Here are the more popular Oshawa-Durham & Kawarthas Regional and Provincial Parks .
Algonquin Park
Albury Swamp
(Quinte)(Latitude/Longitude: 44.0656105490966 -77.5094466312805)
Large swamp regions make this one of several major heronries on the island, with nesting sites for the majestic blue heron. There are also water & garter snake, bull frogs, as well as deer, otter, coyotes, muskrat, turkey, grouse and fox. Flora here include Silver Maple, Black and Red Ash, Jewelweed, Sensitive Fern, White Birch, alders, grasses and horsetails, and the wetland areas include Pickerelweed, cattails, grasses, spike-rush, horsetails and sedges.
Beasdell Boulder
(Trenton)292 Glenn Miller Rd
From Highway 401, Exit 525 at Hwy 33 (Trenton) and drive north for 2.5 km. Watch for sign
The boulder is believed to be the largest glacial erratic in Ontario. It is 44 feet long, 24 feet wide, and 19 – 22 feet high and weighs and estimated 2 million pounds (1000 tonnes). This metamorphic rock originated from northeastern Ontario about 20,000 years ago. The earliest known study of the boulder was made in 1862 by Reverend William Bleasdell, first rector of St. George’s Anglican Church in Trenton. The rock has been variously called, the “Bleasdell Boulder,” “The Big Boulder,” or “Glen Miller Rock”. This Boulder is located in Glen Miller just north of the 401 on Highway 33. A well-groomed (wheelchair accessible) hiking trail 50 metres west of the Glen Miller Bridge, takes you on a 15 minute hike to the boulder. Accessible year round. Donations accepted at the site.
Darlington Provincial Park
(Bowmanville)1600 Darlington Park Rd.
Bowmanville, Ontario, L1C 3K3
905-436-2036
This recreational park east of Oshawa holds a tiny cemetery and an early settler’s log cabin. From the bluff, watch for migrating birds – warblers in spring, waterfowl and raptors in fall, and year-round terns and plovers. In winter, skate on McLaughlin Bay or toboggan down the hills
Del Crary Park
(Peterborough)On Little Lake, close to downtown Peterborough
This green space hosts free outdoor events and concerts are held here during the summer months, including the international Festival of Lights fireworks displays, Wednesday and Saturday evenings from June through August. Also home of the Peterborough Yacht Club.
Enniskillen Conservation Area
(Bowmanville)Exit 401 at Waverly Rd. Travel North on Regional Rd. #57. Turn Left at Concession Rd. 7. Turn Right on Holt Road and follow the signs.
The 65-hectare Enniskillen Conservation Area on the south slopes of the provincially significant Oak Ridges Moraine, is close to the village of Enniskillen. There is a 3 km network of trails through beautiful coniferous forest, a cedar swamp, open wetlands and gentle brook. The trail network has several sections of boardwalk and crosses the upper portion of the Bowmanville Creek five times. You can see the foundations of the 1874 Moorey Grist Mill (dismantled in 1956) which used the constant supply of water to grind locally-grown grain, though the earthen dam, which held back the creek water to produce the millpond, is still there.
Ganaraska Forest Centre
(Bowmanville)10585 Cold Springs Camp Road in Campbellcroft
905-797-2721
The Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority was created in 1946 and manges area parklands and hundreds of kilometres of trails, to support a variety of activities: hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and nature appreciation. Motorized activities such as off-road motorcycle riding, ATVing and snowmobiling are permitted only in the West Forest and East Forest, with the Central section of the Forest for passive use.
Greenwood Conservation Area
(Ajax)north on Westney Road, north of Taunton Road
Recreation Services at 427-8811
Greenwood offers you a chance to escape to nature along the banks of Duffins Creek. Hiking trails allow you to explore the forest or the steep-sided river valley. Picnic shelters and washroom facilities are available in the picnic area. nature trails, walking paths for hiking and for witner cross-country skiing. The cold, clear-running creek offers trout fishing in the spring. The park is open to the public daily from May to September from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and October to April 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. No site rental for a picnic or overnight camping is allowed without a permit.
Lake on the Mountain
(Quinte)on County Road 7 off Highway 33 near Glenora
from Highway 401, take Highway 49 south to Picton
This lake, with no visibile water source, is nearly 62 metres (200 feet) above Lake Ontario, only a short distance away. Take in the outstanding view high above the Bay of Quinte as you enjoy a quiet picnic overlooking the lake and surrounding countryside
Little Bluff Conservation Area
(Quinte)From the parking lot at the end of the entrance road, a short hiking trail passes eastern red cedar and a number of deciduous trees along the edge of an 18 metre (60 foot) high limestone bluff with a picturesque view of Prince Edward Bay and a pebble beach. Waterfowl and red-winged blackbirds can be seen in the marsh nearby.
Macaulay Mountain
(Quinte)From the east end of Picton, follow Union Street (which becomes County Road 8) from the Tip of the Bay Motel and Marina for about a kilometre. http://naturestuff.net/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=39&Itemid=9
Features 440 acres offering 25 km of easy hiking in the lowland area, more rugged trekking on the escarpment portion, or a pleasant family walk along a series of gravelled paths along the Whattam’s Memorial Walkway. The location of famous Birdhouse City, founded in 1980 In the winter, this is an ideal spot for cross-country skiing and tobogganing.
Mount Pelion Lookout
(Trenton)Dufferin Ave, at north end of MacLellan Avenue
Community & Leisure Services Department, 613-392-2841
Discover “Trenton’s Mountain”left behind by the glaciers. You can walk, hike, bike or drive up to the observation deck with a panoramic view of Trenton’s waterways and surrounding countryside.
