Hiking.
Short Hills Provincial Park is the largest provincial park in the Niagara Region — 660.55 hectares of Carolinian forest along the Twelve Mile Creek headwaters, established in 1985 as a non-operating Natural Environment park. The Friends of Short Hills Park steward seven named hiking trails plus a section of the Bruce Trail through the park, with three trailhead parking lots reached via Pelham Road, Roland Road, and Cataract Road.
The brief.
Short Hills is non-operating — there are no entrance fees, no overnight facilities, and the trails are not groomed in winter. Pets are leashed (max 2 m).
Trails are blazed in two systems: blue blazes mark hiking-only trails (Terrace Creek, Scarlet Tanager, Hemlock Valley) and yellow blazes mark shared-use hiking-biking-horseback trails (Swayze Falls, Very Berry, Black Walnut). The Palaeozoic Path is a hard-surface barrier-free loop suitable for wheelchairs and strollers.
The park closes on designated dates each November and December for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy annual deer harvest under the Nanfan Treaty — verify the Ontario Parks notice each year before going. May through October is the easiest window; spring trail conditions can be wet through April.
The Bruce Trail Niagara Section crosses the park and is stewarded by the Niagara Bruce Trail Club.
3. places.
- 01
Short Hills Provincial Park
660.55 ha; 23+ km of trails; seven named trails (Swayze Falls, Black Walnut, Terrace Creek, Scarlet Tanager, Hemlock Valley, Very Berry, Palaeozoic Path) plus a Bruce Trail section.
- 02
Bruce Trail Niagara Section through Short Hills
Stewarded by the Niagara Bruce Trail Club; the section through the park connects into the larger Niagara Escarpment route.
- 03
St. John's Conservation Area
3101 Barron Road, on the Pelham–Thorold border; four short loops — Tulip Tree, Sassafras, Horseshoe, and St. John's Ridge.
Today's read.
Cold but firm — winter-ready conditions · light winds · clean air.
By the book.
- 01Short Hills Provincial Park is non-operating: no entrance fees, no overnight facilities, trails not groomed in winter, pets leashed (max 2 m), no canoeing/kayaking.Source ↗
- 02Short Hills closes on designated dates each November–December for the Haudenosaunee Confederacy deer harvest under the Nanfan Treaty.Source ↗
- 03Yellow-blaze trails permit hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding; blue-blaze trails are hiking-only.Source ↗