Near the start of July I had a free day on the weekend and the weather was quite nice so I took the opportunity to get out to some local hiking areas that I had been meaning to check out, nearish to Ottawa. I went first to Marble Woodlands, then down to Baird Community Forest, then over to Purdon Conservation Area.
Marble Woodlands
My first hike of the day was to Marble Woodlands, which is a Mississippi Madawaska Land Trust property that is open to the public. There is a small parking lot at the entrance, which isn't signed from the road. You start off the hike going through a long grass meadow that had amazing wildflowers, dragonflies, and butterflies. The trail then transitions to a mixed forest. At the complete opposite end of the property there is a little patch of Hemlock trees, which was an interesting find. Near the end of the trail you transition back into a tall grass meadow and the trail leads you back to the parking lot. It was 3.3km long and took me 51 minutes to complete. I would recommend either long pants or bug spray, as the grass often hangs over the path and there is a risk of ticks, but thankfully I did not get any. You can learn more about the property here.
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| Halloween Pennant. |
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| Birdhouse in the meadow. |
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| Most likely and Eastern Phoebe. |
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| Appalachian Brown. |
Baird Community Forest
My next hike of the day was to Baird Community Forest. This land is owned by Lanark Highlands and is a working forest. There are two and a half loops that you can do (I say half because you can shorten one of the loops). The majority of the hike is through a red pine plantation, but there are pockets of the hike going through deciduous trees that are quite large. There is also a lot of signage along the trails that tells you about the kinds of trees and what some of their uses would be in the forestry industry. There is also a boardwalk between the two loops that passes over a beaver meadow, but the plants are so tall you can't see anything. Unfortunately, I did not take any photos on this hike, as nothing really stood out and there was another couple on the trails who were quite loud and just behind or in front of me for the majority of the hike. The hike was 3km and took me 42 minutes to complete. You can learn more about the property here.
Purdon Conservation Area
The last hike of the day was to Purdon Conservation Area. This was a very nice hike. Purdon is famous for its Showy Lady's Slipper orchids that bloom from mid-June to early July. I went in early July, so the prime of the bloom had already passed, but there were still a few late bloomers out that were quite pretty. The trail around the flowers is a brand new boardwalk which adds to the experience in my opinion. The area is divided into two loops. One loop is quite small and really just goes around the area the flowers are in, while the second goes to the lake and then into the woods behind the lake a bit. There is also a little side trail to a lookout on top of a hill with a view of the lake from above, and then another one that goes down a boardwalk to a lookout over the lake. The stairs leading up to the lookout were also brand new. The hike down to the lake and then back around through the woods isn't on a boardwalk just a dirt trail. The hike I did was 2.9km and took me 47 minutes. You can find more about the conservation area here.
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