For many people the call of cranberries is almost hypnotic, the lure of the red and white berries floating in water is a siren call of adventure. There aren't too many cranberry farms left in Ontario but the Muskoka Lakes farm featuring Johnston Cranberries is open for bookings and Fall won't last forever.
On June 17, 2020 the province started the recovery process with the start of Stage 3 with most business and public spaces gradually opening. As of September 8, a pause has been initiated by Ontario where further openings will be delayed for 28 days. However, you can't fight mother nature and its colours are going to happen and people will want to explore the beauty of Ontario, the question will be where can you go?
With so many places still closed, or with limited entrance, the usual busy Fall tours will be even more hectic. Full of too busy roads and tiny amounts of parking. Even one of the star locations close to Toronto - Caledon, usually full of fantastic fall colours only offers, at least the last time I counted, about three parking spaces at normal times. They really want you to slow down, have someone run out of the car and buy something in their small town, then proceed to get the heck out of the area and leave it for the locals. You can try, but the stop and go traffic will just slow you down. If you thought viewing the beauty of nature during Fall was hard before, you ain't seen nothing yet.
There are about 3 more weekends before peak colours dry up, that's only six days of day-trips and if we get rain or dark grey skies those six days can be reduced pretty fast. Unless you head up to cottage country you have the crown jewels such as Collingwood, Caledon (with the Forks of the Credit and the Badlands of Cheltenham), Burlington and Hamilton's waterfalls and Dundas Peak, the rolling hills of eastern Ontario and the larger Toronto parks like High Park and the Scarborough Bluffs. Pick your poison and make plans to put in a reservation if at all possible. Otherwise look for public transit, places that have parking and shuttle buses, or find a way to bike or hike into the area. Good luck my friends, you will need it this year.
The trail doesn't stray too far from the shores of Lake Erie and the old rail bed provided for gentle slopes which makes the biking easy. The pathway signs indicate the intersecting roads along with points of interest and directions if you want to explore more of the area.
To start off we parked at the Welland Canal Lock Number 8 Park which has a public bathroom and free parking. There is also plenty of free parking near the start of the Friendship Trail as well as along the route (at Ridge Road, Crescent Road and Lakeshore Road). Then we biked along the end of the Welland Canal Trail until we joined up with the Friendship Trail running east along Durham Street. Then it was sweet cycling watching the many factories and houses transition into farmland and residential areas.
We took a 2.5km detour from the path to check out Crystal Beach which was once home to a significant amusement park from 1888 to 1989. All that seems to remain is the large pier which was used by ferries to bring the people to the park - none of the attractions or giant roller coaster that ran right beside the water still remain. It actually far outlasted the Fort Erie park and some of its attractions were brought to Crystal Beach. After checking out the current beach we made our way back to the trail and continued until we hit Fort Erie.
The Friendship trail moved onto a large sidewalk on Edgemere Road in Fort Erie and continues through a future development until you get to Lakeshore Road and the Niagara River Recreational Trail. We detoured off the path to walk along the beach of Lake Erie through the remains of the old Lake Erie Beach Park.
The Lake Erie amusement park operated from 1885 until just after the start of the Great Depression in 1930. Only concrete structures and steps remain, including bases for the plane ride, the old pier and a small wall that that winds around the edge of the water - it used to be one of the largest outdoor swimming pools in the world at one time. The city has put up posters with information and pictures showing the extent of the old fairgrounds.
