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Hiking the Dundas Valley
By Mady MacDonaldLocation:
Dundas Valley Conservation Area, Dundas, Ontario
Getting there: Follow Highway
403 to Highway 2, go west for three kilometres to
Highway 52. Go north on Highway 52 to Governors
Road (Highway 399). Turn east onto Governors Road
and drive for about 15 minutes until you see the
sign to the Dundas Valley Conservation Area on
your right (south) side.
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| The
Falls |
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| Hiking Duration: 3.5 kms to
over 50 kms (with many variations in between);
links up with the Bruce Trail in areas Activities:
Hiking, mountain biking, equestrian trails,
cross-country skiing
Trails: Headwaters, Monarch,
Lookout, Wilderness, Harvest, Bruce, Hermitage,
Orchard, Homestead, Hilltop, Rail, Tom Beckett,
Reforestation and Donald
Dropping down into a Carolinian forest on one
of Ontario's hot, sticky days is a wonderful
feeling. The harsh sunlight becomes dappled as
it's filtered through the canopy and the close
air becomes clear and cool.
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| The
Trail Centre |
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Underfoot the going turns from rocky
outcroppings to soft, loamy soil. It's hard to
believe a quick hour down the 403 brought me to
such a beautiful and expansive trail system. With
the recent interest in outdoor activities, it is
surprising to find Dundas Valley Conservation
Area so quiet on a Saturday in July.
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| Sure, there are people horseback riding
and now and again some mountain bikers whiz by, but
throughout most of our 15 km hike we were on our own. Whether
you're an avid hiker feeling trapped by the city and
wanting to stretch your legs or a day hiker looking for a
pleasant stroll, you'll find the path you need in the
Dundas Valley. Trails vary from challenging ridge walks
(head out onto the Wilderness Trail branch off the Main
Loop) or stay on the straightforward, rolling terrain of
the 3.2 kilometer Main Loop for a light hike.
Sites:
Trail Centre:
The trail centre is a Victorian reproduction of an old
railway station. Alongside the station is a short section
of railway track with an executive coach car that was
built in 1929. The Canadian Pacific Railway donated this
car to the Conservation Authority in 1978 along with the
1931 baggage car beside it.
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Sulphur Springs:
Located near Sulphur Springs Road (on the
opposite side) is the spring that fed the Sulphur
Springs Hotel's mineral spa in the 1800's. The
waters were considered to have curative
properties and hence the Hotel was a popular
summer destination. The Hotel closed in 1910 due
to two fires. |
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| Hermitage: Built in 1855 by a Scottish
settler named George Gordon Browne Leith, this once
magnificent stone mansion is now a ruins due to a fire.
Look closely at the stones in the remaining structure.
The red brick is from the Dundas Valley and the limestone
sills were quarried in the nearby Credit River Valley. |
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| The
Hermitage |
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Gatehouse Museum:
This museum, built around the same time as the
Hermitage, once housed the gatekeeper and his
family. Now it holds the history of the Hermitage
and the family who lived there. Behind the museum
the Ancaster Creek tumbles over the Gatehouse
Cascade before winding its way through the
valley. |
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| The Old Oak: At the bottom of the apple
orchard at the intersection of the Main Loop and Monarch
Trails is a White Oak tree that is approximately 150
years old. |
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Flora and Fauna:
Depending on which trails you choose, you can pass
through thick, silent
pine forests, raspberry canes dripping with fruit,
sun-dappled Carolinian groves, marshland bursting with
the throaty songs of red-winged blackbirds, stoney ridges
with lookout points or silvery birch forests. The trails
are wide and on the Main Loop much of the path is gravel.Other
trails in the area
Tews Falls
Bruce Trail
Brantford
Rail Trail
Article & photo's by Mady MacDonald
(Mady's
Bio)
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