Westport
▼ 9 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
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.
10.1 µg/m³
PM2.5 in Peterborough right now
AQI 103 · Unhealthy for sensitive groups
AQHI 6 — Moderate risk (Peterborough)
Latest observation Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Build-time readings shown
24 places with a place to stay, ranked by air quality
Perth
▼ 9 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Stone-built heritage town on the Tay River, a calm base in the Rideau corridor.
Calabogie
▼ 8.7 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Lake-and-highlands resort area in the Madawaska Valley with a four-season lodge scene.
Bancroft
▼ 8.2 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Mineral-country town on the York River between Hastings highlands and lake country.
Haliburton
▼ 8 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Highlands village surrounded by hundreds of lakes and a large cottage-rental market.
Pembroke
▼ 8 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Ottawa Valley hub on the wide Ottawa River, the jumping-off point for Whitewater country.
Whitney
▼ 7.7 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Hamlet at Algonquin Park’s East Gate, with lodges and cabins on the park’s quieter side.
Bracebridge
▼ 6.7 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Waterfall town in the heart of Muskoka with a deep bench of cottages and resorts.
Huntsville
▼ 6.7 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Muskoka’s biggest town, ringed by lakes and resorts on the edge of Algonquin Park.
Gananoque
▼ 6.3 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Gateway to the Thousand Islands, with river breezes off the St. Lawrence and island cruises at the dock.
Gravenhurst
▼ 2.6 µg/m³ less fine-particle pollution than Peterborough right now
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Gateway to Muskoka on Lake Muskoka’s steamship wharf, the closest cottage country to the GTA.
Bobcaygeon
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Kawartha canal town spread across three islands between Pigeon and Sturgeon lakes.
Fenelon Falls
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
The “Jewel of the Kawarthas,” a falls-side village on the Trent–Severn Waterway.
Parry Sound
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Deep-water port on Georgian Bay’s island-studded coast, with open-bay air off the sound.
Orillia
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Sunshine City between Lakes Couchiching and Simcoe, with a full range of waterfront stays.
Prince Edward County
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Island county of beaches, wineries and small hotels, surrounded on all sides by Lake Ontario air.
Cobourg
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Victorian lakefront town with a long sandy beach an easy hop east of the GTA.
Wasaga Beach
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
The world’s longest freshwater beach, with open Nottawasaga Bay air along the whole strip.
Collingwood
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Georgian Bay harbour town at the base of the Niagara Escarpment, with bay breezes and plenty of hotels and rentals.
The Blue Mountains
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Resort village on Georgian Bay with escarpment elevation, a walkable pedestrian base and year-round lodging.
Midland
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Harbour town on Georgian Bay’s 30,000 Islands shore, with bay cruises and shoreline trails.
Elora
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Limestone village above the Elora Gorge, with a boutique mill hotel and quarry swimming.
St. Jacobs
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Mennonite-country village and market just outside Waterloo, an easy countryside reset.
Niagara-on-the-Lake
▲ Air is currently worse here than in Peterborough
Observed Jul 16, 7:00 p.m. EDT
Wine-country town where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, dense with inns and B&Bs.
Why these towns?
Most of the getaways above sit on big water — Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario or Lake Superior — or in lake-dense highland country. Large lakes generate onshore breezes and sit away from the boreal fire zones, so during many smoke events they stay a band cleaner than inland cities. That's not a guarantee: smoke plumes move, which is why we re-rank this list against live PM2.5 and AQHI data every hour rather than publishing a fixed list. If everything within three hours of Peterborough is smoky, the rankings will say so — sometimes the honest answer is to stay inside with a filter running.