About us
Wilderness Union makes it easy to get into the wild and find your outdoor crew. We plan regular, unique trips with great people each weekend, and arrange the transport along with all the gear you'll need. All you need do is show up.
We plan wilderness adventures to show you more of Ontario than you thought possible, and feel reset after the weekend. All of our trips are professionally guided and we do a huge variety of activities with regular hikes, camping, paddling, skiing, snowboarding and other special adventures.
We're obsessed with creating the most unique, professionally run, wilderness experiences that you'll find. Many of our trips are unique to Wilderness Union and you'll often visit places with nobody else around. It's just us and nature.
Join us to explore more of the incredible wilderness around our city, find your people and live your weekends to their fullest.
Our community
Our community of members is the heart of Wilderness Union and we carefully manage new applications to the group so you can feel confident that you'll be safe and surrounded by people you'll enjoy exploring with.
Members get access to all of our adventures, discounted pricing and other benefits including:
- Regular socials
- Discounts at outdoor retailers like MEC, Teva, Algonquin Outfitters and more
- Free, member led clubs like Run, Climb, Bike and Book Club
We'd love to have you join! Learn more here.
Most of our members are between the ages of 18-40 and live in the GTA.
Public Adventures
We offer a selection of Public adventures that are also open to non-members. Filter by adventure type on our website to find what's right for you.
Wondering why the RSVP count for events is low?
Members sign up for trips at www.wildernessunion.com - we just use Meetup to alert everybody to new adventures. We limit attendance to 18 people for our adventures and many more at our socials!
Want to figure out if Wilderness Union is right for you?
We host a regular new member intro session as an opportunity to learn more about the community, meet other members and get prepared for upcoming adventures. New members have a one month free trial and $25 in trip credit so you can try us out, risk free!
Upcoming events
5
Canoe Camping in Killarney 2
Toronto, ON, CAPlease note the only way to register for this adventure is on our website.
Dive into the Killarney backcountry with this beautiful and beginner friendly canoe camping adventure.
We're heading to Bell Lake, on the quieter east side of the park, for a weekend that mixes an easy paddle-in camping trip and an incredible hike to Silver Peak, the highest point in Killarney.
Friday, we'll paddle the short 2.5km crossing to our backcountry site, set up camp, and spend the afternoon settling in. The rest of the afternoon is yours to spend how you like. If you want to learn to pitch a tent, get a fire going properly, or handle a canoe, we'll show you. If you'd rather find a rock in the sun and do nothing, that works too.
Saturday, you can chill around camp or paddle over and hike Silver Peak, the highest point in the park. It's a roughly 11km round trip, starting on an easy rolling trail before a steep, hands on scramble up exposed quartzite for the final push. At the top, you're rewarded with a 360 degree view over Killarney's white ridges and out to Georgian Bay. Trust us, you won’t get many views in Ontario that are better than this!
Both nights, we'll eat around the fire and fall asleep under some of the clearest skies in Ontario. Killarney's stargazing is genuinely other-worldly. On a clear night you'll see the Milky Way and more stars than you knew existed. Sunday, we pack up and paddle back out.
By Sunday, you'll have spent two days swimming, paddling, and sleeping under the stars, surrounded by Killarney's unmistakable landscapes.
What's included
- Professional & certified guides
- All camp meals, cooking equipment and mess kits
- Tents
- Canoe rentals
Sleeping bags and sleep pads can be rented from WU for a small fee.
Highlights
Silver Peak Summit: The highest point in Killarney, with sweeping views over the range and out to Georgian Bay
Stargazing: With some of the darkest skies in Ontario, the Milky Way is in full view on a clear night
Lake Swimming: Cool off in clear water, or take the canoe out for a closer look at the shorelineEvent cost: $455+HST (for explorer members) - $70 optional transport available.
Register here.About Wilderness Union
Wilderness Union is deliberate about building an outdoors community that connects you to the life-changing magic of the outdoors and helps you find your people.Members range from 20-40 years old. The group is a mix of GTA locals and newcomers to Toronto from within Canada and abroad.
Attendance numbers on Meetup don't reflect our actual event attendance - we typically have 15-20 community members at each event. Large enough that there's someone new to meet but small enough that it's not overwhelming!
Learn more at our website www.wildernessunion.com
3 attendees
Fall Migration Birding in Toronto
Toronto, ON, CAPlease note the only way to register for this adventure is on our website.
Toronto has some hidden natural gems, and October is when it puts on its best show.
Join our guide Pedro Hernandez of Outdoor Commute for a beginner-friendly birdwatching walk through the unique Tommy Thompson Park. You do not need to know a warbler from a wren, but you probably will when the day is done. This walk is built for people who are simply curious about the birds sharing our skyline.
We’ll move slowly and stop often, learning how to identify species by shape, colour, and call, how to actually use a pair of binoculars (yours to borrow for the day), and how to make sense of field guides and birding apps you can keep using long after the trip ends.
October is peak Fall migration in the city, with so many different birds to spot. Depending on conditions, we might spot warblers, sparrows, and thrushes moving through, along with waterfowl like northern shovelers and gadwalls resting on the water. Year-round residents including red-tailed hawks, black-capped chickadees, and northern cardinals tend to make an appearance too.
Please note that binoculars are included in the cost of the adventure and that, due to the Toronto location, transportation is not offered.
Accessibility
Wilderness Union is committed to making our adventures as accessible as possible. If you wish to make an accommodation request relating to a disability or provide feedback, please do so by sending an email to info@wildernessunion.comHighlights
Fall Migration: October is one of the best windows of the year to bird at the Spit, with local species and southbound migrants both moving through the park at once.
