Length of stay: 1 day
Visited: April 2021
Beattie Pinery Provincial Nature Reserve is located near Alliston and protects one of the most mature and healthiest White Pine, Red Pine and Sugar Maple upland forests in Ontario south of the Canadian Shield. Most of the pine trees in Beattie Pinery are in excess of 100 years old and it is considered an old growth forest. Beattie Pinery is a non-operating park so there are no facilities. There is however a single hiking trail that loops through the nature reserve.
There are two access points to Beattie Pinery along Line 13. There is no official parking lot, but we parked along the shoulder of the road as there were a few other cars here and walked towards the closest entrance gate.
The trail is 2.3km in length and loops through the mature forest. The path itself is not signed or marked. At first this wasn’t much of an issue as it was quite obvious where to go.
The path leads to a river and follows along its shore which snakes its way through the southern edge of the nature reserve. Part of the river bank has significantly eroded, leaving behind a slew of fallen trees.
We somehow turned off from the main trail. The further we hiked, the narrower and fainter the path became to the point where it vanished all together. By this point we could see the road where we parked though, so we walked through the bush and along the road to get back to our car.
Overall we spent just over 30 minutes hiking through the nature reserve. After wrapping up our hike we planned to visit the nearby Earl Rowe Provincial Park.
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My progress on the Ontario Parks Challenge can be found here
The old vanishing trail trick. 😄 I’m glad you could see the road.
It’s never a good feeling to see the trail grow fainter and fainter before your eyes. Luckily we saw the road and could bushwhack instead of backtrack.
I hate it when the trail disappears and you have to start bushwacking. This leads to habitat destruction. It would be good to see this forest though, especially with the sugar maples. Stay well. Allam
It’s never a good feeling to come to the realization that you’re on the wrong path, or rather no path at all. We could have easily turned around since it’s not that long of a trail, but it was a very short distance from the “path” to the road, so we roughed it through the bush. It’s always nice to walk through a mature forest and just enjoy the shade and scenery.
Other nice find. Thanks
It’s been fun exploring more of the parks and trails close to home. Beattie Pinery is a relatively small nature reserve, but it was nice to go for a short stroll through the old growth forest and take advantage of the nice weather. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
Old growth forest walks are rare and special indeed.
For sure. Not many of them exist anymore, especially so close to a major city like Toronto. It makes me grateful that this area has been protected for all to enjoy.
Yes, thank goodness it is protected
Good thing you figured out how to get back to the car! It looks like a nice short hike. It’s too bad the river eroded and some trees feel into the river. Kinda takes away from scenery! But the sight of the 100 year old trees are now. Another interesting find!
Granted we could have easily turned around since it’s not a lengthy trail to begin with (only 2.3km), but we were lazy and it looked like a super short distance to get from whatever “path” we were on to the road. We decided to take the path of least resistance, or rather, the shortest route. It also helped that there were no leaves on the trees, so there were less obstacles to deal with. And agreed, it’s too bad that the banks along the river are eroding. Hopefully it doesn’t create a blockage that then dries up the river on one side. Beattie Pinery is a relatively small nature reserve, but it was a lovely place (and day) to take a short walk through the forest.
It looked and sounded like a lovely place and walk. And one more park off your checklist too!
Totally! It’s always nice to cross a new park off the list. Too bad this one doesn’t have it’s own park crest though.
I’ve been in that situation before and have had to turn back. Good that you were easily able to find your car.
Great that this great old-growth forest is protected.
For sure, it’s always nice to go for a walk through a mature forest and see how huge some of the trees are. Luckily it’s a relatively small nature reserve so we weren’t worried of being or getting lost. We decided to “choose our own adventure” and take a short cut through the bush back to the road since it was clearly visible through the trees. Most of the times it doesn’t work out that way and we have to circle back.
This looks like a lovely short hike; I’m so glad you were able to find your car again! 🙂
It was such a beautiful day to take a stroll through a mature forest. The trail is relatively short, but somehow we took a wrong turn. Luckily it was early in the Spring and there were no leaves on the trees, so we could easily see the road from where the “path” ended. It was a short trek through the forest and there weren’t too many obstacles to get back to the road.
The fallen trees across the river look great!
The views overlooking the river were stunning. It almost looked like a tornado swept through here and uprooted all those trees along the shore.
