Where to enjoy fall colours and activities in the GTA, across Ontario

Looking out over Toronto heading into the Thanksgiving long weekend, much of the city’s tree canopy is mostly green still but authorities in Ontario say the peak fall colours should be arriving within the next couple of weeks.

However, if you don’t want to wait, central and southeastern Ontario might be the places to visit right now.

“We’re in a great place right now,” Dave Hunt, a spokesperson for Ontario Parks, recently told CityNews.

“The colors have popped. You’re looking at like 70 per cent colour change. That’s kind of prime colour viewing right now.”

According to the regularly updated Ontario Parks fall colour report on Friday, parks like Mark S. Burnham near Peterborough and Murphys Point northwest of Brockville are at full peak.

Other parks and areas in the central and southeastern regions, such as Bon Echo, Kawartha Highlands, Prince Edward County and Frontenac, are approaching the peak.

The report noted Algonquin Park is coming the peak 100 per cent colour change and 40-per-cent leaf fall while parks farther north generally passed the peak.

However, Hunt said much of southwestern Ontario still has longer to go.

“(There are) still plenty of fall to come plenty of colours to happen. We’re kind of only seeing around 30 per cent colour change. In some of those parts, you can still visit and see colors in November,” he said.

Hunt encouraged people who are interested in taking in the colours in peak or near-peak areas to head out sooner rather than later as upcoming rain could accelerate leaf fall.

RELATED: Weather Network forecasts ‘fickle fall’ in Canada with season to start cold, end mild

He added there are still opportunities to go camping at certain Ontario Parks locations. In the Greater Toronto Area, Bronte Creek and Darlington parks offer camping facilities.

If you’re looking for something to do in addition to seeing fall colours, there are several fall fairs over the Thanksgiving weekend. Click here for more information on the upcoming fairs.

The closest fair location to Toronto is the Woodbridge Fair. On the north side of Hamilton, the Rockton World’s Fair will be running until Monday. Other locations include Norfolk, Erin, Norwood, Tiverton, Brigden, Dorchester and Burford.

If you’re busy with Thanksgiving plans, the Walkerton Little Royal will be held between Oct. 13 and 15.

For those who want to stay in the Greater Toronto Area, there are opportunities to be had for those who want to embrace autumn.

“My best advice is to go up to the Oak Ridges Moraine just north of the city because you get to see the wonderful peaks,” Deanna Cheriton, the manager of conservation lands with the Toronto and Region Conservation Area, suggested during a recent interview.

She also suggested biking at Albion Hills Conservation Park, or tying in bird watching with walking or biking at Tommy Thompson Park.

Cheriton said as fall colours progress in Toronto, she suggested pairing it with watching salmon migrating through key waterways. She said Highland Creek in Morningside Park, the Rouge River in Rouge National Urban Park and the Humber River in Etienne Brule Park offer great lookouts.