I would greatly appreciate advice from fodorites familiar with Ontario.My husband and I plan on arriving into Toronto in early May and would like to travel for two weeks before heading to NYC for a week. Hertz car rental seems flexible allowing for car return to Montreal.We love the natural beauty and wildlife of Canada and North America, having previously visited Alaska and the Rockies.
I have looked at the option of heading up to Bruce Peninsula, ferry to Manitoulin Islands, Sudbury, North Bay, Ottawa, Montreal OR Toronto, Algonquin Park, Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal OR EVEN Toronto, down into upstate NY back up through Adirondacks .I am really confused (as you can tell)which areas we would most enjoy. Obviously we would head down to Niagara whilst near Toronto.I would love to hear your opinions on what would be the best trip.

Happyhiker

Lots to see and do in Ontario. To view the natural beauty and wildlife of Canada you will have to leave the built-up areas. I live in the Bruce Peninsula area and there are lots of camping and hiking opportunities in the Bruce. The ferry to Manitoulin Island should be operating again (it shuts down for winter) and I would encourage you to do that. It takes about 2 hours on the boat and you can drive your car onto the boat. You can research schedules by doing an internet search for "Chi Chi Maun" - the name of the ferry.

After Manitoulin Island you could drive toward Sudbury to see some of the tourist sites like the Big Nickel and the underground mine tour and Science North. Continue on toward Algonquin Park. There are hotels and resorts in the Park that offer a wide variety of activities and prices. You could either end or begin your trip in Niagara.

Just a reminder that in early May in this part of Ontario the nights will likely be cold and the daytime warm to cool. There will be no outdoor swimming.

Niagara is about a 2 hour drive from Toronto (if there are no traffic delays).

I would recommend doing Niagara first,followed by a couple of days in Toronto.Then do the Bruce peninsula to Manitoulin Island, provided the ferry is operational. After Sudbury, I would swing round and do Ottawa and Montreal and, if possible, Quebec City. Ottawa has its tulip festival at that time of year, although the long snowy winter might delay the flowers this year.Ottawa had close to 4 metres( 12 feet) of snow this winter. I have omitted Algonquin Park altogether because of the time of year. It is a magnificent area, but to just drive through it is, to me, quite boring. If you can stop and rent a canoe and go into the wilderness for a few days, then it becomes interesting. Quebec City, on the other hand, is a world heritage site and well worth a visit. Your return to the States would be easy from there.

Using Mapquest, going from Toronto through Manitoulin Island to North Bay will take about 8 hours if you don't stay the night on the island.

Do you want to spend any time in Toronto and Montreal, or do you want to simply use them as an in and out path?

If you want to see the natural beauty and wildlife, you'll need to spend at least one full day in the location - that means a 2-night stay minimum.

If you want to see Niagara Falls, you need to figure out what you want to see and do there to figure out the time needed. Many folks will say "you only need a day", but if you want to do MotM, JbtF, etc. that doesn't leave you any time to just sit and watch the water (and that's what makes it special). Then there's the Niagara-on-the-Lake option - do you want to spend time there, do you want to visit wineries, etc.?

Looking at your 2-week time frame, a starting time frame would be:

Day 1 - arrive Toronto, settle in
Day 2 - see Toronto
Day 3 - see Toronto
Day 4 - drive to Niagara Falls, see Niagara Falls
Day 5 - drive to Manitoulin Island, see island
Day 6 - see island, drive to Sudbury
Day 7 - see Sudbury
Day 8 - drive to North Bay, see North Bay
Day 9 - drive to Ottawa, see Ottawa
Day 10 - see Ottawa
Day 11 - drive to Montreal, see Montreal
Day 12 - see Montreal
Day 13 - see Montreal
Day 14 - fly to NYC

Is that the type of trip you want?

My recommendation is to first identify the cities/towns you want to visit. Then, identify what you want to do in each place. Figure out how many days it will take to do those things in each place. Then, add in travel time between each place. Now you know basically how much time you need to have to do it all.

Odds are you will need more time than you have scheduled. So, you start by removing the places that hold the least interest for you. If you still need to cut, reduce the things you want to do within a location so you can cut a day or two out.

I usually plan two major activities a day (i.e., museum and boat cruise). That leaves me enough time to add in a last minute desire, shop, relax, etc.

Thankyou, your advice is really helping.
Almcd- we were originally going to start in NF but thought the car would be an inconvenience in Toronto, so changed our plans to start in Toronto, then hire the car, head down to NF and continue on from there. Is that a good idea?
From your responses, it sounds like the northern route is for us.
I have looked at the hiking in Algonquin and think we would enjoy the wildlife and hiking there for a few days.
Going through Manitoulin Island was more of a way of getting out of Bruce Peninsula without backtracking.
Would it be more scenic going that way through MI/Sudbury/North Bay or better just to go Collingwood/Huntsville into Algonquin?
I can always extend our itinerary by a couple of days.
We like to bicycle and walk around cities to get a feel for the city, but generally aren't into Museums etc.
Again, would appreciate your thoughts.

