Ever heard of a ‘microadventure’? Here’s where to have them in Ontario

British explorer Alastair Humphreys’ far-flung feats have included cycling 74,000 kilometres through 60 countries, canoeing down the Yukon River for 800 kilometres, and going for a casual saunter down the length of India’s Kaveri River — oh, just another 800 kilometres or so. Today, however, Humphreys is also famous for pioneering an entirely different sort of travel concept: microadventures.

“He got married and had a family and basically said, OK, how am I going to integrate these parts of my life? So he popularized this idea of short and local but deeply immersive and authentic adventures,” explains Noam Pratzer, founder of Get Out Toronto. “That’s part of the inspiration behind what we do: bite-sized but genuine experiences you can have, without taking a lot of time off work or school.”

Launched about a year ago, his travel start-up specializes in offering guided trips, available for a few hours or a few days, where all the details are handled for you. The themes range from the classic (backcountry camping, mountain biking, rock climbing) to the clever (families can take a crash course in outdoor survival skills).

Once Ontario’s pandemic rules have relaxed, here are a few spots on Pratzer’s shortlist for local microadventures. “Even post-COVID, you can still take a weekend for exploring your own backyard,” he says. “There’s so much unknown close to home.”

(Both regional travel guidelines and access to specific places can change quickly; always check official updates before you go.)

For kid-friendly diversions: Rouge National Urban Park

If you have little ones under, say, age 10, Pratzer’s pick is Canada’s only national urban park. For pure practicality, “it’s near the Toronto Zoo and in the city, so you don’t have to go in the car for that long.” Convenience aside, there’s plenty to roam — imagine a biodiverse stretch roughly 23 times larger than New York’s Central Park, complete with a lakeside beach. Nearly all the hiking trails are rated easy or moderate, and landscapes range widely — wetlands, rare Carolinian forests, bluff views — to keep kids entertained.

For advanced hiking trails: Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park

Word to the wise: This 33,505-hectare expanse is recommended only if you truly know what you’re doing. Or in official Ontario Parks parlance: Expect “complex navigating in a remote semi-wilderness environment.” (In March, two lost hikers here required an OPP rescue.) “It’s an unserviced provincial park — there are no bathrooms, no permits or fees, nothing. And the trails are poorly marked,” says Pratzer. But the upside for seasoned explorers: “It will be very hard to escape crowds anywhere in Ontario this summer — but this is as close as you’re going to get within two hours of the city.”

For rural cycling routes: Woolwich Township, Ont.

Northeast of Waterloo, you’ll find 10 small communities (Elmira is the largest), collectively known as Woolwich Township. “It’s beautiful, and culturally it’s very interesting because it’s where the Old Order Mennonites are in Ontario,” says Pratzer. You may spy locals getting around by horse and buggy as you bike the rolling, pastoral countryside. Woolwich is also home to Canada’s largest year-round farmers’ market, St. Jacobs Farmers’ Market, where plans are underway to build a 70,000-square-foot craft brewery/coffee roastery/event space, expected to open in summer 2022.

For out-of-the-way camping: Pukaskwa National Park

Once travel restrictions ease, campgrounds at every provincial park within four hours of Toronto will be packed, Pratzer predicts. But for experienced backcountry campers willing to go further afield, the coast of Lake Superior sees much less traffic. Pukaskwa National Park, for instance, is an adventurer’s playground about 11.5 hours from Toronto by car. Suitable only for those well acquainted with overnight backpacking in strenuous terrain, there’s a 60-kilometre coastal hiking trail with steep climbs. “It’s real wilderness and spectacular coast.”

The Star understands the restrictions on travel during the coronavirus pandemic. But like you, we dream of travelling again, and we’re publishing this story with future trips in mind.