Wilderness in the middle of our biggest city? Check out Toronto's Rouge Park, our first Micro-Adventure (next page). C a n a d a ’ s B e s t M i C r o - ExpEditions sound likE fun—adventuring across new lands and waters for weeks or months at a time. But most of us a d v e n t u r e s can’t afford the time away from work and home. Plus, expeditions E x p E d i t i o n s w i t h o u t typically require advanced skills, lots of money and complicated c o m m i t m E n t — h E r E a r E logistics. But you can still put in a similar effort and experience the 21 micro-adv E n t u r E s t o same reward. All it takes is a subtle push your limits mindshift. Alastair Humphreys, an English By Ryan Stuart explorer, calls this new idea of ex- peditioning, “micro-adventures.” These are trips that are close to home, affordable, easy to organize and doable in short periods of time—but wild, original and chal- lenging. “Adventure is only a state of mind,” Humphreys says. “It is about doing what you do not normally do, pushing yourself hard and doing it to the best of your ability.” Imagine the possibilities here. That’s just what we did. Read on for 21 micro-adventures to get you started. And then get out there and find your own. Difficulty Ratings Easy: Barely sweating; it won’t hurt a bit. Moderate: Breathing hard; some minor pain. Hard: Legs are cramping, a stick poked me in the eye, where am I? Brutal: It doesn’t have to be Scott Munn/Parks Canada Munn/Parks Scott “fun” to be fun. micro advEn t u r Es ManitOba 4 Get Lost in a Swamp Where: The Delta Marsh Wildlife Management Area on the south shore of Lake Manitoba, 24 km north of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Why: One of the country’s largest coastal wetlands and no maps to show you the way. What: Stretching 30 km along 3 Lake Manitoba’s south shore and Algonquin Provincial stretching up to four kilometres Park's legendary inland, the marsh is a vast labyrinth leaf show. of channels, passages, lakes and dead ends. The protected waters see few people, but harbour abundant flocks of migrating waterfowl in the fall and all kinds of 5 wetland and songbird species during Paddle right into the rest of the year. Bring a GPS and Saskatchewan's a canoe and put in on a channel biggest city. from the lake where Highway 240 meets Delta Beach. Explore east and north, poking around ponds and lakes towards Saint Ambroise Beach Provincial Park. Difficulty: Easy paddling; hard navigation. time: Day-trip. logistics: With no landmarks rising above the watery world, a GPS is vital. Resources: gov.mb.ca 1 Toronto's Rouge SaSkatchewan Park—as adventurous as you make it. 5 upon, but there’s also Glen Rouge the Credit River becomes a little Trail on the southeast side of Paddle the trans Campground near the beginning, the wild as it tumbles towards Lake Algonquin Provincial Park. Canada trail only campground in the city. Ontario. Put in at Steeles Avenue Why: Fall colours, few bugs, fewer Where: The South Saskatchewan OntariO Difficulty: Moderate, some and then rock-and-roll past golf people and no reservations. River into Saskatoon. bushwhacking may be required. courses, parks and roadways. The What: While it’s one of the better Why: Prairie paddling and dark time: Half-day to two days. green artery of forest and river backpack trips in Algonquin, to nighttime skies on a newly noted 1 Logistics: Plenty of roads crisscross not only harbours an impressive trudge the full 35-km loop (or one Canadian Heritage River. the park, so shuttling is easy. diversity of critters—beavers, of the shorter options) with a full What: It’s 130 km from the Gardiner traverse the newest Park Better, use public transit. There’s a muskrat, otters, raccoons—but backpack can be painful. Instead, Dam to Saskatoon on the South Where: Toronto’s Rouge Urban Park Go Transit train station close to the also an instant escape from the go light and fast and hike or trail- Saskatchewan River. With fall’s low Why: An almost wilderness-feeling southern border of the park. surrounding city all the way to Port run the whole thing in a day. You’ll water and shorter days, that’s a solid trek in the middle of our country’s resources: pc.gc.ca/rouge; Credit. speed through the monotonous pull for a weekend trip. It’s possible biggest city. rougepark.com; gotransit.com; trca. Difficulty: Moderate; up to Class II portions and shrug off the big to bite off a smaller chunk or just What: Take the fact that there on.ca/glenrouge whitewater; watch for sweepers. hills at the northern end, leaving