Landon's Bay - 1000 National Park

 

After a quick breakfast stop at a quaint little spot called Gray's beach, I headed east on a recent road trip passed a large sign "Landon's Bay - 1000 Island Nati

onal Park" and decided to pull off  the 1000 Island Parkway between Mallorytown and Ganonoque to have a look.  

The entrance to the park was closed off, but there were a few cars parked along the side of the front gate, so I did the same.  Not sure what to expect, I brought my camera along. 

I ended up spending a couple of hours here checking out the some of the trails.  The Donevan trail was by far my favourite with mythical features like hand-laid stone walls and bridges and an old 'wishing tree' like something out of a story book.  

The Landon's Bay 1000 Islands Tower which stretches 400 feet above the horizon of Hill Island,  Ontario is unfortunately closed off due to COVID, but you are still able to find enough of a view in the area.  I was told by a fellow hiker that the area used to be a campground, but I figured since it is so close to Hwy 401, it wouldn't make for a good night's sleep with the noise, so probably the reason that phased out.

Overall, this was definitely worth checking out and glad I did.  There are plenty of signs to get around, but I'd suggest more might improve the experience.  It's pretty unique here and in it's entirety is encompasses over 225 acres of forested walking trails.  I'd definitely recommend if you are passing by.

Heart Lake Conservation Area

Another birthday went by without being able to celebrate it in an ordinary fashion - but we did enjoy takeout in the car and discovered this little gem in Brampton/Etobicoke  called Heart Lake Conservation Area .  Despite the gloomy weather, it was still a great walk.  The parks may not be open for cars, but they still monitor the closing hours and we were fast approaching that.

Here are a few pictures I took while we were there though.  You'll have to go yourself and see it through your own camera lens!

Heart Lake is a gorgeous spot to visit and seems to have a bit of everything for everyone.  over 415 acres of parkland which includes the Etobicoke watershed, blocks of forest, and a beautiful spot of water (which if you look at it from an aerial view) is in the shape of a heart.  

courtesy of www.brampton.com website

 

The park opens in the April up until October and offers public fishing, hiking, swimming and even treetop trekking (which I've never tried and looks pretty dangerous from the pictures I've seen on their website).

We saw a few others around, but the park itself is closed to the public due to COVID, but there's a lot close by.

I think the most exciting for me anyways thing that I saw was a large snapping turtle who just froze as I approached it.  In fact, I didn't know what it was at first, but I knew it was something worth checking out.

When I got closer, I noticed it's eyes flinched and his head slowly turned to look at me.  I have to admit although he is slower than a sloth, it still spooked me a bit but I am sure he is a lot kinder than he looks! 

As the weather approaches summer, this would be a good spot to have a picnic as there are several great locations with picnic settings.  You'll have to check out the tree trekking!