A Guide to Fall in North Bay: Experience the City's Autumn Splendour

Fall in Northern Ontario, Canada is really something special—the ancient rocks are the perfect backdrop for skies that can be brilliantly blue or moodily grey, all as a backdrop to the vibrant fall colours. Add in crisp air, sparkling lakes, wildlife sightings, tonnes of trails and cozy accommodations and you’ve got yourself an excellent autumn getaway. North Bay, just a four-hour drive from Ottawa, Kitchener and Toronto, is a small and friendly city with great community vibes and a can’t-miss lakeside setting on the shores of Lake Nipissing. Here’s what you need to know about planning your colourful fall foliage retreat, and some of the best ways to see fall colours in North Bay.

North Bay's Best Fall Foliage Hikes

Fall is (arguably) prime hiking season, with little mud, few biting bugs and ideal temperatures, all perfect complements to the show Mother Nature puts on with boldly coloured trees. North Bay is home to more than 85 km of trails, so you’ve got plenty of choices!

• Duchesnay Falls is a popular destination in the fall. While the waters are gentler compared to spring’s fierce flow, the cascades of Duchesnay Falls are especially striking against the autumnal skies and bright yellows, reds and oranges of the surrounding trees. link. Plus, the nearby trails at the Education Centre provide lovely views of Lake Nipissing.
• A hike along the Laurentian Escarpment Conservation Area’s 6.6 km of trails gives you a vantage point from 60 metres up, providing a truly stellar view of the surrounding landscape.
• Laurier Woods, in the heart of the city, is a 240-acre natural area with a series of loop trails totalling 6.5 km. It’s a great place to spot migrating birds, and is also home to plenty of tamarack trees, with needles that turn an almost otherworldly yellow in the fall.
• Otter Lake, North Bay’s third-biggest lake, is another local favourite. Just 15 minutes from downtown, it has lots of opportunities to hike and mountain bike.
• The EcoPath along Chippewa Creek is 3.2 km long and connects Lake Nipissing and Thomson Park. Once a gathering place for N’bisiing First Nations peoples, the path is now a community hub with information about the restoration of the area and the wildlife that lives there.

Take a Fall Colour Leaf Tour Around North Bay by Air or Water

In addition to a hiking outing, there are some other exceptional experiences in North Bay where you can get a unique view of the area’s natural beauty in the fall. How about a helicopter ride?! Helicopters Canada is a North Bay company that offers sightseeing tours from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours. Get an unforgettable, eagle’s-eye view of North Bay, Lake Nipissing, Duchesnay Falls, Trout Lake, Callander Bay and more. You can also hop aboard the ski lift at Laurentian Ski Hill, which offers a Fall Colours Tour where you can get a panoramic view of the area as you ride up and down the hill, no snow required. A boat tour on a brilliant fall day is another surefire winner. Check out the Chief Commanda II’s schedule for fall boat tours on Lake Nipissing or the French River, or inquire at the Blue Sky Sailing Club to learn more about their “social sails” where guests can join skippers on Wednesday and Friday evenings. Lake Nipissing Outfitters also has fall boat tours of several local waterways via motorboat (and of course, you can do some fall fishing while you enjoy the fall colours too!)

Premium Leaf-Peeping: Take a North Bay Country Drive 

You can’t overlook the simplicity of a drive in the country on a beautiful autumn day either. Why not combine your tour of the back roads with a visit to a local farm that’s open to the public? Old McDonald’s Family Farm has Fall Family Fun events with hay rides, a corn maze, play areas, horses, barnyard friends (usually pigs, bunnies, ducks and chicks), John Deere pedal cars, tractor swings and more. Leisure Farms features everything from a haunted barn and pancake breakfast to wagon rides, a corn maze, a straw maze, plus fresh baking and produce for sale. And if you’re more the city type, a visit to the North Bay Farmers’ Market to check out the fall harvest, followed by a stroll along Kate Pace Way which connects the waterfront and the green spaces at the city’s south end, is a pretty appealing option too.

Cruise Through Fall Forests: Cool-Weather Cycling in North Bay

A bike ride is a fine way to spend your time during a fall getaway. In North Bay, there are all kinds of cycling options. Prefer paved trails? Check out the Kinsmen Trail that follows Chippewa Creek as it makes its winding way to Lake Nipissing, or bike the waterfront on Kate Pace Way. Three Towers is a mountain bike park with 13 km of fun trails with plenty of rock slabs, natural bedrock berms and of course lots of chances to see fall colours as you whiz past them. Road cyclists can check out both challenging gravel roads and rolling hills on a self-guiding cycling tour as part of the Voyageur Cycling Route.

Relax and Dine at a North Bay Fall Escape

Take your pick of a range of hotels, motels, cabins, and B&Bs that you can use as your home base during your visit. Nestled in the woods, right on the water, conveniently in the heart of downtown—there’s a spot to suit everyone. Fuel your autumn adventures with an outing to one of North Bay’s eateries. With a wide range of options—cafes, microbreweries, fine dining, casual fare, food trucks—you can sip and sample your favourites or discover something new. Don’t miss Taste the Bay: this brand-new initiative means participating restaurants offer a specially crafted prix fixe menu (appetizer, main course and dessert) in September and October, so you can enjoy some seasonal deliciousness.

Plan Your Fall Foliage Tour in North Bay

Head to North Bay to check out the fall colours this year! It’s easy to make memories and discover something new with great options for hiking, cycling, and dining while enjoying the beauty of the season. 

Find more things to do and places to stay in North Bay!

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