NASA Trail

The Lake Laurentian Conservation Area has 13 different and sometimes overlapping hikes throughout the 2,400 acres it comprises.  Summer paddling and lake activities are very popular with rentals available throughout the season.  Cross country skiing and snow shoeing are available in the winter.  Birds are abundant.  This Area was set aside in the early 1960s and stretches from Lake Ramsey to the Highway 17 by-pass.

My eldest daughter went here for a science outing and learned a lot about the ecosystem.  My youngest daughter and I went last weekend to take a short walk and reconnoiter to plan future visits.  There were about 20 people in and around the hiking trails although we only came upon one other visitor, a cyclist, on our 30 minute walk.

The NASA Trail is the easiest of all hikes in the park.  It is only 1/10th of a kilometer each way and takes you to a large rock with a NASA plaque and beautiful views of Lake Laurentian.  Once we finished that walk, we headed onto the Link Trail, which is 2 km long.  We managed about half of it before turning around and vowing to return.

We came upon an interesting bird in our travels.  It walked a bit like a turkey and seemed fairly nonplussed at our presence.  Not inclined to fly away, it strolled along the path in front of us.  It looked like a Ruffed Grouse.

Shivaun and I will be returning to the Lake Laurentian Conservation Area soon to explore a couple more trails and spend more time wandering.  The views of the lakes from the hills are true vistas, and the abundance of tree cover makes for a shaded and lovely walk.