Burns Conservation Area

Part of the Halton Region’s collection of protected lands, Burns Conservation feels like a natural best kept secret.  There were all of four other people in the area when we visited on a very sunny afternoon.  Of course, it was extremely hot and humid—which could have accounted for the measly attendance.  Even we almost didn’t make an afternoon of it, but not due to the sun’s spiky rays—thanks to the inundation of blood-sucking mosquitoes!  Not two minutes up the trail and we were very rudely reminded of the fact that we had neglected our typical soak-down in insect repellent.  All joking aside, it was like we were being attacked by vicious swarms of mosquitoes.  The buzzing in our ears was incessant!  So, we turned right around and at practically lightning speed (okay, more like a bustling walk) we raced back to the car to find that we had no power to fight off our predators, the insect repellent was sitting proudly on our kitchen counter.  So, we decided to take a little detour on our hike and drive into Campbellville, a small town just South of the 401 at Guelph Line.  Freshly armed with DEET magic potion, with doused ourselves with “Deep Woods Protection” and restarted our visit at Burns.

These conservation lands were purchased by Conservation Halton back in 1963 and the fishing pond was created on the property as a source of recreation.  We saw two young guys attempting to catch some of the trout that inhabit the pond which has been taken over by many aquatic plants and animals.  In addition to fishing at the pond, you can bring out your canoe for a spin, enjoy a nice picnic at one of the tables or take a stroll along the nature trail.  We opted for the nature trail and were particularly excited about the boardwalk sections of the route.  Where there is a boardwalk, there is swamp, river, pond or sensitive land—all surefire indicators that there will be some pretty cool bugs and/or animal life (no, we are NOT referring to mosquitoes in this case… they are NOT cool in our books). The trail is mostly packed earth which is quite wet in some areas so be sure to wear full-cover footwear (sandals would not be a good choice for hiking at Burns). 

 Rob is very much into macrophotography right now and just loves taking photos of insects.  Of course, that means that I usually end up way ahead of him along the trail before I even realize that he isn’t right behind me!  It’s not hard to make frequent photo stops at Burns—we saw lots of dragonflies, intriguing fungi, and quite a few insects that we have yet to identify. 

There is only one trail at Burns and it would take about 45 minutes to complete the loop (provided that you aren’t stopping for photos every few metres).  There is a great deal of tree cover but you will have bugs and humidity to contend with.  Do take advantage of the picnic tables that are so nicely spread out around the pond.  There are also vault toilets on-site and no daily park fees to pay.

Directions from Conservation Halton’s Site: located northwest of Campbellville at Twiss Road and No.10 Sideroad.  From Campbellville follow Guelph Line north of Highway 401 to No.10 Sideroad, west on No.10 to Twiss Road also called Nassegaweya 1st Line, go north to park entrance.

Caution from Nancy and Rob—The entrance to Burns is very shortly after the right-turn onto 1^st Line.  It is also very hard to miss this entrance because the sign is quite small. Keep your eyes peeled!