Guided Hikes

Taking a free guided hike though Altona Forest is a great way to learn about the forest, it's history, the wildlife, and the many common and uncommon plant species that are found along the trails. Our small-group hikes are informal and informative and led by Altona Forest Stewardship Committee (AFSC) members who are educators and naturalists. Each hike has a theme such as stream ecology, spring wildflowers, the ponds of the panhandle (Altona Forest south), bark and buds (recognizing tree species), and winter tracks. Most (but not all) hikes are held on Saturday mornings and last 2 hours with slow pace walking on mostly flat trails. All levels of knowledge are welcome!

Our hike leaders are volunteers who give their time and expertise to lead the hikes - we invite you to share their enthusiasm and engage fully in the hike experience. Come prepared for the weather with suitable footwear since the hikes generally run in rain or shine. Items hikers sometimes find useful are water, hat, binoculars, camera, insect repellent and water-proof hooded shell.

Altona Forest lies on the northern edge of North America's Carolinian forest where it meets the woodland plains - a unique geography and ecology in one of the last sizable forests on Lake Ontario's urbanized north shores. This unique location gives us many interesting topics for exploration.

Information about the hikes can be found on the Altona Forest community Facebook page and are generally posted a couple of months in advance. Registration on the TRCA website is required since there are minimum and maximum numbers of participants.

See You On The Trails!