Day Hikes: Rattlesnake Point & Mount Nemo

I haven't gone missing, I assure you.  Sometimes life gets in the way but i'm back with a post for you.  What I wanted to do today was re-hash one of my latest day hikes; what I'm calling 2 hikes, 1 day.

The hikes weren't much, but I hadn't been out in a while and I needed some me time. I wanted try something new and fresh so I opted to see what Conservation Halton had to offer. Halton Region is a hidden gem in southern Ontario and comprises the cities of Burlington, Oakville, Milton, Halton Hills and all the towns in the area.



Conservation Halton operates seven parks (Kelso, Rattlesnake Point, Crawford Lake, Mount Nemo, Robert Edmundson, Hilton Falls, Mountsberg) in the summer with activities ranging from hiking to rock climbing to camping and much more.  Admission to the seven Halton parks costs $6.75 per person for day use, but grants you admission to all of parks on the same day.

Rattlesnake Point was the first the first stop on my 2 hikes, 1 day adventure. The park, located on Appleby Line in Milton. There are two loop trails within in the park, and an additional trail that runs along the Niagara Escarpment to Crawford Lake Conservation Area. I paid my admission, parked the car and hit the trail. I hiked the Buffalo Crag loop, listed at 3km. The other trail within the park is the Vista Adventure trail, which is simply half of the Buffalo Crag trail.  The trail also runs along the escarpment, providing views of the Ontario countryside.  The trail is nice and wide, doesn't offer too much in terms of difficult terrain, but really allows you to spend time on a beautiful, tree covered trail.

Take a look at my hike of the Buffalo Crag trail, as tracked by my watch.  The video includes the mapped path and photos I took along the way.

After I got back to the car, I rehydrated a little bit and took the 10 minute drive over to Mount Nemo Conservation area for the day's second hike. With my entry to Rattlesnake Point firmly in hand I cruised into the parking lot at Mount Nemo and headed out on my way.  The park features is known as a great spot for birdwatching and is home to a rare cliff-edge cave ecosystem which can be explored. As far as the hiking goes there are two options; the 2.6km North Loop and the 2.3km South Loop.  It was going to be the South Loop that I tackled on this day.

My watch tracked this hike as well, and the movie allows you to see some of the incredible views of the region from atop the cliffs.

All-in-all it was a great day to shake the cobwebs off my hiking boots and let my mind get back to nature after a long absence.  If the views and the trails other five parks of Conservation Halton are anything like these two, I'll be looking forward to visiting each of them.  The bonus is, they're all within about 15 minutes drive of one another and my $6.75 entry grants me same-day access to them all. Maybe later this summer I try and tackle all seven in one day?