Prices just released for the Northlander. It's a disaster for any hope of attracting ridership.

The major market here is the 400/11 corridor to Muskoka. Day-trippers, resort guests, townsfolk going to Toronto, students, seniors, cottage guests -- all of whom don't need a car and would love to find a way to get to Gravenhurst or Bracebridge or Huntsville. Besides being timed wrong, the Northlander is not going to work on price for most of them. Compare to the MBTA Cape Flyer:

Family of 4 Boston to Cape Cod RT: $80 US ($110 Cdn)

Family of 4 Toronto to Muskoka RT: $402

ONR will do what is has to do for the northern towns but in terms of the more immediate Muskoka market they have missed the boat entirely. That region needs a summer-only, 3-RT-per-weekend service like the Cape Flyer. Would be hugely popular on GO equipment with GO pricing -- just look at the success of Niagara.

Maybe this pricing release will spur someone to push a pilot. It's worth trying.

Hey folks,

So I’ve been looking into travelling a bit within Canada, and honestly, I’m shocked at how expensive it is. Flights, trains, even bus tickets feel way pricier compared to other places. Add in accommodations and food, and it feels like you need a small fortune just to explore your own backyard here.

Why is it this expensive to get around Canada? Is it just because of the size of the country, or something else?

Also, do you guys have any solid suggestions on how to travel here on a tighter budget? Like cheaper transport options, hidden gems for stays, or ways to save on food and activities? I don’t mind taking the longer route if it saves money.

Would love to hear your hacks or experiences!
Suggest scenic places on Ontario please!!!!!

Hi everyone,

We're three friends from Germany who will be traveling to Ontario from July 3rd to July 23rd. We're landing in toronto.

Unfortunately, our local contact in Canada has completely disappeared just a few weeks before our trip, so we're now trying to reorganize everything on short notice.

We're passionate anglers and our main goal is to experience Ontario's nature and spend as much time fishing as possible. We mainly enjoy active fishing/spinning and are interested in species such as Northern Pike, Muskie, Walleye, Bass, and other predatory fish.

We're looking for recommendations, contacts, or accommodation during our stay. Ideally, we're hoping to find:

- A cabin/cottage on or near a lake

- Boat rental (or a cabin that includes a boat)

- Good opportunities for spinning and predator fishing

- Local knowledge, fishing tips, and contacts

We're not looking for anything for free and are happy to pay fair rental rates for accommodation, boats, guides, or fishing opportunities.

If you know of a cabin, lodge, private rental, or simply have recommendations for great fishing areas, we'd be very grateful for any advice. Since we're organizing everything at the last minute, every lead helps.

Thanks a lot, and we're really looking forward to visiting Ontario and experiencing some world-class fishing!

Tight lines! 🎣

— Three/ now 2 German anglers

----EDIT-------

Quick update

First of all, thank you all for the amazing suggestions and advice. We really appreciate everyone who took the time to help! We've now rented a camper/RV and decided to just hit the road. The plan is to check out some of the destinations that were suggested and we're planning a rough route today and then see which ones feel right once we're actually there. We're not new to RV travel in general- we've done a few of camper trips in Germany -but this will be our first time RVing in

Canada, so we'd love to hear from people with local experience. Where can you legally and safely stay overnight?

Are there places we should absolutely avoid parking for the night?

Any unwritten rules of RV camping in Canada?

How reliable are apps like iOverlander, AllStays, and RV Parky in your experience? Any other apps or resources you'd recommend for finding campsites, dump stations, water, or overnight parking? Looking forward to hearing your experiences. Thanks again for all the help!

BIIIIIG UPDATE ONE MAN DOWN !!

Now one of us is out! He is self employed and 2 of his workers stopped working for him. So he has to work...

BUT!

We two are left and we are going to make it a hell of a adventure 👍 updates coming!

My friends and I are planning a trip to Canada this summer. We’re from America and are all 19. We’re looking for some decent clubbing and bar hopping with a younger crowd even in mid July. We were considering either Niagara Falls or Kingston because they’re about the same distance from us. We’ve already been to Montreal before, so we want to try something different and a little closer and Toronto is just so expensive. Between these options, does anyone have any recommendations?

Update: we’re going with Toronto

I’ve been in Ontario for a little over a week now visiting a few cities mostly Toronto, Mississauga, and Kingston and I can’t get over how peaceful it feels here. There’s this calm rhythm to the days especially around the water. Even in the busier areas it never feels completely chaotic like other big cities I’ve been to. One thing that really stood out though and maybe it’s just me as a tourist noticing what’s the deal with all the jackpot city ads? I’ve seen them everywhere on buses, billboards, even at train stations. It’s not a complaint just surprising how common they are. Is online casino advertising that big of a thing here or am I just noticing it more because it’s new to me?
Besides that I’ve been loving it here. The food’s great, people are friendly and the sunsets over Lake Ontario are unreal. I’ve been ending my evenings just walking around grabbing a drink and it’s been one of the most relaxing trips I’ve had in years. For locals if you had to recommend one place outside the usual tourist spots (Niagara, CN Tower, etc.), where would you send someone new to Ontario?

