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Owen Point
Trail
Length: 1.6 km loop
Time: 45 minutes
Location: accessible from Beach
4 or High Bluff Campground
Parking: Beach 4 parking lot
Discover the diversity the natural beach has to offer. This
sandy path is among the best birding areas in the park. Beginning
at Beach 4, this trail meanders through tall grasses and stands
of young willows and cottonwoods, where you are sure to hear
the songs of Yellow Warblers, American Goldfinches and Song
Sparrows in early summer. Side trails lead to lookout stations,
which allow you to view shorebirds and other wildlife along
the beach. Sightings here include many sandpipers and plovers,
herons, frogs, and butterflies. Migrating birds and other
species use the beach as a feeding and resting area. Since
some birds travel tens of thousands of kilometres each year,
it is important that they not be disturbed during their brief
stay here. So, visitors are asked to stay behind the barriers
provided and not to bring pets on the trail. At the south
end of the trail, visitors can view Gull Island and High Bluff
Island from Owen Point. Access to the islands is prohibited
from March 10 to September 10 to protect the thousands of
breeding birds found there. From the point, the trail heads
east and passes a small marsh, filled with the sounds of Red-winged
Black Birds and Swamp Sparrows. Just before reaching High
Bluff campground, the trail meets the paved bicycle path.
Visitors wishing to return to Beach 4 can follow this path
back to the parking lot.
Pioneer Trail
Length: 3.8 km loop
Time: 2.5 hours
Location: Accessible from the campgrounds
or Lighthouse Lane.
Parking: lot opposite Group Camp
entrance on Lighthouse Lane.
Follow the yellow arrows to enjoy a walk through the hidden
forests and fields that make up the heart of the Presqu'ile
peninsula. The Pioneer trail passes by old fields, once cleared
by early settlers for their homes and farms. Full of wildflowers
and grasses, these fields make excellent habitat for butterflies
and other invertebrates. When the milkweed and vetches bloom
in July, watch for an abundance of Sulphurs, Monarchs and
Skippers feeding in the open areas. Some of these old fields
were reforested with plantations of Norway Spruce, White Spruce,
White Pine and Red Pine. These artificial forests attract
some seed-eating birds and Red Squirrels, who create food
caches of cones at the base of trees. At the edge of the natural
forest, you may see White-tailed Deer browsing on tender new
tree shoots. Following the posted yellow arrows will assist
you in navigating this trail in the winter by foot or by ski.
Jobes' Woods Trail
Length: 1 km loop
Time: 45 minutes
Location: Paxton Drive.
Parking: opposite trail entrance
A colourful trail guide is available at the trail head sign
to direct you through this wheelchair accessible loop of alternating
trail and boardwalk. You will pass through four communities
while on this trail. Towering Sugar Maples dominate the old
growth forest as you enter the trail. Watch for Pileated Woodpeckers
drilling large oval holes in the side of dead trees, looking
for a meal of invertebrates. Wood Frogs and Spotted Salamanders
take advantage of the water accumulation in the Black Ash
swamp during spring mating season. They must breed in water
and their aquatic larvae mature in the ephemeral pools while
feeding on the larvae of mosquitoes and other invertebrates.
Next you will find that you have left the forest and are standing
in the midst of an old field. Thomas and Ezekial Jobe cleared
this area for farmland many years ago. After being abandoned,
the field filled in with sun-loving plants. Today, Red Ash
trees, ferns and wildflowers dominate the field, but over
many years, it will become part of the forest once more. Keep
your eyes open for White-tailed Deer that like to browse on
the young trees or bed down in the tall grasses. The straight
rows of planted pines and spruces in the plantation you encounter
will help you appreciate the diversity of the natural forest.
Trees in a plantation are all the same age and their density
prevents new growth on the ground. Plantations were established
many years ago as windbreaks to shelter the boats in Presqu'ile
Bay. Take a stroll down Jobes Woods Trail and you will see
these and other signs of Presqu'ile's past.
Marsh Boardwalk
Length: 1 km loop
Time: 45 minutes
Location: Parking lot is east of
Bayshore Road, between the Beach 3 and Beach 4
access roads.
This wheelchair accessible series of boardwalks and floating
bridges is the best way to experience Presqu'ile's marsh,
the largest protected wetland on the north shore of Lake Ontario.
Your first stop after entering the trail from the back corner
of the parking lot is a platform where you will look over
the cattail marsh. Cattails support an abundance of life,
evident as you follow the rest of the boardwalk. Listen for
the calls of Marsh Wrens, Red-Winged Blackbirds and Common
Yellowthroats in early summer or come out near dusk to hear
the elusive American Bittern, Pied Billed Grebe or Virginia
Rail. Watch for cleared trails in the cattails, flattened
mounds of vegetation and chewed up water lily roots - all
evidence of Muskrats. Be careful as you cross the floating
bridges - Pumpkinseed sunfish like to make their nests in
the surrounding gravel. Insects, such as the Dragonflies that
dart through the marsh, are abundant underwater in their larval
form. Climb up the lookout tower for a spectacular view of
the marsh. Here you are able to see different zones of the
marsh: open water, cattails, shrubs and forest. In the open
water you may see Mute Swans and Mallards or Bullfrogs and
Snapping Turtles amongst the water lilies. Past the last bridge,
the trail takes you into a strip of mystical White Cedar forest,
part of what is known as the 'Fingers'. Beaver presence is
shown by stumps with tell tale marks. A wet meadow interrupts
this forest - great place to see wildflowers in late summer or fireflies on summer nights. This trail is best enjoyed
in the morning or evening, as there is no shade from the midday
sun on the boardwalk.
Newcastle Trail
Length: 3 km loop
Time: 2 hours
Location: Accessible from Paxton
Drive and Lighthouse Lane.
Parking: lot opposite Group Camp
entrance on Lighthouse Lane.
Named after the town that was planned for this site, the Newcastle
Trail allows visitors to explore the forest, plantations and
old fields in the eastern half of Presqu'ile's lower peninsula.
The least disturbed example of mature Beech-Maple forest at
Presqu'ile is on this quiet trail. If you begin at the group
camp entrance, walk down Jobes Lane, past the group camping
area and then follow the orange arrows. Fallen trees in this
picturesque woodland are a sure place to find an abundance
of mushrooms and salamanders. While you crouch down you will
notice the delicate ferns and wildflowers that grace the forest
floor. The uneven nature of the ground results in temporary
pools of water, which fill with the almost deafening sound
of Spring Peepers and Wood Frogs calling for a mate in spring.
When you reach the paved trail that crosses the peninsula,
feel free to take a break and visit the Nature Centre, located
directly to the south. This paved path is a great location
for watching migrating warblers in spring and fall. Continue
to the east end of the Newcastle trail and you'll find the
Lighthouse Interpretive Centre. You may want to stop in to
view the cultural history displays or continue your walk following
the orange arrows. Why not return in the winter to enjoy this
trail by cross-country ski?
Lighthouse Foot Path
Length: 300 m loop
Time: 10 minutes
Location: outside the Lighthouse
Interpretive Centre
Parking: Lighthoue Interpretive
Centre parking lot
Take a stroll past the Lighthouse Interpretive Centre to see
the second oldest operating lighthouse on the Ontario side
of the Great Lakes. Read about Presqu'ile's rich cultural
history at significant sights along the way. This path also
provides excellent birding opportunities during migration.
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