Professional Birder: Pedro founded the popular birding account Outdoor Commute and brings a genuine, patient teaching style
Binoculars Included: Every participant gets a pair of high-quality NOCS binoculars for the walkEvent cost: $60+HST (for explorer members). Register here.
About Wilderness Union
Wilderness Union is deliberate about building an outdoors community that connects you to the life-changing magic of the outdoors and helps you find your people.Members range from 20-40 years old. The group is a mix of GTA locals and newcomers to Toronto from within Canada and abroad.
Attendance numbers on Meetup don't reflect our actual event attendance - we typically have 15-20 community members at each event. Large enough that there's someone new to meet but small enough that it's not overwhelming!
Learn more at our website www.wildernessunion.com
4 attendees
Wilder Series: The Wilder Loop
Toronto, ON, CAPlease note the only way to register for this adventure is on our website.
The loop is back and more wild than ever!
For those unfamiliar, The Wilder Loop is 16 km of remote, rugged terrain through one of Ontario’s most untouched landscapes. Right from the start, the trail throws you into the wild: the first 5 km have everything we love about backcountry hiking; twisting forest paths, sweeping granite ridges, narrow boardwalks, and multiple beaver dams to scramble across. No two kilometers are the same, and every twist in the trail feels like a secret waiting to be found.
Once we hit the loop section, things get much quieter. This part of the park sees very few visitors as human footprints give way to moose tracks, and the rustling in the brush might just be one of the many beavers that call this area home.
Though the total elevation gain is relatively modest (about 260 m over the whole route), the trail’s difficulty comes from its remoteness, terrain, and ever-changing conditions. That said, for those willing to take it on, the reward is huge: sweeping views, total solitude, an unfiltered experience of Ontario’s boreal beauty... and a well-earned sense of pride by the time we make it back to the trailhead.
Secret Location
This is one of Wilderness Union's 'secret' hikes. As a group, we visit some truly special spots that are undiscovered by the wider world. We like to keep them pristine and only share them among our members- we ask that you do the same! We reveal the location to registered members in the days before the trip.Accessibility
Wilderness Union is committed to making our adventures as accessible as possible. If you wish to make an accommodation request relating to a disability or provide feedback, please do so by sending an email to info@wildernessunion.comHighlights
Untouched Wilderness: Step into a landscape that feels frozen in time; wild, windswept, and wonderfully remote. Just you, the forest, and the sound of your boots on the trail.
Wildlife Spotting: Bears, moose, beavers and loons are just some of the creatures that call this area home. You'll have a chance to spot some from a safe distance for a magical encounter.
Beaver Dam Crossings: The area we're visiting is shaped by beavers. Tiptoe across nature’s original bridges- muddy, meticulously built, and surprisingly sturdyEvent cost: $60+HST. $50 optional transport also available. Please register here.
About Wilderness Union
Wilderness Union is deliberate about building an outdoors community that connects you to the life-changing magic of the outdoors and helps you find your people.Members range from 20-40 years old. The group is a mix of GTA locals and newcomers to Toronto from within Canada and abroad.
Attendance numbers on Meetup don't reflect our actual event attendance - we typically have 15-20 community members at each event. Large enough that there's someone new to meet but small enough that it's not overwhelming!
Learn more at our website www.wildernessunion.com
2 attendees
Cliffs & Fall Colours: A Bruce Peninsula Hike
Toronto, ON, CAPlease note the only way to register for this adventure is on our website.
The Bruce Peninsula does dramatic better than almost anywhere else in Ontario, and fall is when it really shows off.
We'll be out for most of the day, covering 8.5km of moderate hiking through some of the best autumn scenery in the province, with the changing leaves against the escarpment's limestone making for a proper contrast.
We'll start in the forest before the trail opens onto the coastline, tracing the cliffs down to the Grotto. It's the most photographed spot on the peninsula for good reason: crystal clear water, a sea cave carved into the rock, and a natural window out to the bay. We'll take our time here, including a stop for lunch.
From the Grotto we'll keep following the shoreline out to Stormhaven, crossing pebble beaches with open views across Georgian Bay the whole way. We'll turn around there and retrace the coastline back, catching all the same cliffs and colour from the other direction with the light shifted by then.
Two important things to note:
- Self driving isn't possible for this trip. Parking passes at the trailhead sell out well in advance, so all members travel together on WU transport.
- Bruce Peninsula National Park is stunning, but be aware that it is a long drive there and back. Full details are in the itinerary below.
Accessibility
Wilderness Union is committed to making our adventures as accessible as possible. If you wish to make an accommodation request relating to a disability or provide feedback, please do so by sending an email to info@wildernessunion.comHighlights
The Grotto: The peninsula's most famous natural feature: a limestone sea cave with turquoise water and a rock window looking out over Georgian Bay.
Stormhaven Coastline: A stretch of cobble beach with wide open views across the bay, well past where most day hikers turn around.
Fall Colour on the Escarpment: Peak autumn colour against the Niagara Escarpment's pale limestone cliffs, a contrast you don't get anywhere else on the Bruce Trail**.**Event cost: $140+HST. Transportation is included in the cost of the adventure. Please register here.
About Wilderness Union
Wilderness Union is deliberate about building an outdoors community that connects you to the life-changing magic of the outdoors and helps you find your people.Members range from 20-40 years old. The group is a mix of GTA locals and newcomers to Toronto from within Canada and abroad.
Attendance numbers on Meetup don't reflect our actual event attendance - we typically have 15-20 community members at each event. Large enough that there's someone new to meet but small enough that it's not overwhelming!
Learn more at our website www.wildernessunion.com
2 attendees
Past events
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