Autumn Adventure: Grey County, Ontario
The fall season in Ontario is the perfect time to throw on a light jacket or sweater, and get outside to bask in the fresh crisp air and picture perfect landscapes infused with notes of red, yellow, and orange.
On a warm October day I planned an itinerary which was a perfect mix of delicious discoveries, great exercise, and relaxation. This particular one makes for an amazing birthday adventure; I highly recommend it for a special person in your life.
As a note, we opted for a weekday, and as such, each location was a lot less populated than it would have been on a weekend.
Georgian Hills Vineyards
Our first stop of the day was Georgian Hills Vineyards. This lovely intimate winery is a little less than two hours (without any traffic) away from Toronto. It is located in what is considered the ‘Blue Mountains’ area and very close to Georgian Bay. There were some lovely country roads to cruise on as we got closer.
When you arrive, you are greeted by a long rocky road (in good condition for any car though) that leads into a large open parking lot. The main building sits right beside it, which holds: offices, washrooms, and their tasting room and shop - all in one large open concept. It feels very homelike, as there is a little kitchen right next to the tasting area, for you to put your glasses and plates once you are finished. The room also displays all of their products for sale, which you can freely explore, and pick up whatever catches your eye. I found this quite charming, as it didn’t feel like we were being forced to buy something. Rather, their quality items spoke for themselves.
The biggest highlight, however, is their lovely outdoor patio area. Customers can sit inside at the tasting counter and cocktail style tables, or they can opt to sit outside on the beautiful patio overlooking the vineyards and rolling fields of Beaver Valley. Georgian Bay peeks through in the distance on the north side as well. It was quite windy when we went; however, the sun was shining in full force and the temperature was perfect for enjoying our wine outside.
As soon as we entered, we were greeted with excitement and kind sentiments. We immediately felt welcomed and we were excited to hear more about the winery. We were the only visitors there at the time so we sat for a bit to chat about their wines and ciders. Since we were there for a birthday they offered a glass of delicious sparkling wine to start (the sweetest little touch). With plenty of great options to choose from, we knew we had to opt for a sampling flight of various wines that were recommended to us. We also treated ourselves to a cheese board, with all local artisanal cheeses (goat, brie, and gouda) and delicious raspberry pepper jam from the winery itself.
We tried a white, a rosé, a red, and an icewine. I can’t quite remember the names of them all; however, mostly all of their wines have wonderful accents of different types of fruits. Our personal favourite was the red, named ‘Cuvée Cuesta’ (bouquet of dark fruits, blackberries, cherry, plum, and toasty oak). We are mostly red drinkers and this one was absolutely bursting with flavour. We naturally purchased a bottle to enjoy at home.
It was a nice surprise to sample a local icewine, as I thought this type of wine was solely produced in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The Georgian Bay wine region is actually cooler than Niagara, as it is at a higher altitude above Lake Ontario and there is a cooler lake effect from Georgian Bay (a colder body of water). According to the winery, this particular climate also allows for “more vibrant, fruit driven, aromatic white wines and lighter, fruit driven red wines with delicate tannins and lower alcohol content.” This was quite evident in the vibrant flavours we noticed in each glass.
We were told we could walk around the vines and spend as much time exploring the land as we’d like, which was very kind. We spent quite a bit of time simply enjoying the entire experience.
Overall, a fantastic experience and great service! Check out their website to learn more about them (I would definitely recommend a visit): www.georgianhillsvineyards.ca.
When we mentioned we would love to come back, we were actually told about their winter experience. The winery runs a snowshoe and mulled wine event, which sounds heavenly!
Pretty River Valley Provincial Park
After a couple of hours at the winery, we were off to our next destination: Pretty River Valley Provincial Park, which is actually home to the highest point in the Bruce Trail. It was time for a nice hike, albeit probably not the best decision after drinking wine and eating cheese, but I was worried about the winery’s early closing time (ha).
The hike around the entire park is quite long. The loop is about 11 kilometers all together and considered “moderate.” To get there we actually just let Google Maps direct us to an area of the park we assumed was the most prominent entrance (which took us about 15 minutes away from the winery). We ended up on the trailhead that began on ‘Pretty River Road.’ I’m pretty sure that this is the lowest point of the park. We parked on the dirt shoulder along the road.
We were met with the most beautiful winding road with views of the colourful escarpment in the distance.
There was a little clearing beside the road with signs assuring us that this was one of the starting points into the park.
