Backroads of Ontario, Paperback

This guidebook has been used by thousands of travelers as they discover some of the Ontario's most unexpected places. It has now been updated and expanded to include more fabulous backroad excursions to explore at any time of the year.

Backroads of Ontario gives travelers the information and maps they need to explore Ontario in a new way. It invites them to exit the noisy highways and take a quiet trip through Ontario's countryside and its history: silent ghost towns, charming villages, century-old mills, dramatic cliffs, prime picnic spots, architectural curiosities, an amethyst mine, an underwater graveyard of shipwrecks and so much more.

There are 26 trips in all, each illustrated with photographs and accompanied by an easy-to-follow map. Trips range in length from afternoon outings to weekend excursions, and all lead to intriguing places within easy driving distance of Ontario's major cities. In this fifth edition, information has been updated, and two destinations have been added:

To the Source of the Grand -- The Grand River is a national heritage waterway. In fact, it is two rivers; one a wide, sluggish and navigable portion below Brantford; the other a tumbling and foaming torrent through glacial hills and steep canyons, carving a scenic valley through Ontario with enough muscle to power grist and sawmills. Towns along its banks boomed into sizable cities while other faded, in some cases into ghost towns.

Algoma's Scenic Dunn's Valley Road -- Amid the rugged Algoma mountains and the lush hidden valleys beyond Lake Huron's north shore, lies an opportunity to bypass Sudbury to the Sault Ste Marie portion of the Trans-Canada Highway. You don't add too many kilometers to the trip and you get to enjoy a scenic drive through magnificent mountain scenery with little villages in the valleys. With some of the North Shore's more interesting history, it's an area the daytripper will not regret visiting.

Backroads of Ontario helps drivers plan a tour of all that Ontario has to offer. It's an essential addition to regional and travel collections.

Ron Brown has long had a love affair with the landscapes of Canada. His articles have appeared in the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, Canadian Geographic Magazine and VIA Rail Magazine. In addition to five editions of Backroads of Ontario, he is the author of 30 books, which include Top 160 Unusual Things to See in Ontario, Ontario's Ghost Town Heritage and The Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore. He is the recipient of the 2015 Writers' Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award.