The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation released a striking time-lapse video that captures the essence of Ontario’s oldest park — from its quiet cast of wildlife to a canvas of undulating northern lights. 

Algonquin Park is situated between the Georgian Bay and the Ottawa River, a major tributary that defines the border between the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The sprawling expanse of coniferous and deciduous forest encompasses nearly two million acres of land, including 2,400 lakes and vast lengths of rivers and streams.

The park was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1992, recognized for its importance to tourists, compilation of historic structures, and as an inspirational symbol for the country. Algonquin Provincial Park is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to major urban areas including Ottawa and Toronto, and the intersection of two major motorways.

The park is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds, offering thousands of campsites spread along Highway 60 and throughout the interior, many of which can only be reached on foot or by canoe. Anglers enjoy casting their lines into the various lakes and streams encompassing an abundance of bass, yellow perch, trout, and pike.

Other popular activities include horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking, served by a compilation of nineteen interpretive trails. A visitor’s center and Natural Heritage Education Program offer a history of the park and educational programs to the public.

Algonquin Park provides for an aesthetic landscape long coveted by artists, most notably represented by Tom Thomson, an influential Canadian painter who derived inspiration from the park, which also served as the backdrop for a large collection of his works.

This enchanting video portrays the beauty of Algonquin Park beginning at sunset, with the sun sinking down below the canopy of trees in the distance, its last tendrils of light reflecting off the still lake waters. Music sets the scene for a slow awakening of nightlife as the croaking of frogs becomes woven into the soundtrack. Other animals soon come onto the set; a flying squirrel leaps to a tree trunk; an amphibian makes its way across the leaf-strewn forest floor and into the clear, cool waters.

The video ends with a vibrant display of northern lights dancing across the horizon amidst a sky teeming with stars, their colors reflecting off the lake below.