Forks of the Credit
River Provincial Park is in Caledon, Ontario – about 2 hours Northwest of Toronto. A part of the Ontario Parks System since 1985,
the Forks is a part of the Niagara Escarpment biosphere, including a significant
portion of the Bruce Trail for hiking.
With the Spring weather upon us, I thought now was good as any time to hike
this area for the first time.
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| Forks of the Credit River Provincial Park |
Open year round, the
Forks are generally quiet during Winter and early Spring. This is great for someone like me who enjoys
a more solitude experience, as well as taking scenic landscape photographs. The main activities you can do here include
camping, hiking, and fishing. During the
winter months, you can do cross-country skiing and snow shoeing. Horseback riding is allowed, but only along
the Trans Canada Trail.
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| Kettle Lake at Forks of the Credit River Provincial Park |
Park reservations are
still required regardless of what time of the year it is. It cost me just under $20 CDN for my daily
vehicle permit, which isn’t too expensive considering I planned to spend at
least 3-4 hours here for my hike. You
can reserve your daily vehicle permit for up to five days ahead of your visit
either online or by phone. I showed up
the morning of my planned hike and called the Ontario Parks System to obtain my
vehicle permit as it was mid-March and I wasn’t expecting too many visitors on
this day. However, I’d advised calling
at least a few days in advance during the Summer if you have any plans for
weekend visits as parking spots are limited.
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| Forks of the Credit River Provincial Park - Meadow Trail |
Once you’ve made your
reservation, a receipt with your QR code will be emailed to you as the entrance
gate is fully automated. If you have any
technical difficulties, however, you can press the call button on the gate for
park staff to assist you. In terms of
what items you should bring, I highly advise a day pack, some food and snacks,
a camera, and a fully charged phone to track your GPS location. While there are signs throughout the park to
indicate where you are and what trail you’re on, I like to use the All Trails
hiking app to get real time data of my whereabouts.
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| Forks of the Credit River Provincial Park - Meadow Trail |
There are several
trails you can use for your hike. I
chose the Meadow Trail-Dominion Trail-Bruce Trail-Trans Canada Trail Loop. Along this route, I encountered several
highlights, such as a kettle lake, a cascading waterfall, the Dominion Trail
staircase, beautiful open meadows, and clear vantage points of the Niagara Escarpment,
and the actual spot where the Credit River forks. There’s a bit of a grind transitioning from
the Dominion Trail to the Bruce Trail where the elevation is 55-60 degrees in
some sections. Otherwise, this loop is very
scenic with an easy-to-moderate level of difficulty for hikers.
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| Forks of the Credit River Provincial Park |
Overall, the loop takes
just under two hours to complete and covers about 8 Kilometers with an
elevation gain of 213 meters. I took a
bit longer than this so I could take photos and enjoy some of the scenery along
the way. I also found myself extremely
winded climbing up the ascent from the Dominion Trail to the Bruce Trail, which
took me about 15-20 minutes to recover from.
In hindsight, I should have brought some protein bars or power drinks to
reduce my recovery time even further.
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| Forks of the Credit River Provincial Park - Cascading Waterfall along the Meadow Trail |
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park - Hiking Stats
Route: Meadow Trail - Dominion Trail - Bruce Trail - Trans-Canada Trail Loop
Distance: 8.04 KMs
Steps: 12,321
Moving Time: 1:43:45
Elevation Gain: 213 M
Date: March 16, 2024
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| Forks of the Credit River Provincial Park - Staircase to the Dominion Trail |
It was cloudy for
much of the hike with a cooler temperature, which made my experience highly
enjoyable. When I arrived back to my
car, the rain had started to fall. I can’t
comment on what it would be like to hike the same loop in the middle of the
Summer, but I would strongly advise bringing the appropriate supplements and
clothing to deal with any extreme heat.
And I certainly would not recommend hiking this loop in the middle of
the winter as some parts are unlikely to be maintained, like the Meadow Trail.
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| Forks of the Credit River Provincial Park |
Finally, if you plan
on visiting several Ontario Provincial Parks – or revisiting some of your
favourites – over the course of a calendar year, then you may want to consider
getting an Annual Day-Use Parking Permit for about $100 CDN. It’s something I might consider in the future
if I take up hiking as a regular hobby.
Forks of the Credit Provincial Park - Hiking Stats
Address: 717760 McLaren Road, Caledon Village, ON
Phone: (705) 435-2498
Size: 282.00 ha
Established: 1985
Park Classification: Natural Environment
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