what a view this park offers, seriously a killer view that doesn't look like it would be Toronto at…read moreall (see photos). this short but sweet park, is attached to the Humber river which offers kayak and canoeing services during the summer time. this is one of my favorite parks to come to in the fall months to catch all of the trees turning colors, this park is rarely visited, so you will never have to deal with people, runners, or joggers getting in the way. transit options are the old mill subway station on the bloor-danforth line, and this park has lots of parking if you chose to come and drive here. if you are coming to this park via the subway station, you have to go down a big set of stairs, which is no problem going down, but climbing all the way back up is not fun at all. definitely worth your time to come see this park.

I'm really surprised I haven't reviewed this place - though I think I at least have reviewed the…read moreTree Top Trekking. The one thing I don't like is the notion of having to pay to enter a park. This might sound like an odd take since it's quite normal in Ontario, but being from BC originally, I can tell you that it was quite surprising (for here, and all other paid conservation parks). It's frustrating that the nicest park in the city - by far, which also has it's only natural lake, is gated and requires an entrance fee. I'll still give it 5 stars since it's part of a norm for the entire province, so I can't really hold that against it. I'll also have to admit that having a fee has perks which become apparent - namely: much cleaner, high staffing ratio (which helps cleanliness), no overcrowding, well maintained and even the configuration. It's similar to hating the cost of the 407 but having to admit you also love being able to cross the GTA in half the time. Heart Lake itself is a nice lake, and as mentioned the only natural lake in Brampton and probably one of the largest for quite some distance around it. Even without having visited, you may have seen it without realizing it since it was used in the movie Tommy Boy years ago (when Chris Farley is sailing and being taunted by kids). There is fishing, various types of boating, which now also includes boating at night with clear boasts that have bright neon lights around them. There are trails to walk along it too, but sadly not to go around it since city planners in their infinite wisdom years ago allowed a handful of houses to back onto the lake. There's also a some cross country trails in the wooded area for that type of running and cycling. The treetop trekking here is fantastic, but a completely different fee and business listing. But worth noting it is located here. There's an insane amount of picnicking spots. A perk with it being paid entry is that you're very likely to find a table and they even offer spots for charcoal disposal. They do offer being able rent out large spots for very big gatherings as well. They have a big splash pad and a nice large outdoor pool which has proper rope separation between shallow and deep ends. Again, the pool is quite large, so even on a busy hot Saturday in July, there was reasonable room in the shallow end - but considerably more space in the deep end. There is another fee for swimming, but it's quite reasonable. Good lifeguard ratio as well. So you've got to 'pay to play', but I also can't say there isn't value for the money. I'd highly recommend looking at an annual pass (family pass especially) which probably pays for itself within 2-3 visits here, or to any of the other TRCA conservation areas. I believe Brampton library does offer the ability to borrow a pass, but you'd want to plan ahead as I wouldn't be surprised there's holds for it.

The conservation park has a lot to offer: Tree Trekking, trails that continue along the lake,…read moreexercise equipment, lots of parking space and huge picnic and bbq area with lots of picnic tables, with all the safety measures in place; designated place to throw away ashes, big garbage bins. Good for all seasons

Great place for a hike. The trail had varying terrains which adds adds to the interest of the…read morehike. Nice trees and views.

I've been looking for hiking trails in the GTA and stumbled upon the Oak Ridges Corridor…read moreConservation Reserve. I started at the southeast corner of the reserve and explored the whole east side. There are several small parking lots near the trails. I parked on Bridgewater Drive, just south of Stouffville Road, and headed north towards Jefferson Forest. The trails by Jefferson Forest aren't well marked and are mainly used for mountain biking. It was a bit difficult to figure out which direction to go and was difficult to find this trail off of the main trail. The trail from Jefferson Forest is shaded by trees and the ground is packed dirt. The trail rises and falls in places, but there is no significant elevation change. What I liked about the trail was the change in scenery. At times, I felt like I was walking through the Shire. There seems to be an attempt to grow different trees in the area, so at times it looks like a tree farm. You'll see perfectly formed rows of trees, such as evergreens. Once you reach the main trail, it turns into well-maintained gravel. I traveled northeast towards Oak Ridges Community Centre. The trail goes through a clearing before you start seeing civilization again. The trail passes by neighborhoods of cookie-cutter suburban homes and even passes behind some of the homes. There are several apple trees along the path before reaching the northeast parking lot at Bethesda Sideroad. I tried to head towards Swan Lake, but there is no visible public access from the road. Overall, I thought the trail was well-maintained and enjoyed a nature hike in the middle of suburbia.

This is a review of the 99 Steps trail, located in the Thornton Bales Conservation Area…read more Located in Newmarket is a short 4 km loop trail called 99 Steps. It's located on 19th Sideroad between Dufferin and Bathurst. You'll know you're there when you see cars parked along the side of the narrow road. There is a small parking area for 9-10 cars at the trailhead. The trail starts with steps heading down. I don't know why it's called 99 Steps because there are only 80 steps (I counted). The trail is well maintained and has clear markers. There were only a couple of spots where it was unclear where the trail continues. The trail has some moderately steep downhill paths, so bring a walking stick if you have knee problems. Unfortunately, when I visited last week, a portion of the trail was closed, so it felt more like 2 km roundtrip. Overall, I thought it was a very nice trail and I'm looking forward to returning during the autumn when the leaves change colors.