I love the picture of the bright blue sky from the base of all those trees. And what an interesting root on that next picture. It almost looks like the body of a giraffe!
There’s nothing better than having blue skies and sun while going for a hike. I am always fascinated by trees that are gnarled or twisted or having interesting shapes. The tree with the root jutting out like a table, definitely caught my attention. Now that you mention it, it kind of does resemble the body of a giraffe!
We have a tree on our cul de sac with a branch that starts out straight then becomes a big “U” and then it straightens out again. So different and I’m always looking at it.
I’m sure it adds character to your street. It’s amazing how resilient and adaptable some trees are.
What beautiful blue skies for your short hike. Dry but overcast here today.
It’s always nice to have blue skies when going for a hike. It’s also great for taking pictures. We’ve had a cold and rainy Spring, so it’s always good to take advantage of a dry and sunny day while we can. The forecast for the remainder of the week looks promising, so we’ll try to squeeze in some more hikes this upcoming weekend. Take care.
Given my bad sense of direction, as I am one of those who navigate by routes and landmarks, as opposed to those who navigate by mental maps, I always tend to choose a well marked trail., otherwise I would get lost all the time. Looks like another lovely trail! Thanks for sharing and have a good day. Aiva 🙂 xxx
I rely heavily on a well signed trail as I also have a terrible sense of direction. As it happens, I was the one that led us down the wrong path. Getting lost in the woods is one of my worst fears. Luckily it’s a relatively small park and we could easily see the road. Phew! Thanks for reading. Enjoy the rest of your week.
You have been on the edge of adventure, nothing better than a path that disappears, only directions remain. Some never made it … you did!
Haha, yes, glad we survived to hike another trail and tell another tale!
That tree in the 6th picture is pretty awesome, and all of the other trees of course too, haha
I love spotting trees that take on interesting shapes, twists and formations. It definitely gives this old growth forest some character. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
It looks like many of the trees didn’t have new leaves yet – do you expect to see them soon?
We visited this nature reserve early in the Spring before the trees started to bud and wildflowers bloom. Now everything is much more green and lively. The only issue is that now that it’s starting to warm-up, the mosquitoes are coming out to play.
Sounds like a really cool place! I love old growth forests! I hate how so many of them have gone though
It’s a neat little nature reserve to take a stroll through. It’s incredible to think just how old some of these trees are. New subdivisions seem to be popping up left, right and centre here in Southern Ontario, which means less green spaces and mature forests. It makes me grateful that this area has at least been protected.
I know! I loved finding old growth trees in California too. I hate that it’s become rarer there as well. That sucks about the subdivisions. Here’s to hoping that will change because of the pandemic and people reconnecting with nature
Whenever I think of old growth trees, I always picture the sequoias in California. I would love to see them in person someday. And yes, here’s to hoping that the increased demand for green spaces during this pandemic results in more parks and conservation areas being created.
The sequoias are amazing! Hope you get to see them too! I hope so. Also, encroaching on wildlife is a serious problem for zoonotic diseases spreading to humans
Yes, we’ll have to prioritize taking a trip to California as it seems wildfires are becoming more prevalent. There are so many places I want to visit and there never seems to be enough time (and paid vacation days).
Oh yeah, the wildfires have been getting worse there! I feel you on the wanderlust and not enough time or days off! I hope people start travelling more once it’s safe to do so
For sure. I hope that travel doesn’t become crazy expensive either. As much as I love camping and exploring more of Ontario’s parks, it would be nice for a change of scenery.
Yeah, makes me think of being a digital nomad
Either that or just buying a camper van and focus on taking road trips around North America for the next couple of years!
Sounds just as lovely!
Nice, I like the trees.
Thanks. It’s a relatively small nature reserve, but it was neat walking through the mature forest and looking up to see how tall the trees are. Plus, we had fabulous weather for spending time outdoors. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Wonderful Nature and Outdoors. Thanks 🙏
Spending time in nature is my happy place. It was neat hiking through a mature forest and seeing how tall some of the trees were. Thanks for reading and leaving a comment.
Nature is my happy place too. It’s like the Sun. When it’s out, I’m happy. TAke care 🙏
Definitely. It’s funny how much of an impact the sun can have on my day. Enjoy the rest of the week. Stay well.