Just a word of caution regarding the weather in early May. teacherCanada has pointed out that the nights will be cool, if not cold. I would add that once you get north of Toronto, especially in the Sudbury, North Bay and Algonquin Park area, there could still be traces of snow on the ground. It's been a very heavy snowfall winter in most of Ontario (even Toronto).

Here in Ottawa, we still have several feet of snow (our street has snowbanks 4 ft high and more) and although it is melting, in the woods and places where you might want to hike, conditions might not be ideal by early May. Either trails might still be snow-covered or they will certainly be quite muddy. The scenery will be rather bleak as the deciduous trees will still not be in leaf.

Frankly, I would skip Northern Ontario at this time of year. After Niagara Falls and Toronto (where the weather should be pleasant), continue along Lake Ontario, visiting Prince Edward County and Kingston. Then make your way to Ottawa and on to Montreal.

Depending on the weather, if you do want to get to the outdoors, Gatineau Park is a semi-wilderness park only 30 minutes from downtown Ottawa. Similarly, you can get to the Laurentians (e.g. Mont Tremblant) in about an hour from Montreal. This way, if the weather is not great for hiking or outdoors activities, you will have the attractions of the cities. I'm afraid that Sudbury and North Bay don't hold similar attractions.

Here's some information on Gatineau Park:

http://tinyurl.com/3c4au4

BTW I was skiing at Tremblant last week, and conditions were like mid-winter with 10cm of fresh powder. They plan to stay open until 20 Apr.
There's still a lot of snow!

Weather, first of all.

In the Toron to area, homeowners look at the Victoria Day weekend, which is at the end of May, as the safe date to plant gardens without worry about frost.

It can be delightful in early May, but it can be cold and rainy and sleety, too.

Depending on where you come from, Toronto may or may not be a driving challenge. I live both downtown and in a suburb about 30 miles away, and we bring the car into the city a lot, if we are going to be moving around, and we take the train into the city oif we're staying in one neighborhood all day.

Distances can be measured in miles/kilometers, hours, or pleasurable days.

It's a long day's drive without stoppingmuch from New York City to Niagara Falls. It's a fairly pleasant hour and a half from Toronto to Niagara Falls, outside of rush hour. Ottawa's a half day away. Mpontreal, the straight way, is a full day's drive, allowing you to leave Toronto after breakfast and get to Montreal in time for a good dinner.

But if you want to stop in Kingston on the way to Montreal, bettr leave earlier in the morning.

Traffic in and near Montreal and Toronto is heavy, so when people tell you driving times, try to figure out if it is from some part of a city you care about, or the edge of town. It takes the better part of an hour to get from downtown Toronto to the edge of the city onthe way to Montreal, for insatance, and it vcan take almost as long from the edge of Montreal to downtown.

Consider a circle.

New York to Niagra Falls to Toronto to Huntsville to Algonquin to Ottawa to Montreal to Kingston, backtrack thirty miles and cross into the USA over the St. lawrence River, and drive back to New York if you want.

BAK

One other thing to consider- Greyhound runs a daily bus from downtown Toronto to Niagara Falls. Taking this would avoid your having to rent a car until after your stay in Toronto and also avoid the crippling parking charges when you stay at your hotel.

Thanks almcd, starting in Toronto has actually worked out better for us. Better flight connection (we are coming from Australia)and it will allow a few more days so that hopefully Maid of the Mist will have started running.

If you do decide to do the Bruce peninsula, there are some excellent hikes on the Bruce trail in that area. Look in the Bruce trail web site at www.brucetrail.org for further information

I'd add that while the falls part of Niagara Falls is interesting, I like NIagara-on-the-Lake even more. Nice downtown, B&Bs, and many vineyards you could visit for a tasting.

