Creemore Nature Preserve
This short hike in Clearview Township is perfect for a quick escape into brilliant fall colours, with gorgeous maple trees, a pollinator garden, and crystal waters that are the local brewery’s special ingredient.
The many maple trees on this short hike in Clearview Township make it perfect for a quick escape into brilliant fall colour. Check out the pollinator garden, and note the crystal waters that are the local brewery’s special ingredient. After your walk, visit Creemore for coffee or lunch. You will be welcomed – “Creemore“ derives from the Gaelic word for “big heart.“
Where: Creemore Nature Preserve
Parking: Concession Road 6, South of Country Road 9.
Difficulty: An easy 3.8km, 1+ hour hike, with colour-coded trails.
Highlights
The Mingay: Formerly known as The Mingay, this 83-hectare property was donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada by the Mingay family in 1987.
Pollinator Garden: Take the Green Trail to visit a regenerating wetland and a pollinator garden, planted with species, such as milkweed, specifically to attract bees.
Creemore Springs Brewery: Founded in 1987 by John Wiggins, Creemore Springs Brewery is named after the spring essential to its world-class beers.
Wood Thrush: A relative of the similarly-sized robin, wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) have a beautiful flute-like, spiralling song. Large freckles decorate the white bellies of these forest- loving ground-feeders.
Ferns: There are six types of ferns in the preserve. Delicate maidenhair (Adiantum spp.) is sometimes called the five-finger fern due to its finger-like fronds. It contains an oil sometimes used in shampoo, hence its name.
Real Red Maples: The reddest trees in the autumn forest may not be sugar maples (Acer saccharum), but red maples (Acer rubrum). Look for the V-shaped valleys and sharply serrated edges of red maple leaves compared to the U-shaped valleys and smoother edges of sugar maple leaves.
White-Tailed Deer: Ever heard a white- tailed deer snort? The loud “whooshing“ sound is believed to be an alarm similar to a beaver’s slapping tail.
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