14
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Advice on wild swimming in Ontario, Canada
I did a lot of swimming in NW Ontario when I was a kid, and I've spent more time swimming in lakes and rivers than I have in swimming pools. I find the phrasing of this question curious, because I've ...
- 53.3k
11
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Dangers of solo hiking (in Ontario)
Traveling solo doesn't necessarily make a hike any riskier, or lessen your chance of injury. What is does do, is increase the response time of rescue workers.
When you're hiking in a group and ...
- 53.3k
10
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What are lawful wilderness activities in Canada?
In Ontario, the relevant terminology is "Crown Land". This is land that is not owned by any private entity, and is essentially free for use, however there are some rules. Most of the province is ...
- 540
10
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What does it take to become a wilderness skills guide as a business?
In my experience, it comes down to 4 things.
Wilderness First Responder Certification: The first course is 80 hours and then you need to recertify after 2 years. There are other certifications such ...
- 69.1k
9
votes
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Running in bear country
It's when you're moving quickly and quietly along the trail that you're most likely to encounter a bear in the Rockies, and that's because they're easier to sneak up on that way. I run into more ...
- 53.3k
9
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Cycling in Ontario — do I need to worry about permission to access logging roads?
The answer is usually no, but there may be some restrictions depending on exactly where you're going.
Most logging roads are on crown land. The use of forest roads is managed through road abandonment,...
- 53.3k
8
votes
Advice on wild swimming in Ontario, Canada
The way to get started is to swim in areas that are marked as generally safe. These will typically be a sandy beach on the shores of a small lake. Provincial Parks generally have one of these with ...
- 11.8k
8
votes
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Snowshoe hare migration patterns through changing seasons
This page makes it seem like they do not migrate.
Most other plant eaters, like deer and elk, vacate deep snowy areas and migrate to the lowlands, river bottoms, or south-facing slopes that are ...
- 2,644
8
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What are lawful wilderness activities in Canada?
It really depends on which province you are moving to and how far you are willing to go from urban centers.
First off, stay away from any private property. While my activities can sometimes bring me ...
- 5,007
7
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Dangers of solo hiking (in Ontario)
The biggest danger in hiking alone is that any sort of injury or illness can very quickly put you in a situation where your life is at risk. anything which immobilises you in the wilderness is ...
- 6,202
7
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What is the longest stretch of bike trail that parallels a navigable river in the US?
You might consider ..
The C&O canal on the Maryland side of the Potomac starts in harpers ferry ( accessible by rail on Amtrak) and goes to Georgetown DC just past the Key bridge. The end is ...
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7
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What ever happened to the proposals for no-rescue zones for backpackers?
It looks like it was most commonly proposed in the 1980s to around 1994 and has since been brought up at different times by different people but was never implemented.
Here are the results I found ...
- 69.1k
7
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What kind of sea creature leaves this skin/shell?
It looks a lot like dried Turkish Towel seaweed, or Chondracanthus exasperatus.
Turkish Towels are often solid red when alive, but
then changes to shades of brown, pink, cream, and translucent as it ...
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6
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Cycling in Ontario — do I need to worry about permission to access logging roads?
I can't answer for Ontario or that route specifically, but only give you a general idea how private property and trespassing works in the US and Canada.
You are right in that we don't have ...
- 21.3k
6
votes
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Collecting plant foodstuff in the Canadian wilderness of Alberta during winter?
This is really a comment, or several of them, but too big to use the comments mechanism.
Alberta is a big place with quite varied climates. In particular, you can divide the province into the Rocky ...
- 21.3k
6
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What ever happened to the proposals for no-rescue zones for backpackers?
There are lots of good reasons to reject such proposals, and these would have stopped them being implemented. Some examples:
Deliberate injury - would the emergency services attend if someone was ...
- 24.5k
6
votes
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Is there a benefit for animals who return to the area of a deadly forest fire after the fire is out?
According to United States Forest Service, fire has a number of benefits for the wildlife including more nutrients in the ground, more open spaces, there are some plants that need fire to spread and ...
- 69.1k
6
votes
Topo map server out there somewhere?
I personally use several WMS layers (Web Map Service) in GIS software. Many are free to use, some are licenced. Here's a short list that might interest you:
CalTopo: has USGS and NRCan scanned topo ...
- 5,007
6
votes
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Does an Inflatable boat w a 4hp motor need a license in Ontario?
This Government of Canada website says:
Licensing a pleasure craft
A vessel used for pleasure, recreation, or daily living is a pleasure craft.
Determining whether a Pleasure Craft Licence is ...
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5
votes
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What are the markings on the Grouse Grind?
The trail is divided in quarters marked by signs (still more about elevation than actual distance) and the elevation is signed in 40s increments
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5
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What are the consequences of — illegally — using a 446 MHz PMR in the North American wilderness?
I am an amateur radio operator (Extra Class) active in Skywarn. Yes, PMR radios transmit in the amateur radio spectrum in Canada and the U.S. Yes, it is not legal. In the wilderness, far away from ...
- 51
5
votes
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Are there any unguided via ferrata routes in the Canadian Rockies?
Nordegg has a via ferrata that was set up by COE, the owner Mike Adolph "...recommends anyone using the via ferrata to do so through a guide, although if a climber shows up with a helmet and the ...
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5
votes
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Where can we see genetically pure American Bison, including Yellowstone National Park?
Do check out Hayden and Lamar Valley in Yellowstone.
The following is taken from Watch Wildlife in Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley Wildlife Watching In Yellowstone National Park:
Yellowstone’s huge, ...
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5
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Topo map server out there somewhere?
You don't say what area of the world you are looking for maps of, but I see your profile locates you in Alberta.
If you were looking for locations in the USA, mapper.acme.com tiles USGS topo maps ...
- 1,658
5
votes
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OFSC (snowmobile) trails in summer, are there restrictions/rules regarding non-motorized summer access?
There are no solid rules.
I'm self answering after 2 years, as I've now spent a fair amount of time in the area with these trails and learned more about how they operate.
These trails run over a mix ...
- 540
5
votes
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Can deadfall make for good firewood?
Dead, fallen wood can be good firewood. It depends on whether it's wet or dry. Wet or dry depends, not on rainfall, but on contact with the ground. It also depends on how long the log has been lying ...
- 4,364
4
votes
Where can I find additional resources about Wildlands Provincial parks in Alberta?
AlbertaParks.ca is the resource about all parks in Alberta. I find the maps perfectly easy to read myself. If you want to see where all the parks are, just use google maps, it highlights all ...
- 53.3k
4
votes
Where to buy ethanol in Canada?
Ethanol is usually sold as bio-ethanol in Canada, although, strictly speaking, it is really denatured alcohol (i.e., it has an additive to prevent people from drinking it). While you can get it from ...
- 4,003
4
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Where can I camp when driving Highway 37 in British Columbia, Canada?
The Milepost Guidebook has a list of points of interest along the Stewart-Cassiar Highway, which includes campgrounds.
J 2.5 Cassiar RV Park to west.
J 96.5 Meziadin Lake Provincial Park; ...
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4
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Shoulder season backpacking near Whistler (early June)
Since the snow has been quite light in BC this year, Garibaldi should be okish mid June, unless you wish to go all the way up to Black Tusk. The valley and lakes below Black Tusk should be ok, i.e. ...
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Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible