We are embracing every last drop of summer over here so when I found out today was going to be a warm, sunny one I packed little one up and we headed out to Mountsberg Conservation Area in Campbellville. About a 35 minute trek from Hamilton, it’s worth the trek to Mountsberg! We spent about 2.5 hours exploring the park but you could easily take a picnic and make a day of it, especially if you had preschool and older aged children.
After an enjoyable drive past horse farms on country roads we arrived at Mountsberg. It costs $7.75 per adult for admission and children under four get in for free. I thought the admission feel was incredibly fair, considering all of the interactive fun available for families. Plus, that admission allows you entry into any other Conservation Halton parks on the same day, so if you plan well you can really take advantage of your admission fee.
We arrived around 9:45 and I decided to let little one free roam towards the Raptor Centre. Since the Conservation Area was not busy at all on this particular Friday afternoon, he easily ran around and I didn’t have to worry about him getting in anyone’s way. He was thrilled to see the bald eagle in the first enclosure as it made its way over to a perch near the fence so we could get a really close look. We practiced saying “eagle!” and marveled at this beautiful bird as it checked us out. We moved on and discovered owls, hawks, and turkey vultures. Little one especially loved seeing the snowy owl, and proclaimed “ow-wool, hoo hoo HOO!!” as he watched it watch him back. We spent at least 1/2 an hour looking around the Raptor Centre but easily could have spent more time if we’d been there at the same time as one of their daily Birds of Prey shows. Depending on the time of year, they do shows a few times a day and the schedule is posted here.
Beyond the Raptor Centre is a trail that leads to the horse and bison paddocks as well as the reservoir lookout. By that point his little toddler legs were getting bit tired, so we grabbed the stroller from the car and popped into the visitor centre for a quick diaper change. Luckily they have a nice family washroom with a changing station so we could freshen up. We set out on the path to the paddocks and encountered three huge Percheron horses grazing on some grass. My little guy was thrilled watching them and loved the sounds of their hooves stomping on the ground as they tried to keep the flies away. We watched them and the geese that were in the pasture for a little while before carrying on. Soon after, we arrived at the bison paddock but they were nowhere to be seen. An elderly man informed us that in the summer they tend to hang out in the shade behind the trees to keep cool, but to come back at 3pm when they’re fed near the fence. We’ll keep note of that for the next time we visit so we can see the bison up close!
I let little one loose again once we got to the barn area. He gravitated right towards the bunny enclosure, yelling “hop hop!!” at them and wishing he could touch them. The rest of the barnyard animals were out in their pastures, so we headed out to see the goats and sheep. We were lucky to have visited on a day when they’d just cut the grassy area outside the sheep and goat pasture, so I showed my little guy how to grab some cut grass and place it on the fence for the curious goats. The goats loved the attention (and the grass), and we spent at least 1/2 an hour enjoying their company. Every time I tried to move along toddler would go back for more goat time. Once I was able to drag him away, we visited more horses in a different pasture and checked out another reservoir lookout. During our walk we passed the Play Barn which looks like it would be a lot of fun for kids who are a bit older. There are lots of opportunities for running, playing and climbing within, but I just didn’t feel up to chasing a toddler around a barn with sawdust on the ground and then having to clean us up afterwards. I’ll wait until he’s able to do that himself.
During our little trip we easily spent about 2.5 hours at Mountsberg, and could have spent more time had we brought a picnic. There are other activities offered as well, depending on the time of year. The Reservoir allows for fishing, and during maple syrup season Maple Town provides for a full sugar bush experience! To celebrate the holidays, Mountsberg goes all-out with Christmas Town. Families can join in on the experience and have a sleigh ride, time in Santa’s workshop, and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. Apparently Christmas Town is so popular that Conservation Halton has had to implement a lottery system for assigning dates and times for families to take part. You’re in luck! There are a few more days left before the 2018 Christmas Town lottery enrollment period ends on September 20th– get your name in now for your chance to take part. We’ve got our names in and fingers crossed that we’ll be able to take little one this December. Here are all the details on how to get registered for the lottery. Good luck!
If we get a time slot for Christmas Town I look forward to filling you in on the experience! In the meantime, what other Conservation Areas should we check out that are toddler-friendly and close to Hamilton?
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