Toronto may be a sprawling urban centre with an impressive landscape of cement and skyscrapers, but you don’t have to drive too far away to see the beauty of nature. A quick venture within or just outside of the GTA will show you tons of natural beauty that will take your breath away.
 

Scarborough Bluffs

(Photo by: Susan Drysdale via Flickr)

Along about 15km of the Lake Ontario shore, the Scarborough Bluffs show off the results of a 12,000 year old accumulation of sedimentary deposits, created by a natural combo of wind and water erosion, courtesy of the lake.
 

Tews Falls

(Photo by: M Car via Flickr)

Tews Falls is the tallest waterfall in Hamilton, standing at 41m and 10m wide. Logie’s Creek falls over the escarpment, but water doesn’t run too heavy in the summer. Viewing is best in the late spring or winter, when the falls turn into ice climbing.
 

Elora Gorge & Quarry

(Photo by: George Vnoucek via Flickr)

Rushing through the gorge is the Grand River, and from the top of the cliffs, 22 metres above, you can see the water rush through the space. If you’re into adventure, you can tube or kayak in the water itself. Oh and did we mention Elora Riverfest? Ya that.
 

Long Point Beach

(Photo by: Margaret Bourne via Flickr)

The fourth oldest Provincial Park in Ontario is also located in a World Biosphere reserve. You can enjoy a 1.5km warm water beach along Lake Erie, with tons of outdoor activities like boating and fishing, just a 2.5h drive from the city.
 

DeCew Falls

DeCew Road in St. Catharine’s shows off not one, but two waterfalls – Upper DeCew Falls, a 22 metre high plunge waterfall that flows from the top part of the Twelve Mile Creek, and the Lower DeCew Falls, the 8 metre cascade waterfall at the more remote bottom of the gorge. The steep fall has its drop broken into a series of steps, which makes the water cascade. You can also see the Tunnel Falls, which is a manmade waterfall from the DeCew Falls Generating Station, with tunnels dug through softer parts of the land, making a flat ceiling and floor.
 

Rattlesnake Point

(Photo by: ndh via Flickr)

This spot’s got it all: secret caves, hectares of protected nature, a full, colourful canopy of trees, breathtaking cliffs, and glacial deposits. It’s also got the super-rare Hackberry Tree that grows at the bottom of the cliffs, in a spot with tons of rock and little soil. Rock climbers and hikers alike rave about Rattlesnake Point.
 

Crawford Lake Conservation Area

Crawford Lake boasts a meromictic lake, which means that it’s got two layers that don’t quite blend together to create a cool effect. The lake’s basin is deeper than it’s surface area, so the bottom part is hardly affected by the wind or temperature changes. Must be nice.