Visited in 1615 by Samuel de Champlain, the “mountain” is a drumlin with an esker on the north end. In the 1800’s, a cannon was hoisted to the top of the mountain by teams of horses, but has not been fired since 1898. The site was designated heritage property in 1989, and a new lookout tower has replaced the former wooden one and you can see as far as Murray Hills, Belleville and Prince Edward County.
Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens
(Oshawa)155 Arena Street, Oshawa
Mailing: 50 Centre Street South, Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 3Z7
905-436-5636, ext. 2162
The first phase of the Oshawa Valley Botanical Gardens is nestled beside the historic banks of the Oshawa Creek. Enjoy the unique blend of naturalized creek banks juxtaposed against formal gardens. The Oshawa Valley Botanical Garden features over 300 Peony varieties and is one of the largest contemporary peony gardens in Canada. Experience Oshawa’s natural history as you stroll along a winding trail that leads to Lake Ontario.
Peterborough Petroglyphs Provincial Park
General Delivery
Woodview, Ontario K0L 3E0
(705) 877-2552
Situated on an outcrop of white marble on the Canadian Shield, deep within a forest northeast of Peterborough, the Peterborough Pertoglyph site is one of the largest know concentrations of prehistoric rock carvings in Canada. 900 images of realistic animal and human forms, as wells as abstract and sybolic representations show the spiritual and intellectual life of the Algonquin Indians who carved them between 900 – 1400 AD. Hiking trails meander through surrounding forests, wetlands and rocky ridges. This site is a sacred place and a monument to the artistic ability and senstitivity. Explore The Learning Place interpretive centre. The petroglyph site is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm This day use park is open 10 am- 5 pm daily from the Second Friday in May to Thanksgiving
Petticoat Creek Conservation Area
(Pickering)1100 Whites Road in Pickering, just off Highway 401.
905-509-1534.
On the shores of Lake Ontario, you have incredible view of the bluffs with access to the Waterfront Trail. The Area has a 1.5-acre supervised swimming pool, 12 great picnic sites. Park is open June through Labour Day, from 9:00 am to dusk. The pool is open daily from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, subject to adverse weather conditions.
Pickering Waterfront Trail
(Pickering)Along Lake Ontario
The Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail runs along Lake Ontario, and when completed it will run 650 kilometres from Niagara-on-the-Lake to Ganaoque along the St Lawrence River. At Pickering’s Frenchman’s Bay natural harbour there is a waterfront trail, boardwalk, kiddie water-spray park and sandy play areas, as well as areas for boating and fishing.
Quinte Conservation Area
2061 Old Highway 2
(613) 968-3434
Parking on both sides of Old Hwy 2.
A 140 hectare former farmstead that offers hikers, showshoers and cross-country skiers six km of relatively even trails. There is a ‘Pooch Path’ loop for dogs and their owners. See winding Potter Creek, picnic tables near the bay shore, and the Nortel Arboretum. Bay of Quinte access (no boat launch) for canoeing, kayaking and windsurfing
Sager Conservation Area
(613) 394-4829
Sager Conservation Area offers picnicking, trails and a scenic viewpoint atop a drumlin. This area is part of a glacial feature known as Oak Lake Island. This is a series of large drumlins that formed an island in glacial Lake Iroquois. The drumlin in the conservation area is one of the highest points of land in the area. A lookout tower provides an excellent point from which to view the surrounding countryside including part of the Trent Valley, Picnic shelter also.
Sandbanks Provincial Park
(Quinte)R.R.#1
Picton, Ontario K0K 2T0
613-393-3319
Giant sand dunes and golden beaches form two of the largest freshwater baymouth sandbars in the world here, on the shores of Lake Ontario. Efforts to stabilize shifting sands disturbed by farming have revived distinctive dune plants such as bluets, butterfly weed and sand spurge. Trails feature dune stairs to protect this delicate vegetation.
Sandbanks features 549 campsites in five campgrounds. There are 140 campsites with electrical service, and each campsite has a picnic table and fireplace grill. Drinking water taps are close to all sites.
Seaton Hiking Trails
(Pickering)South Side of Highway 7 at Green Drive
take the 401 and exit at Brock Rd. and go north, head west on Finch to Valley Farm Rd
approximately 8 km east of Markham Pickering ON.
The Seaton Hiking Trails are about 3 kms in total, comprised of three distinct trails: The Heritage Trail, the Wilderness Trail and the Walking Trail. No biking permitted at Seaaton.
Serpent Mounds Park
(Peterborough)(Formerly Serpent Mounds Provincial Park)
South of Highway 7 near Rice Lake and the village of Keene.
Hiawatha FIrst Nation
R.R.#2 Keene Ontario K0L 2G0
2000 years ago, ancient Native people camped, hunted, fished, and buried their ancestors here. This is the only Canadian example of a mound of serpentine or zig-zag shape, for which the Park gets its name. On land owned by the Hiawatha First Nation, the site was leased by the province for the past 41 years to operate as a provincial park, and in 1996 was returned to the First Nation who will continue to run the park.
Trenton Escarpment Natural Habitat Area
McGill St, west of downtown
A small parcel of wooded preserve, accessed through Hanna Park. You can hike in the summer, cross-country ski in the winter, or just wander in peaceful surroundings.
Whitby Shores Waterfront Trails
(Whitby)Whitby’s six-kilometre stretch of the Waterfront Trail along the picturesque shoreline includes several natural areas, including Lynde Shore Conservation Area and Thickson’s Woods.This is the last remaining stand of old-growth white pines on the north shore of Lake Ontario. The historical Rowe House, home of first mayor, is open to public. Main Access Points (with parking) are:
Springside Park & Napanee Mills
(Napanee)the main natural attraction located in Napanee, with a waterfall on the Napanee River. A plaque commemorates 1780s sawmill and gristmill that formed the centre of the community.