Upper Credit Conservation Area

This nugget of a hike features an enormous ancient white pine, rare rock elms and an unusual sedge. Follow the Credit River, cross curious corduroy terrain, and marvel in a meadow teeming with butterflies and iridescent damselflies.

Where: Credit Valley Trail (CVT)
When complete, the 100km-long CVT will follow the river valley from its source to Lake Ontario.
cvc.ca/discover-our-parks/upper-credit

Parking: 20073 Porterfield Road, Caledon

Difficulty: An easy 3.5km, 1+ hour hike with the following options.

• Credit Valley Trail (1.1km)
• Safari Grassland Trail (1.7km)
• Bobolink Trail (0.2km)

Highlights

White pine: The white pine (Pinus strobus) is Ontario’s provincial tree. This ancient beauty with a circumference of 3.6m was likely planted by settlers Mary and Charles Sullivan.

Grassland: The Safari Grassland Trail, named after a neighbouring family, marks the perimeter of restored grassland – home to birds such as the bobolink and Eastern meadowlark.

Credit River: The source of the 90km-long Credit River lies north of Orangeville. The Credit empties into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, originally an Ojibwe settlement at the foot of Hurontario Street in Mississauga.

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Corduroy Trail: The corduroy nature of this section of trail is evidence of an old railway – in this case, The Toronto, Grey & Bruce. It once met up with the Credit Valley Railway in nearby Melville.

Rock elm: Somewhat resistant to Dutch elm disease, rock elms are uncommon. They grow in shallow soil over limestone and have corky growths on their twigs.

Sprengel’s sedge: This grass-like sedge (Carex sprengelii) is the predominant groundcover in the rock elm woodlot.

Click map for larger image.