Westport
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Village on Upper Rideau Lake in the hills of Rideau Lakes country, small but well-supplied with inns.
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Clearest air in Ontario getaway country right now
Build-time readings shown
Perth
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Stone-built heritage town on the Tay River, a calm base in the Rideau corridor.
Merrickville
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Rideau Canal village of locks, galleries and B&Bs less than an hour from Ottawa.
Calabogie
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Lake-and-highlands resort area in the Madawaska Valley with a four-season lodge scene.
Bancroft
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Mineral-country town on the York River between Hastings highlands and lake country.
Pembroke
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Ottawa Valley hub on the wide Ottawa River, the jumping-off point for Whitewater country.
Frequently asked questions
How does ToClearSkies work?
Pick your city and we rank getaway towns within roughly a 3-hour drive by live air quality — fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) and Canada’s Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) — cleanest first, with links to hotels and cottage rentals in each town. Rankings refresh every hour.
Where does the air quality data come from?
Live AQHI observations come from Environment and Climate Change Canada’s monitoring network, and gridded PM2.5 estimates come from Open-Meteo’s air quality model (based on Copernicus CAMS). Small cottage towns rarely have their own monitoring station, so the modelled data lets us estimate air quality anywhere.
Is a 3-hour drive really worth it during a smoke event?
Often, yes. Wildfire smoke is patchy: PM2.5 can differ by 100+ µg/m³ between towns a couple of hours apart, especially between inland cities and the Great Lakes shorelines. But smoke moves — check the live numbers on your city’s page and Environment Canada’s forecast before you commit to a drive.
What is PM2.5 and why do you rank by it?
PM2.5 is fine particulate matter under 2.5 micrometres — the main harmful component of wildfire smoke, small enough to reach deep into your lungs. It’s the single best number for comparing smoke levels between places. Under about 12 µg/m³ is clean; over 35 is when health agencies advise sensitive groups to limit time outdoors.
Do you cover places outside Ontario?
Not yet — we launched in Ontario during the 2026 fire season. The rest of Canada and the United States are next.