Situated On The Niagara Escarpment In Ontario Is A Park Offering Gorgeous Fall Foliage

Just two hours outside of bustling Toronto by car, an underrated, hidden-away park offers some of the best fall foliage views of the Ontario region. Perched on the Niagara Escarpment, the expanse of carved, ridgeline that stretches from Niagara Falls to the southeastern portion of Wisconsin, Devils Glen Provincial Park is filled with beautiful (albeit some challenging) trails that come alive in autumnal colors during the fall season. At around 1,700 feet above sea level, the park is a forested wetland in a glen formed by glacial ice melt, with plenty of rocky vista points and large swaths of woods. The Mad River, which runs through the gorge and glen in the park, provides a beautiful reflecting pool to accompany you through some of the area's scenic hikes. Despite its somewhat proximity to tourist trap-filled Niagara Falls, Devils Glen is an authentically pleasant experience that's definitely under-hyped and not over-visited.

With that being said, the park's quaintness does translate to a bit of a rustic experience, with a smaller and nondescript parking lot and virtually no facilities or amenities available onsite. Once you enter Devils Glen you might as well be transported to a remote Canadian forest. While that may sound a little spooky (and the foreboding name doesn't help), visiting Devils Glen means uninterrupted, unplugged exploration of nature. And really, who needs connectivity when you've got these stellar fall views?

Devils Glen has some beautiful hiking trails for visitors. There are four trails throughout Devils Glen Provincial Park of varying lengths — some run 3 miles long, others over 10. All four will serve up some stunning views of fall colors. The shortest trail, Concession 10 to Devils Glen Connector, is a little over 3 miles there and back, and depending on the weather it could be slightly muddy at times. However, it is the easiest trail to try out there if you're a beginning hiker.

Two moderate trails, the Mad River Side Trail and the Devils Glen Trail, offer some of the best views of fall foliage. The former runs alongside the Mad River as the name of the trail suggests, while the latter thoroughly explores the park's breadth and depth. However, the most expansive vistas will be on the Bruce Trail through the Blue Mountain, the hardest and longest trails of those available in Devils Glen. The fall views of the colorful trees are unprecedented from this trail, making it a must-do if you can manage the steep hike.

Given its off-the-grid nature, and not-so-well-maintained signage in some areas, downloading an offline map for the trails is a good idea for safety. Remember to always abide by safety tips, particularly if you're hiking solo, like evaluating your hiking level against current trail conditions and packing enough supplies for an emergency situation. While some parts of the trails in Devils Glen will be trickier to navigate than others, you'll be rewarded with top notch fall foliage views. And if you're hooked after this visit, check out our hiking and activity guide to Canada's extraordinary Banff National Park.