We hiked through a deep forest with abundant streams. The leaves were a nice mix of warm autumn colours; beautiful paintings on every corner. There were moments where we walked past tunnels of bare, eerie looking trees. I immediately began to think of those less enchanting moments in Disney movies. Luckily, since it was a cooler month, we did not encounter any mosquitoes, and it actually felt quite chilly as we traversed further into woods. We hiked along the stream for a while and crossed a bridge to continue uphill. We kept going on a steady incline for a while, which actually took my breath away a couple of times (I’m sure the wine was making itself quite prominent here as well). We kept climbing and climbing, trying to reach a peak with this “epic view” we’d heard of. However, I think we turned in the wrong direction and we were way too far to make it to any sort of lookout. To be honest, I’m still not exactly sure where we ended up in relation to the lookout or if we even hit the main trail at all. Of course, we opted for no guidance until it was too late. There seem to be quite a few trails that diverge from the main loop so it can get a little tricky. I’m pretty sure we got lost a couple of times.
Afterwards, we decided to actually loop around the outside of the park and drive uphill to ‘Side Road 6,’ since we read that there was another access point there. The distance between the two was about 15 minutes. And there it was. It was called the ‘John Haigh Side Trail,’ which is a 2.5 km trail that connects to the main trail, creating a 7.6 km loop. Since the elevation is higher here, this trail does in fact lead to the “highest peak” we were aiming to find. By the time we found it though, it was about half an hour until sunset, so we planned to come back another day to explore it.
If you want to check out the highest point in the Bruce Trail, the Bruce Trail website itself actually has a great resource about how to get to the direct trail (which we probably should have looked up before we started, ha). Check it out here.
Our last destination of the night was exactly what we needed after a long (and slightly frustrating) hike. We headed to the ‘Scandinave Spa,’ which was only about ten minutes from the John Haigh Side Trail.
The Scandinave Spa
The Scandinave Spas are a chain of Scandinavian inspired spas (as the name suggests), which include: hot baths, cold plunge baths, saunas, steam rooms, relaxation areas, and massage packages. Electronics are not permitted in the outdoor baths, and silence is encouraged everywhere, to ensure complete relaxation is possible for all guests.
There is a fairly large parking lot beside the main building. You can actually see the Blue Mountain ski hills from here. From the parking lot you walk across a lovely tree covered bridge to the main building, which looks like a large chalet. Once you walk in there is a check-in desk on one side and the other side is made up of large windows overlooking the entire outdoor bath area. There is also a little cafe/restaurant in the main lobby area.
Check-in for the baths is really easy. It is actually first come first serve (you only need to make reservations for the massages). Once you arrive, you simply sign a waiver on their iPads and pay the entrance fee, which is $65 (they have a $55 promotion on Wednesdays when it isn’t their peak season). You are given a towel and a bracelet that electronically connects to whichever locker you choose in the changeroom (which also contain washrooms, smaller private rooms for changing, and a direct entrance to the baths). With your pass you are granted access to all of the baths, saunas, steam rooms, and relaxation areas.
They also have water stations everywhere, so if you are planning on going don’t forget your reusable water bottle (trust me you’ll need it)!
The outdoor area is one large loop intermingled with hot baths, cold plunge baths, and relaxation areas with: solariums, hammocks, muskoka chairs, and outdoor fireplaces. There are also various smaller chalet buildings mixed in. These hold: a eucalyptus steam room, a Finnish sauna, and an infrared sauna.
The eucalyptus steam room felt a little nerve wracking at first, as you essentially enter one giant cloud that immediately engulfs all of your sinuses. It almost takes your breath away. However, once you are settled, it is absolutely the best experience. This was probably my favourite amenity of the visit. It is extremely rejuvenating - clearing all blockages, releasing muscle tensions, and sweating out toxins. It is very hot and foggy though so for those with heat sensitivities, it may be tough to sit in there.
I would definitely recommend The Scandinave Spa as a place to unwind. It does get quite busy on weekends, so keep that in mind. Since it is first come first serve, you might get added to the wait list, as they try to avoid overcrowding the space. Here is the website if you want to check it out: www.scandinave.com (it links to the Blue Mountain facility).
This was definitely one of my favourite days this fall. I hope it gives you some inspiration in planning an eventful fall birthday or simply an enjoyable fall outing!
*UPDATE in 2024: rates are $95 / $105 during peak season (Wednesday discount is $85).