sudbury!  Located in Northeastern Ontario, Sudbury is surrounded by the beautiful Canadian Shield, including 4 provincial parks.  Check out rugged landscapes, boreal forests, beautiful lakes, and enjoy your fill of fresh air at these Provincial Parks.  

1 . Fairbank Provincial Park

Fairbank Provincial Park is a 45-minute drive West of Sudbury.  Here you will find a beautiful, spring-fed lake, with crystal clear waters and a sandy beach perfect for swimming.  This park is family-oriented, and has been a popular destination for over fifty years.  For geology buffs, it’s interesting due to its location at the edge of the Sudbury basin—a crater created by a meteor strike over a billion years ago! 

2. Windy Lake Provincial Park 

45 minutes Northwest of Sudbury you will find Windy Lake Provincial Park.  Perfect for the amateur hiker, Windy Lake offers the 3km Transition Hiking Trail. Keep your eyes peeled for a variety of birds and wildflowers growing on the forest floor. Or relax with a swim and a picnic at Windy Lake’s 1.5km of sandy shoreline. 

 3. Halfway Lake Provincial Park

If you would like to travel farther afield, head Northwest to find Halfway Lake provincial park an hour’s drive from Sudbury.  Perfect for day tripping, at Halfway Lake you will find hiking and canoeing, while being able to participate in Natural Heritage Education programs.  For wildlife enthusiasts, there is the opportunity to see nesting bald eagles and a heron rookery along the Narrows Canoe Route. Or take the Echo Pond Trail and keep your eye out for a moose!

4. Killarney Provincial Park

A similar drive Southwest will bring you to Killarney Provincial Park.  Home to dramatic landscapes, this area has been an inspiration to artists including the Group of Seven.  View the La Cloche Mountains’ white quartzite ridges, Georgian Bay’s coast of pink granite, and make your friends jealous when they see your photos.  If you’re in for a challenge, hike The Crack, a 6km trail featuring a nearly vertical climb through a rocky cascade, opening up to panoramic vistas of the surrounding forest… just be sure to wear your hiking boots!

While these three provincial parks are just a quick drive from Sudbury, they are only a taste of what we have to offer.  For a safe and comfortable space to return to after your day’s adventure, book a room at Quality Inn Sudbury or call us at 705.675.1273.