Trees, Lakes and Campfires are Good for the Soul

Hiking

Bronte Creek Provincial Park

February 16, 2019

Bronte Creek Provincial Park

My early years were spent in the countryside, but I moved to the city in my late teens and have lived the urban life ever since.  While I enjoy the lifestyle and the convenience of having all the amenities at my fingertips, I do find that I crave the outdoors on a regular basis and most often in times of stress.  I feel very fortunate that it is only a short car ride (or slightly longer mountain bike ride) to Bronte Provincial Park.

This park is steps away from urban Oakville Ontario but offers many different outdoor activities.  From the Burloak side many fun day trips with babies and toddlers can be experienced; short hikes, large swimming pools, playbarn and a farm with a historic household.  The Bronte side; camping for tents and trailers, yurts, and a vast network of hiking trails – both easy and moderate.  If looking for a more challenging hike, take the trail down to the river. 

I have had the pleasure of experiencing almost all the park has to offer; I’ve skated at the rink, taken my daughter to the play barn, farm and swimming pool and been on more hikes than I can count.  This park is a year-round playground for being able to just get outside and experience nature without the skyline of condominium buildings or traffic.  Over the years I’ve taken many hikes along the Bronte Creek upper ridge in all seasons and have been rewarded with many sites of wildlife, even the rare siting of a doe or two and not limited to a wide array of birds, reptiles (snakes are NOT a favourite) and insects, and multitude.  Among my days of exploring the park there are even signs of the long-gone homesteads, and farming fields.  If you do venture down to Creekside, substitute your hiking boots for water shoes and wade through the creek to see the hillside from the bottom, in the fall if lucky the salmon will be spawning.

Ontario has much to offer the outdoor enthusiast, however if short on time Bronte Creek Provincial Park will fill that need to be nature and rejuvenate your soul.


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