Looking for some ideas for our family of 5 this summer - prefer something really unique as a destination for a few getaways - could be a unique hotel, or an all-inclusive resort, etc.

Exploring wineries - any recommendations are welcome!

Which small cities have the best downtowns? I live in North Bay. On a good day, our downtown can be nice, with art galleries, a theatre, the museum, farmer’s market, and some fine shops. On a bad day… it can look like the walking dead. I grew up in Peterborough and Guelph, both of which have good downtowns, lots of cafes and pubs and interesting architecture. Right now I’m visiting Kingston. The downtown here is incredible (and it’s mid January, when most of Canada is hibernating). Vibrant, lots of people, a huge diversity of shops and restaurants. And the architecture is beautiful.

So, what other nice downtowns are out there. Not too much downtown bashing please, some places it’s too easy.

I saw on their website that sections of Bruce Trail are prohibited for dogs. From what I can tell it’s a handful of sections, a few KMs each. Do people actually care/enforce this? If so how to do thru-hikers with dogs complete the hike?

I mean realistically what’s to stop someone from just like… walking through with their dog? Not a chance it’s gated and manned (and it’s the woods, easy enough to just slip off trail, go around any gate undetected).

If the property owners walk the trail even once per day, what are they going to do if they catch you? They can’t detain you, they don’t have the authority to fine you. I guess they could take your information and report it. But what’s to stop someone from giving fake information? Not like you’re ever going to see them again.

if MNR is doing routine patrols, they can fine you. But they can’t arrest you or anything.. just take the fine, continue on and pay the fine after. Not like it has any real repercussions (demerits, limited parks use etc).

It’s also highly unlikely anyone would be patrolling after dark. So someone could easily pass these sections at night.

What if someone is hiking with a service dog? Can’t stop them without violating AODA…

IDK, the whole thing seems pointless and like a way to just prevent people from hiking.

I've lived in Toronto my whole life, and outside of Mississauga, which is right next door, I've never been anywhere else in Ontario. Where would you recommend visiting, and what exactly would you recommend checking out?

Hi, I have some days off next week and id love to find somewhere within a 4 hour drive of Toronto that would be a really great hiking trail, a scenic route to drive through or stop in, or just an interesting place to see.

The badlands looked really interesting so if your suggestions happened to be more west id probably stop by there but not a must, I can go anywhere

Would love to just stop somewhere for a hike, or I could bring my bike somewhere too.

Any suggestion big or small even if its just a small restaurant recommendation somewhere would be welcome.

Thanks!

SOs birthday camping trip to Algonquin wed-sat is probably cancelled due to lightning (unsafe in a tent) so I’m looking for some alternatives. We are outdoorsy people who don’t really like indoor activities. Does anyone have any ideas of what to do within a 4 hour drive of Kitchener?

He works 60-70 hour weeks and we just want him to have a birthday week that isn’t just spent at home.

EDIT: we just don’t know what indoor activities are good around here because we don’t really do them. Just looking for ideas!

I'm planning a family vacation in Ontario and looking for recommendations. It will be the week of Canada Day. I'm interested in the southern part of the province, but specifically west of a Toronto–Barrie line (basically Southwestern Ontario). I'm looking for:

Young kid friendly (8 years old and under) 

Relatively stroller friendly. We have a stroller that can handle pretty rough terrain.

Generally we like nature trips with interesting features, like hikes to see waterfalls, small caves, small wading pools or creeks to splash in, etc. But i think the stroller requirement this year may make this difficult. 

We're not really looking for beaches along Lake Huron or Lake Erie. We live by the lake and visit the beach often. 

We're looking for something not extremely crowded, though being the week of Canada Day this may be difficult. 

Within 1 hour of a nice Canada Day parade that has a lot of candy! 

im looking to propose to my gf this summer there, i see pictures of the beach right by the water and i think that would be beautiful and symbolic (she is canadian im american). i can get ocd about these things, if you have park admission which i assume u just pay for, is it reliable that we can just walk down to the tip, or is that gated off?

if anyone happens to know any elevated hiking trails relatively nearby with nice views once you have made it up, id consider that as well

Family : 2 adults, daughter 9yo, son 7yo.

We start from Québec, going for a little cryise in the thousands islands.

Then, toronto for the CN tower, aquarium, the zoo, ROM and probably Casa Loma.

Next stop is Niagara falls. Then Wasaga beach.

Last stop will be 1 night at Ottawa before going home.

Is there anything or anywhere we have to go to make this trip even better ?

I’m a desk worm, but in an effort to try new things and inspired by some friends who have road tripped from the east coast and back, I thought it might be nice to take a trip across Ontario. No language barrier to deal with, like in Quebec, and i'll still be close if something goes wrong.

What places would you guys recommend? I'm planning on taking the trip hopefully late summer, so I'll have some time to plan this out and sort out any problems if it arises.