Recolett Falls - French River Provincial Park

The Recolett Falls trail is the only hiking trail in French River Provincial Park. It starts at the visitor centre just off Highway 69 and travels over uneven terrain for 1.5km before coming out at the falls.

I completed this hike in between two large thunderstorms so I had the privilege of having the entire trail to myself until I was on my back to the car.

The scenery is breathtaking ... it was my first time in this part of the Province and I fell in love with the area immediately. The trail consists of dirt paths and occasionally exposed bedrock. There is some minor climbing with thin footholds to navigate, but it is well worth the hike.

Recolett Falls

The trail

The falls themselves are more accurately called rapids. Although they undoubtedly present a large obstacle for water travelers, don't expect a massive plunge waterfall when you visit. But the shear cliff faces that surround the river are incredible.





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Frank Tract - Halton Regional Forest

The Region of Halton owns and manages 14 forest tracts totaling 665 hectares. The Frank tract is the most northerly tract and is 42 hectares in size.

The main trail starts fairly flat traveling along a fire access road. There is an 'S' turn where the road crosses an earth dam with swamps on the left and right. Re-entering the forest for another 200m before crossing a small bridge. There is a very nice lookout here, to the south, of a wetland.

The wetland

From the parking area to the end of the fire access road is about 600m (1.2km for the round trip). Should you choose there is a small dirt trail that continues from here. It has some climbs and it is much narrower than the main trail, but it takes you through a pleasant mixed deciduous forest. This will add another 500m onto your walk.

The Frank Tract is located on 1st Line just south of 25th Sideroad.




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Patterson Tract - Simcoe County Forest

The Patterson Tract in South Simcoe County is one of 124 forest tracts owned and managed by Simcoe County. There are over 31,000 acres of land and the forests are one of the most productive in all of Ontario.

The Patterson Tract

The tract lies on the Oak Ridges Moraine resulting in a beautiful rolling landscape and sandy soil. The eastern section of the trail is predominantly a pine plantation with large windswept White Pines dominating. The central section is higher and contains much more a mixed forest with a large number of beautiful Sugar maples. The western part is also dominated by a Pine plantation.

The main trail, part of the Oak Ridges Moraine trail, is blazed with white markers (although marked by a red line on the GPS log above) and is a there-and-back trail totaling 1.5km one-way (making a 3.0km return trip). There are a number of side trails which branch off the main trail that are used mainly by ATVs and mountain bikes (see orange trail on the map above) and these tend to be much more hilly than the main trail. The side trails also enter some wet areas so if you plan on using these trails after a rainfall be prepared for some muddy sections.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit

On a Side Trail

This is a simply stunning tract with an amazing mixture of Pine and Maple specimens. Be sure to bring along your camera as there is plenty of evidence that deer and coyotes frequent the area. Saying that, I should also mention that hunting is legal in the Patterson Tract. When hiking here please be aware of your surroundings.




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Smith Property - Guelph

The Smith Property is a piece of land running alongside the Eramosa River just south of Guelph. The land is managed by the Grand River Conservation Authority while the trail is maintained by the Guelph Hiking Trail Club. The trail is a loop that is 4.5km long.

The Smith Property

The trailhead is on Watson Road South and there is parking for about 15 cars along the gravel shoulder. The trail begins on the railbed for the long abandoned Toronto Suburban Railway. The cedar lined path can get quite dark in overcast conditions but it soon opens up. After 250m the trail splits. I chose the northerly route (the trail is a loop and will eventually return to this same place) and the trail climbed slowly out of the Eramosa River valley. The path is dirt with and for some sections follows an old farm road. There is a wonderful old stone wall that follows the trail for about 500m on your left.

There are several nice lookouts over the valley to be had about 1.6km into the walk. After 2.2km the trail begins to turn south and soon heads steeply downhill, back into the river valley. The clockwise route I took is certainly the easier one. Should you choose to travel in the opposite direction this hill will give your quads and knees a good workout.

The Trail at Sunrise

The Eramosa River

Once at the bottom the trail re-joins the railbed and is very flat from here back to the parking area. There is a small side trail that will bring you to a dam on the Eramosa River about 2.9km into the hike. This is a beautiful area to sit and watch the wildlife. But please stay off the dam.

The trail can get bust at times with joggers and dog walkers. I went very early on a Saturday morning and I only ran into 2 other people. The area has a wonderful mix of cedar forest down in the valley and a mixed deciduous/coniferous forest at the top.

For more photos of the Smith Property click here.




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