4.5 Because of the pandemic, I've been trying to find more…read moreoutdoors-y things to do and I've been having that itch to go on a satisfying hike. This trail connected to another named 99 steps is located in King city just 10 minutes from Upper Canada Mall. You may bring dogs here on leash. Parking is extremely limited, about 10 spaces and I wouldn't recommend parking on the side street. There have been reports that you will get ticketed about $50 for it so I recommend you to wait until someone leaves which was only a couple minutes for me. First off... please please please research the trails before you go. It is a good idea to do this for any trail because there can be trail closures/diversions that can change. For example this one is connected to the Koffler scientific reserve at joker's hill which is part of the U of T research. They have sections closed off for scientific research. I recommend googling it to see which sections are closed. This trail is rated as a moderately difficult meaning that it is very technical with hills, tree roots and some rocks which is normal for these types of trails. Wear good shoes with good traction to protect your feet. In the beginning, they make you start off with going down hill with the steps although there's only 80 (counted). You can walk only the 99 steps section or go further out and walk the larger loop that includes koffler. In total, it's about 6 kms if you walk it all and took about an hour and a half for me who walked it sorta quickly. . I thought the trail was fantastic. Blazes (paint on the trees) well marked in the beginning of the trail. FYI. Single paint=trail is straight, 2 stripes, left higher = trail turns left, right higher = trail turns right. Unfortunately, like another review said, the blazes disappeared at the second half of the trail and the all trails map isn't all that accurate so I walked an extra km by accident, but found the correct trail back and it's a single trail all the way back to the steps. I recommend downloading the all trails app and following as gps for that bit, but maybe I'll contact the conservation to make the blazes so people won't get lost. Still gonna be back because it's so so beautiful! Thanks for reading my long review/tips lol.

A bit hard to find you can only get in if your driving east bond…read more I LOVE this trail there's a great place to jump into the river and it's very shallow but be careful there is a drop. I don't go in deep but my girl Bella is a good swimmer and there's no stopping her. There's a few briges that I like to sit on and watch the river run. Lots of vaulters so I keep moving so I don't become a meal.

I had been to the Thornton Bales Conservation Area before and couldn't quite make it to Joker's…read moreHill due to rainfall in the area. However, today I found out that there's a parking lot for the Joker's Hill hiking trail. The parking lot is fairly large, but inconspicuous. There are no signs, so you just have to slow down as you near the entrance heading south on Bathurst because it's easy to miss. I recommend wearing bug spray and long sleeve shirts and pants because there are signs indicating that there are ticks in the area. I also recommend wearing proper hiking shoes because there are areas that get muddy, depending on how far you hike. Don't forget to bring water. The trail starts off on the right and is shaded. Another trail head starts heading straight from the parking lot. I took the one that went straight. That trail starts off very narrow and passes by residential houses until you eventually reach a wider trail. The trail markers are dark blue. It's important that you know how to follow a trail and know how to read the trail markers because I'd say 95% of the trail is marked well and it's easy to go off the trail if you're not paying attention. I used my phone's GPS and Google Maps to figure out where I was located, though Google Maps doesn't show the trail that I was on. The trail merges with other trails. The blue trail markers turned into red and white. I believe the red trail markers are for the loop that starts off to the right of the Joker's Hill trail parking lot. I followed the white trail markers to the end of the Joker's Hill hiking trail, where I entered the Thornton Bales Conservation Area. The trail markers turn light blue. At the end of that trail are the 99 Steps. In total, it's a little over 5,000 steps and about 50 minutes to hike from the Joker's Hill parking lot to the 99 Steps parking lot. Overall, a pretty decent hike.

We love this place so much! We have been coming here to hike for years and last year, we finally…read moredecided to enroll my then 8 year old in their full day summer camp. I can't say enough great things about the staff and the counselors here. The summer camps are run 100% outdoors (unless it rains and they move the kids inside) with incredible 2 counselors to 4 kids per cohort ratio. On non rainy days, kids get to sit outside on a carpet under the tent for various activities and crafting. Each week is themed (insects, aquatic species...etc) and the kids learn about the ecosystem surrounding the Rouge Valley which is a great way to spend a day for a kid. We'll continue to support this wonderful center and hope more people learn about them as well!

Take this route and you won't be disappointed…read morehttps://www.alltrails.com/explore/recording/rouge-valley-loop-via-vista-trail-34f5297--2?p=-1 Parked off of Zoo rd. Took the Vista Trail and then hopped over a road and onto the Mast trail. Nice grassy, earthy trails. Open year-round AFAIK. Bring a headlamp and you can go hiking in the fall evenings. Heck, maybe even in winter. Great workout, decent elevation variation and beautiful vista views.