commit and let the changing colours is no obvious route leading from time: A long day. energy to savour the panoramic along the bank fuel long hours in a one end to the other in this future logistics: Car shuttle from Port views. boat. Camp at abundant sandbars 2 Credit to the put-in (or take a taxi). national park as an invitation to Difficulty: Hard (full loop). Rough en route. Resources: creditvalleyca.ca ramble. Start walking near Lake Paddle the Credit trail and lots of ups and downs. Difficulty: Hard, because of (maps) Ontario and head north. Stop at Where: Through the heart of time: Four to 10 hours. distance—easy paddling. two national historic sites, farms, Mississauga. logistics: Drive to the trailhead, time: Three long days. the zoo and plenty of wild-feeling Why: A rarely considered whitewater 3 30 km east of the west gate on logistics: CanoeSki Discovery Carolinian Forest in between. Day- run with a taxi shuttle. Highway 60. Company runs shuttle and rental FROM TOP: Ethan Meleg/Ontario Tourism; Hans-Gerrard Pfaff/Tourism Saskatchewan Pfaff/Tourism Hans-Gerrard Tourism; Meleg/Ontario Ethan TOP: FROM hike and return on public transit. What: While it’s a lazy float in the run the Highland Resources: Canada Munn/Parks Scott TOP: FROM services. Random camping is frowned summer, after a solid autumn rain, Where: Highland Backpacking algonquinpark.on.ca Resources: canoeski.com 46 explore • fall 2015 fall 2015 • explore 47 micro advEn t u r Es 7 Could you do Jasper's famous Skyline Trail in one day? Instead, lace up at Maligne Lake and hit the trail running. After a steady climb into the alpine at Little Alberta Shovel Pass, the trail stays above the trees for 25 km. Views across Jasper National Park’s craggy peaks 6 are constant, as the trail follows explore alberta’s Sandhills the Maligne Range before diving Where: On the north shore of into the forest for its final plunge to the Athabasca River near Fort Maligne Canyon. Assiniboine, 1.5 hours north of Difficulty: Hard. Good trail but a Edmonton. long distance and lots of elevation Why: Beyond its namesake gain and loss. sand dunes, Fort Assiniboine time: A long day. Sandhills Wildland Provincial Park’s logistics: Have a car waiting for transitional forest is home to 436 you at the end by taking the daily plant species and abundant wildlife. morning shuttle to Maligne Lake What: Trails spider-web across from the trail’s terminus at the the park. With a little imagination, North Skyline Trailhead. link them together into a loop Resources: malignelake.com; stretching 40 km. Start at the pc.gc.ca/jasper Klondike Trail Staging Area and head clockwise, following a wagon 8 route from Voyageur and Gold Rush days. Heading north and east, the bow river triathlon trails leave the swampier, higher Where: Cochrane to Calgary and ground and enter the dune fields, a back under your own power. unique environment left behind by Why: Paddling the Bow River Ice Age glaciers. On the return, take doesn’t need to be complicated by the River Valley Trail. It descends shuttle logistics. into old growth trees along the What: With a canoe on your car river, home to the most plants and roof, drop a bike off at Calgary’s animals. Edworthy Park, and drive to the Difficulty: Easy to hard, depending Highway 22 bridge in Cochrane. Put on distance. in here and get stroking, portaging time: Up to 12 hours. around Bearspaw Dam, 25 km in. logistics: Drive to Fort Assiniboine Float through downtown Calgary and follow Township Road 620A to and take out at the zoo. Lock-up 621A. your canoe and start running, Resources: albertaparks.ca following the riverside path and then the Douglas Fir Trail for 10 km to 7 Edworthy Park. Hop on your trusty Marathon in the Sky steed and pedal 35 km back to your Where: The Skyline Trail car in Cochrane. backpacking route links Maligne Difficulty: Hard, because of Lake to Jasper, almost all above the distance, particularly the canoe. treeline. time: A long day. Why: Travel one of the best logistics: Bring two locks, one for backpacking routes in the Canadian the bike and one for the canoe. Find Rockies without a reservation or a maps and guides to the Bow and heavy pack. Calgary pathways online. What: The 44-km trip is usually Resources: paddlealberta.org; done over two to three days. calgary.ca 48 explore • fall 2015 LEFT: Caroline Roy/Parks Canada; ABOVE: Ben Morin/Parks Canada fall 2015 • explore 49 micro advEn t u r Es 11 10 Urban adventure: Pitt Lake: remote kayak/portage wilderness near 9 circumnavigation Vancouver.