Wild Northerner Magazine Summer 2016 | Page 22

Shorelines of creeks, lakes and rivers become the best source of entertainment. I have watched my kids explore shorelines for hours, discovering frogs, lifting up rocks and finding crayfish and seeing snakes and turtles. It’s amazing how much time they can spend searching for critters. Then there is the swimming. Kids will tire themselves out going in and out of the water 50 times. It’s always fun to watch them catch a few fish as well. When night comes, a little campfire and roasted marshmallows help cap off a good day in the bush.

It isn’t a big deal to get out there and have fun. It doesn’t have to cost a huge sum of money. It doesn’t have to be far away to be exotic and beautiful. Going into the interior in a provincial park will cost between $5 to $7 for kids under 16 and between $10 to around $20 for adults per night. For under a few hundred bucks, you can get the whole family out for an experience they will never forget. People can camp for free on crown land in Ontario, which cuts down on costs considerably. It is easy to find information on crown land camping. Check out this link for more and an atlas of crown land in Ontario - https://www.ontario.ca/page/camping-crown-land

It all starts with going. When I get time off, I would rather deal with mosquitoes in the bush than crowds at a theme park.