This is a review of the 99 Steps trail, located in the Thornton Bales Conservation Area…read more Located in Newmarket is a short 4 km loop trail called 99 Steps. It's located on 19th Sideroad between Dufferin and Bathurst. You'll know you're there when you see cars parked along the side of the narrow road. There is a small parking area for 9-10 cars at the trailhead. The trail starts with steps heading down. I don't know why it's called 99 Steps because there are only 80 steps (I counted). The trail is well maintained and has clear markers. There were only a couple of spots where it was unclear where the trail continues. The trail has some moderately steep downhill paths, so bring a walking stick if you have knee problems. Unfortunately, when I visited last week, a portion of the trail was closed, so it felt more like 2 km roundtrip. Overall, I thought it was a very nice trail and I'm looking forward to returning during the autumn when the leaves change colors.

4.5 Because of the pandemic, I've been trying to find more…read moreoutdoors-y things to do and I've been having that itch to go on a satisfying hike. This trail connected to another named 99 steps is located in King city just 10 minutes from Upper Canada Mall. You may bring dogs here on leash. Parking is extremely limited, about 10 spaces and I wouldn't recommend parking on the side street. There have been reports that you will get ticketed about $50 for it so I recommend you to wait until someone leaves which was only a couple minutes for me. First off... please please please research the trails before you go. It is a good idea to do this for any trail because there can be trail closures/diversions that can change. For example this one is connected to the Koffler scientific reserve at joker's hill which is part of the U of T research. They have sections closed off for scientific research. I recommend googling it to see which sections are closed. This trail is rated as a moderately difficult meaning that it is very technical with hills, tree roots and some rocks which is normal for these types of trails. Wear good shoes with good traction to protect your feet. In the beginning, they make you start off with going down hill with the steps although there's only 80 (counted). You can walk only the 99 steps section or go further out and walk the larger loop that includes koffler. In total, it's about 6 kms if you walk it all and took about an hour and a half for me who walked it sorta quickly. . I thought the trail was fantastic. Blazes (paint on the trees) well marked in the beginning of the trail. FYI. Single paint=trail is straight, 2 stripes, left higher = trail turns left, right higher = trail turns right. Unfortunately, like another review said, the blazes disappeared at the second half of the trail and the all trails map isn't all that accurate so I walked an extra km by accident, but found the correct trail back and it's a single trail all the way back to the steps. I recommend downloading the all trails app and following as gps for that bit, but maybe I'll contact the conservation to make the blazes so people won't get lost. Still gonna be back because it's so so beautiful! Thanks for reading my long review/tips lol.

Beautiful place to take a walk! For a small pond, there is so much to see on this short walk. From…read morebridges over marshy areas to various look out points and even a small cafe along the way. With several entry points including one right behind the Varley Art Gallery, this pond is located just off of the Main Street making it a great way to end or start your visit at Main Street Unionville. I highly recommend the Toogood Pond Trail during any time of the year! Dont miss it if you are in the area.

What a beautiful, nature/natural park right in central Unionville. Visiting here, one feels a…read moremillion miles away from the city. I loved the stroll around the large pond in this park. So many wonderful features here: -free parking in two lots (that would NEVER happen in Vancouver) -a walk around the pond involves a flat trail, one foot bridge, and one stretch of boardwalk through a marshy patch -you never know what wild birds you might see and/or hear here (we saw a heron in the pond, and I heard the call of loons! For real!) -there is a lovely canopy of trees over the walking trail (which was very welcome, on the hot day I visited), and plenty of benches to relax along the way -there are areas of grassy meadow lands on small hills in areas by the walking trail, perfect for a picnic or throwing a frisbee on a nice day -my Toronto friend says sometimes she's seen people fishing in the pond! What a great, little oasis right in the city!

I had been to the Thornton Bales Conservation Area before and couldn't quite make it to Joker's…read moreHill due to rainfall in the area. However, today I found out that there's a parking lot for the Joker's Hill hiking trail. The parking lot is fairly large, but inconspicuous. There are no signs, so you just have to slow down as you near the entrance heading south on Bathurst because it's easy to miss. I recommend wearing bug spray and long sleeve shirts and pants because there are signs indicating that there are ticks in the area. I also recommend wearing proper hiking shoes because there are areas that get muddy, depending on how far you hike. Don't forget to bring water. The trail starts off on the right and is shaded. Another trail head starts heading straight from the parking lot. I took the one that went straight. That trail starts off very narrow and passes by residential houses until you eventually reach a wider trail. The trail markers are dark blue. It's important that you know how to follow a trail and know how to read the trail markers because I'd say 95% of the trail is marked well and it's easy to go off the trail if you're not paying attention. I used my phone's GPS and Google Maps to figure out where I was located, though Google Maps doesn't show the trail that I was on. The trail merges with other trails. The blue trail markers turned into red and white. I believe the red trail markers are for the loop that starts off to the right of the Joker's Hill trail parking lot. I followed the white trail markers to the end of the Joker's Hill hiking trail, where I entered the Thornton Bales Conservation Area. The trail markers turn light blue. At the end of that trail are the 99 Steps. In total, it's a little over 5,000 steps and about 50 minutes to hike from the Joker's Hill parking lot to the 99 Steps parking lot. Overall, a pretty decent hike.