I am inclined to agree with laverenderye about skipping northern Ontario at this time of year. It can not only be cold but appear quite barren. July to October best months for the north. Mid-May to June is also the dreaded black fly season for hikers in Northern Ontario - check it out on-line. Enjoy Toronto (TO), drive to Niagara but leave TO before 3:30p.m. to avoid traffic tie ups.To see Niagara area you definitely need a car so forget the bus idea. You will be seeing rural Niagara at its most beautiful in May,take time to enjoy the area. Early May is blossom time check out Niagara fruit institute guided hikes on the escarment May 10 & 11. Before we became wine country our fruit farms were glorious - still something to see along the QEW as you near Vineland .
Over 50 wineries between Burlington and Niagara-on-the -Lake (NOL). We are noted for our icewines. Blossom Tour explains why. Many wineries have wine tours, tastings a very small fee.
You will drive over the Skyway Bridge in St.Catharines over the Welland canal - a great engineering feat that carries ocean vessels from around the world thru the Great Lakes. Detour to see it if time.Viewing stands along the canal.
You can drive to NOL on your way to the Falls on HWY 55 thru Virgil. Loads of lovely B&B's in NOL. Niagara Falls is beautiful but very touristy - quieter in NOL. Stroll the streets of NOL a beautiful picturesque town - noted for its Shaw Festival Theatre. Be sure to follow the beautiful Niagara Boulevard along the river either going south to NF
or heading from NF to NOL. Stops are Adam Beck Power generating station, Floral clock for pictures,Butterfly conservatory, Horticultural School & gardens Across from School is the Niagara Glen -(for walks down the Niagara Gorge) & the Aerial car crossing the river. Tulips and daffodils should be at their best in NF a sight to behold. See the lights at night on the Falls. Next stop Ottawa - tulip festival. Drive QEW to 401 ( to avoid Toronto take toll 407 from Burlington to Oshawa end to 401 - saves time but not cheap).Can also go thru the States from Buffalo 90 to 81 North and cross at the Thousand Islands back into Canada. From Ottawa head to Montreal. Suggest two day trip from Montreal to rustic Stowe Vermont in the Green Mountains for hiking at Smugglers' Notch, visit the Trapp Family Lodge home of Maria of the Sound of Music. Beautiful area,lots of accomodations
1 1/2 hrs from Montreal on Hwy#89.
Return to Montreal - fly to NY.
Other option is Mount Tremblant area in Quebec for mountainous scenery.

we are doing the same trip in reverse in early May! We found Alamo to have the cheapest car hire, they also allow one way rentals.

You've had lots of good advice, and the time for your trip is probably drawing too near to make itinerary changes. But, as I am a "nature nut", travel extensively in Ontario, and spend time in both the Bruce Peninsula and Algonquin every year, I'll add my 2 cents worth.

I visit the Bruce most years in mid to late May because the birdwatching is great then (migration) and the wildflowers for which the Bruce is famous are starting to bloom. But, it can still be pretty cool then, will be more so in early May - the wind blowing across the still cold lake water can be bitter. The Georgian Bay side tends to be more protected and the hikes along the Escarpment bordering the Bay in Bruce National Park are spectacular, and will be less busy that time of year. The tourist/service town of Tobermory is cute, but may not be fully operational until the May 16 Victoria Day weekend.

Algonquin has excellent nature trails and day hikes plus great nature/wildlife viewing, but will also be cool, and the deciduouos trees and undergrowth won't be fully leafed out yet in early May, which may make it look a little more "barren" that it would slightly later in the season.

Blackflies (small biting insects) are variable year to year in timing and numbers. Usually I think of them in mid to late May, even early June, but buy spray just in case. I personally would probably skip Sudbury and North Bay at that time of year. Killarney Provincial Park - south of Sudbury is spectacular, but early May will likewise be cool.

Gatineau Park is a popular "nature" destination for the Ottawa area that you might check out.

Niagara Peninsula will be warmer than the northern destinations. Niagara-on-the-Lake is a quaint and popular town and touring the Wineries of the region is fun.

Thanks for some great advice.
We have only booked accommodation for Toronto and Niagara Falls and are leaving our itinerary open until we arrive. Then, based on what advice you have all given, and we're happy to hear more, and what we find once we're in Ontario, we'll take it from.
As we've visited Alaska and the Canadian Rockies before, hopefully we can manage the cold in Bruce as it looks beautiful. But maybe instead of taking the ferry up through the islands and going through Sudbury, coming back down and across will be the way to go.
Am I correct in understanding that the Blackflies aren't a problem in the parks north of Ottawa and Montreal?

Hmm - maybe someone else can answer your question specifically about parks north of Ottawa and Montreal. But, I've been bitten by blackflies way up in northern Ontario, north of Lake Superior, and in the Atlantic Provinces, so I'm not sure if there are specific regions in between where they don't exist.

But, they're not bad every year and sometimes don't come out in any numbers until mid to late May, even June, so you may not even see any. Personally I don't let them ruin my plans to enjoy the outdoors in the spring. Bring insect repellant, wear light coloured clothing (this is often recommended for black flies and mosquitoes but I honestly don't know if it helps, worth a try) and cover up (which won't be hard to do if it's cool. They can't bite through clothing like mosquitoes, but they will target exposed skin and seem to love the back of the neck.

They don't really hurt while they're biting. It's the reaction afterwards that can be bad, and there is much variability from one person to another in the severity of the reaction (swelling, pain, itching - for several days). But, I'm still going north in May and June as usual this year.

One other point - you said you're coming in "early" May for 2 weeks. If you're still going to be here on the Victoria Day Long weekend - May 16 to 19 - this is very busy for the resort/cottage/tourist destinations in Ontario - you will want to book ahead for those dates.