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Beach Trail - 4km
return (1.5 hours) easy
This trail takes the hiker along the Georgian Bay shoreline. Giant's
Tomb Island is visible from the trail. The contrast between the
dry oak-maple forest of the campgrounds and the low, wet birch-cedar-hemlock
forest below the bluff can be seen on this trail.
Beaver Pond Trail - 1km
(30 minutes) easy
This trail is located in a nature reserve zone Most of this trail
is a boardwalk that takes you through an area altered by past and
present beaver activity. Along the way you will see the remains
of both a building and a bridge from the early logging days. The
area also offers views of the dominant Nipissing bluff as well as
excellent opportunities for viewing wildlife, wildflowers and many
species of birds.
Bluff Trail - 13km
(3.5 hours) moderate
This circular trail can be accessed from a number of locations within
the park. It travels partly along a high bluff and partly through
a low wetland. Views of Georgian Bay from sections of this trail
are spectacular, especially during the leaf free season.
Nipissing Trail - 1km
return (30 minutes) moderate
The Nipissing Bluff is the dominant glacial feature in Awenda. It
is a raised beach created 5,500 years ago by glacial Lake Nipissing.
Today a 155 step staircase allows hikers to easily descend 32 metres
down the face of the bluff at times providing you with the sensation
of being part of the forest canopy.
Brûlé Trail - 4
km return (1.5 hours) easy
This trail passes through a portion of the park's upland mixed deciduous
forest. Lumbering and fires have obliterated the white pine stands
so that the majority of trees are now sugar maple and red oak. Lumbering
on the peninsula was at its peak in the late 1800s. Since then the
forest has been allowed to revert to its natural state but the white
pine has been unable to fully reestablish itself.
Dunes Trail - 3km
return (1hour) easy
This trail takes you to an ancient dune system. The age of these
sand dunes has been estimated at 11,500 years, from the time of
the last glacial retreat. The dunes are a very fragile environment
and we ask that you do not climb the hillside, stand on the edge
of the bluff or climb down the bluff. This will allow plants to
reestablish themselves and will help us preserve this area for future
park visitors. On the way to the dunes, this trail passes an abandoned
farmstead.
Wendat Trail - 5km
(2 hours) easy
This trail begins at Kettle's Lake. This lake is thought to be a
kettle lake formed by the gradual melting of a large buried piece
of ice left by retreating glaciers. Today this area is a favoured
nesting spot for the red-winged blackbird and the great blue heron
is often seen in the swamps around the lake. The trail passes the
foundations of the Brabant farmstead house and barn. Attempts to
farm this area in the 1930s and 40s failed due to the poor, sandy
soil.
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