Categories: Things To Do

This day trip excursion takes you from downtown Toronto right to the Badlands

Photo via Darlene Munro / Shutterstock

Looking for a change of scenery this weekend? How does a day trip to the Cheltenham Badlands sound? Parkbus is offering day trip hikes all summer long and this Sunday, July 24, you can get whisked away from the downtown core to Ontario’s most unique terrain.

Your excursion begins at 9 a.m. when the bus arrives at the designated pickup spot in the Yonge and Bloor area.

From there, you’ll head to Silver Creek Conservation Area for a group hike on the Bruce Trail, where you’ll get to explore the headwaters of Silver Creek, lush forest, escarpment valleys, and babbling brooks.

The final stop of the day trip will be at the Cheltenham Badlands in the Credit Valley Conservation Area. If you’ve never been, the vast landscape of barren red rock is unlike anything else in Ontario, and it’s a sight worth seeing.

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According to Ontario Heritage Trust, the badlands were first formed at the base of an ancient sea over 450 million years ago.

It’s known as “one of the most recognizable and visited natural heritage landmarks in southern Ontario.”

The erosion of the shale over time is what led to the badlands transforming into the desert-like landscape it is today, made up of rolling red rock with ridges and gullies.

The Badlands trail takes you along the viewing platform and boardwalk overlooking the red rocks, and then through a slow-growing forest.

Parkbus is offering trips to popular destinations all over Ontario this summer, including Bruce Peninsula’s Grotto, Algonquin Park, and a free shuttle to the Toronto Zoo and Rouge Valley National Urban Park.

There are only a few seats left for this weekend’s trip to the Badlands, so if you’re thinking of going, you better reserve your spot while you still can.