Tower Hill is one of the great viewpoints in cottage country, rising above downtown Parry Sound at 19 George Street. Its 30-metre observation tower rewards anyone willing to climb the 130 steps with a full 360-degree panorama of the harbour and Georgian Bay. From the top you can watch boats coming and going, float planes lifting off the water, and the famous Canadian Pacific Railway trestle bridge stretching across the harbour below.
The tower has an unusual story. It was built in the 1920s by the Ontario Forestry Branch as a fire lookout, but unlike other fire towers it was designed from the start to welcome tourists, teaching visitors about forest safety while giving them a spectacular view. When airplanes took over fire detection in the 1960s, the original tower fell into disrepair and was dismantled in 1973. The tower standing today was raised in 1975, and the site is now one of the Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve’s Amazing Places.
Back at ground level, the Tower Hill Heritage Garden spreads out beneath the tower. Volunteers plant and tend the flower beds, flagstone paths wind past a goldfish pond and a pedestal sundial, and the garden is certified as a wildlife-friendly habitat, providing food and shelter for birds, insects and butterflies, including monarchs.
At the base of the hill sits the Museum on Tower Hill, where you can learn about the area’s logging history, shipwrecks and early settler life. The grounds are free to wander, making this an easy stop to pair with a stroll through downtown.