Pretty River Valley

Saturday June 13
Another cold, bright morning, ideal for a strenuous hike of about 13 kms.  From the parking lot on Pretty River Road, we headed into the provincial park which was crisscrossed by several snowmobile and mountain biking routes.  We covered the Ross McConnell Side Trail and the Pretty River Side Trail along with several pieces of the main trail.  When we arrived at the edge of the escarpment we found many informal lookouts and stopped at one of them for lunch, enjoying a view out towards the Collingwood Airport and Nottawa. 

We are noticing a more diverse range of people on our hikes this year, likely because hiking is one of the few activities permitted during this time of restrictions due to COVID.  Today we encountered a shirtless, shoeless walker and one with noise cancelling earphones (to eliminate the sound of the babbling brook?). 

Nottawasaga Lookout and South

Our first official hike of 2020. With some routes still closed, we headed for an area that was sure to be open and one that Louise would enjoy with us. It was a bright, breezy, cool morning when we started at 26/27 Sideroad heading North into the Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Nature Reserve. Trillium carpeted the ground with tall deciduous trees above. There were pretty views of Nottawasaga Bay at many points as we walked along close to the edge.

We headed for the Standing Rock and Caves Side Trail where we encountered several families. The route of the side trail was not entirely clear and we probably missed a bit. On the way back I caught a glimpse of a red fox. We found a sheltered spot to stop for lunch not far from the starting point. Revived, we decided to cover another piece of the trail heading south towards Duntroon where we encountered meadows of wild flowers. It was good to see small groups and couples out hiking, more than we have seen on last year's hikes. All in all we covered close to 12 km and gained an appreciation for this section of the trail and the work of the volunteers who maintain it.