The Halton Region of Ontario is one of Canada’s most picturesque locales, with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country just a short drive away from one another. You’re never at a loss for an ideal setting for a hike, nature walk, camping trip, or other outdoor adventure. Here are three of the very best parks to visit in and around the Halton area.
Limehouse Conservation Area
Situated on 190 acres of beautiful Halton real estate, the Limehouse Conservation Area isn’t just one of the region’s most scenic parks, it’s also a Canadian cultural heritage site. That’s on account of the 19th century lime kilns that still dot the landscape.
In addition to a sense of pride and history, visitors to the Limehouse Conservation Area can enjoy a journey along the Niagara Escarpment, famous for providing the cliff side for its namesake waterfall and for housing the oldest forest ecosystem on the continent. At the amusingly dubbed “Hole in the Wall,” adventurous souls can actually follow ladders down into the stone heat heart of this geological wonder.
Best of all, with free parking and public access on a no-reservations, first-come-first-serve basis, Limehouse Conservation Area promises a fun, affordable day for hikers, dog-walkers, bird-watchers, and families.
Royal Botanical Gardens
Image by Ray Miller from Pixabay
For nature-lovers looking for something a bit more epic, look no further than the Royal Botanical Gardens. Boasting almost 20 miles worth of trails spread out across nearly 2,500 acres of reserve land, this park isn’t just a national historic site, it’s also the largest botanical garden in the country.
Noted for their importance in the preservation of biodiversity in general and Canada’s diverse bird population in particular, the Royal Botanical Gardens is home to more than 1,100 different species of plants, including some of the most eye-catching flowers you’re likely to see anywhere. Among its rich vegetation, the park includes multiple endangered species, including the Bashful Bulrush, which cannot be found anywhere else in all of Canada.
While admission is usually in the $10-20 range, families can receive a special discount. And, being that the park is a registered charity organization, you have the comfort of knowing that your money is going towards nature preservation and education efforts.
Cheltenham Badlands
Don’t let the name fool you; a day at the Cheltenham Badlands is a very good day indeed. Though it’s hard to imagine, this area was once used as pasture land, first by natives and later by Canadian settlers.
Today, the Cheltenham Badlands exist as one of Canada’s most unique landscapes, with striking red stone hills and gullies stretching into the distance. Long ago, careless farming stripped the soil and vegetation away, leaving bare a huge expanse of the Queenston Shale, a geological formation that dates all the way back to a time before dinosaurs walked the Earth.
Providing both a sobering lesson about the effects mankind can have on nature as well as a rare peek into a past that predates recorded history, the Cheltenham Badlands were unfortunately off-limits to the public for several. Newly reopened in 2018 with no admission beyond a $10 two-hour parking fee, visitors can once again view this fragile treasure.
