Sylvia Plath captured the magic of immersing oneself in nature when she wrote: “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.'”  Ontario Parks celebrates its 125th birthday this year. It’s the perfect opportunity get out and be happy in the outdoors whether you’re a newbie or seasoned camper. 

Here are five very distinct Ontario Parks camping adventures to suit a variety of outdoorsy tastes.

#1) For mountain-top vistas: Killarney Provincial Park, near Sudbury

If pictures of La Cloche Mountains look familiar, it’s probably because you’ve admired them in paintings by the iconic Canadian artists, The Group of Seven. In fact, La Cloche Silhouette Trail, one of the major draws to Killarney Provincial Park, takes its name after a painting by Group of Seven member Franklin Carmichael.

The 645 square kilometres of wilderness offer up some amazing Georgian Bay scenery, whether you’re paddling along the rocky shores or hiking way up. Killarney Provincial Park offers diversions aplenty: backcountry canoeing and sea kayaking, excellent (sometimes challenging) hiking on the 80-km La Cloche-Silhouette Trail, as well as canoeing, biking (along the Chikanishing Creek to the Chikanishing Access Point), birding, fishing and, of course, swimming.  There’s car-camping available at George Lake Campground and 183 backcountry canoe-in sites and 33 backcountry hike-in sites. Roofed accommodations (which tend to book up early) include camp cabins and yurts. 

For details on Killarney, visit https://www.ontarioparks.com/park/killarney

For camping enthusiasts without a car, check out Park Bus < https://www.parkbus.ca>

Post-camping pig-out: Name me one nature-lover who doesn’t hanker for a really good meal after a few days of rehydrated camp food. In nearby Sudbury, Regency Bakery & Deli (on Regent Street) has been serving baked goods and deli grub since 1984.