It was a nice Sunday afternoon that it was chilly outside. But we decided to go for a walk. Mill…read morePond park is not far from my home. We drove over and saw a lot of car come and go. We could still find a parking spot. Some ppl parked on the side of street. The park is neither small or big, medium size. There is kid's playground and trails, a small lake. Some trail was still covered by the snow or wet. We walked slowly that still could take me an hour to go through different trails. It will be better to walk around during summer. It's a nice place to abtain some sunshine.

Mill Pond Park is primarily a recreational and entertainment area in Richmond Hill, but also…read morecontains trails. It's just north of the hospital and is easy to miss since I rarely drive up this way. One of the best parts about the park is the free parking just south of the park. The trail is somewhat circular, and can vary from 2-3 km depending on where you walk. The trails are pretty easy and flat. The trails on the north side of the park pass by residential back yards and are primarily dirt trails, which can get muddy after a rain. You also pass by some nice brick houses on the west side of the park. Overall, a pretty nice walk if you're looking for something easy and don't want to break a sweat.

This is a review for day-use only, as the park is actually closed for camping during this time of…read morethe year. There are a couple of day-use lots on the outside of the actual park for locals to use, I don't believe you can drive into the park proper to use it for day use. At the time we visited, Orillia was close to peak color, so it was a fantastic time. It was a nice day for a hike, and there were quite a few other people using the park as well -- there's a little beach area in the day use part as well as a playground and places for taking your dog on leash. We went and followed the trails in the park, there seems to be a few that can be used, one in the treeline and one along the lake. You can make a decent little loop of a couple of kilometers. There's nothing incredibly challenging about this little hike, to be honest, but the tree colors make for some gorgeous photos. I'll definitely want to come back and visit here and go camping during the season. A really lovely provincial park!

The Heron has landed back on the 150th commemorative trees carving. After a rather long absence the…read morebroken heron has returned better than new, rebuilt by a local artist in Aurora. It was reinstalled early this morning and will look down from its perch viewing all that pass by for a very long time. Come out and see it.

We came up here to go waking and really enjoyed the trail. The trail was short and sweet and all of…read morethe plants have plaques with names on them so passerby's know what they are looking at. This was a really cute park and I think it will look even better when everything is blooming during the summer months. The area had a cute river running through it and we walked for about an hour. I would definitely go back.

Beautiful easy trail in all seasons!…read more Lots of parking, map was straight forward. The main trail is very spacious even three -four horses could ride side by side. The trail meanders and narrows into a footpath at some routes. It leads down into a a shallow pond for dogs to splash or kids to throws rocks into. We just went back for a winter hike and with all the recent snow, we easily could walk around without difficulty. Lots of people with dogs and hiking sticks passing through but never crowded. No washrooms or hand washing stations so plan well. The turn into the forest parking lot is right off hwy 48, drive slow or you might miss the sign.

I didn't realize we had such a beautiful park in the city with such beautiful fall colours. It does…read moreget busy during the weekends. Before 4pm on weekdays are the best times to come. The main attraction is Earl Bale's Storm Management Pond. Great bike or hike. It's a short trail but steep at times.

An underappreciated park at the western edge of the Lansing neighbourhood that bordres on Earl…read moreBales Park and a path that leads to the Don Valley Golf Course. The park features a nice playground for kids of all ages, a baseball diamond, and tennis courts for those who are so inspired. The 401 zips along on the horizon, especially in fall and winter when the trees aren't as thick with leaves. A good spot for activity, but not much of a place to sit and relax. Where are all the trees in Toronto's parks? We seem to enjoy great, big lawns.

Great place for a hike. The trail had varying terrains which adds adds to the interest of the…read morehike. Nice trees and views.

I've been looking for hiking trails in the GTA and stumbled upon the Oak Ridges Corridor…read moreConservation Reserve. I started at the southeast corner of the reserve and explored the whole east side. There are several small parking lots near the trails. I parked on Bridgewater Drive, just south of Stouffville Road, and headed north towards Jefferson Forest. The trails by Jefferson Forest aren't well marked and are mainly used for mountain biking. It was a bit difficult to figure out which direction to go and was difficult to find this trail off of the main trail. The trail from Jefferson Forest is shaded by trees and the ground is packed dirt. The trail rises and falls in places, but there is no significant elevation change. What I liked about the trail was the change in scenery. At times, I felt like I was walking through the Shire. There seems to be an attempt to grow different trees in the area, so at times it looks like a tree farm. You'll see perfectly formed rows of trees, such as evergreens. Once you reach the main trail, it turns into well-maintained gravel. I traveled northeast towards Oak Ridges Community Centre. The trail goes through a clearing before you start seeing civilization again. The trail passes by neighborhoods of cookie-cutter suburban homes and even passes behind some of the homes. There are several apple trees along the path before reaching the northeast parking lot at Bethesda Sideroad. I tried to head towards Swan Lake, but there is no visible public access from the road. Overall, I thought the trail was well-maintained and enjoyed a nature hike in the middle of suburbia.

Amazing experience!!!! Can't say enough about the guides, their knowledge of the area and super…read morefriendly. I felt very comfortable and welcomed as we all enjoyed the amazing hike and caves together. Such an amazing spot that you would never know is there!!! You can literally see and smell the world's history!!! Highly recommended!

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