Unionville Valleylands Trail (Toogood Pond)

 

Markham, just north of Toronto has some beautiful trails  Easy access to most of them, including the one we went to on Sunday afternoon.  The Unionville Valleylands trail off of 16^th Avenue is only about a 5 km loop, but it has it all.  Watersheds, woodlands, ponds, marshes and wildlife.  

The wildlife seems to thrive and co-exist here in this suburban parkland and at times even a tamed squirrel will crawl up your pant leg to grab a shelled peanut from your hands.  Geese, herons, foxes, snapping turtles, muskrats and deer are common sightings. 

 

   

What is great about this one is that it connects to over 10 km of trail networks in the Markham area so if you have time you can easily spend a day.  The trails are marked and have easy access through wooden bridges and paved pathways.

    

The heron I spotted was so tame it didn’t budge when I pulled up my camera.  They must be so used to people around them.  I probably wouldn’t bring my bike to these trails, although it’s certainly doable, there are too many people and the trails are too short.  Perfect for young families with strollers and safe for kids.

One of the main parks within in this trail is locally known as “Toogood Pond” which was named after Arthur Toogood who owned the pond prior to the Town’s acquisition in 1980.

      

I was surprised to find very little information about Arthur Frank Toogood (passed away in 1995) while doing a bit of research.  Most of what I discovered was about his wife Mildred.  It seems they had met in Alberta where they had a travel business called Alberta Recreational Tours.  I am not sure what Arthur Toogood had done in Markham after leaving Alberta though.  His wife was very active in the community as a college teacher, a music instructor and was passionately taught piano and violin and conducted community orchestras and choirs until she passed away in 2012.

 

Markham’s trails are also a part of the Rouge Valley system.  It wasn’t until we almost completed this loop and we crossed over another bridge on the south side when I realized that we had been here before with my son and his wife last year in June.  It’s posted in my blog as “Markham Rouge Valley, Wilbur Latimer Way”

Happy Trails!

Harold Town Conservation Area

I couldn't wait to get a chance to make a trip back out to Peterborough this weekend.  We checked out another All You Can Eat restaurant in town and planned on hiking another trail afterwards.

We found the Harold Town Conservation area which was located off of Old Norwood Rd in Otonobee – about 15 minutes from our location, so it worked out perfectly. 

The parking lot didn't have any fee stations, and there are portable washrooms so you can plan to spend the day trying out different routes. 

The one feature you'll notice when you first arrive is this ginormous hill front and centre of the parking lot as you come in.  Your first thought would be no way would anyone ever dare to go down that hill on a bike, let alone hike it!  Unbelievably though, cyclists do this all the time I was told.

This would definitely be a must see for mountain bikers as it offers a network of trails available for off-road cyclists.  Even if you're a beginner, there are over 10 km of trails designed to challenge you with funny names such as Porcupine Pie and Screaming Trees. 

The trails are also well maintained and constructed in accordance with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) guidelines and standards. 

Yup, they have standards.  You can see trail features like switch-back climbs, small rock drops, and tight turns with some log hops and berms if you’re into that.  

We are just happy to go for some safe-on-the-ground hiking trail called Kessel Run.   It ran through some pretty impressive forestland with lots of wildlife and wildflowers and open meadows.  There's a scenic view from the Meade Creek Drumlin which is part of the Peterborough Drumlin Field as part of the Otonabee Conservation watershed.

I wondered who the

Harold Town Conservation Area was named after and discovered he was a Canadian Painter who made a name for himself after he started a group of 11 artists known as the "Painters Eleven" which dates from 1953 when a group of young artists banded together with the purpose of exhibiting abstract art in Toronto.  

Although I didn't particularly understand his paintings (a lot like Picasso or Jackson Pollack) he made enough money to purchase this land and enjoyed it as his personal retreat until he passed away in 1990.  On April 11, 1994, the property was donated to Otonabee Conservation by Harold Town’s estate. The property was then named in his memory and was dedicated as a park for public purposes, as requested by the estate.

 

Happy Trails