Parrott's Bay Loop

Dogs Leashed

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Fishing · Lake

Available year-round, this hike is an all-around easy-to-moderate hike with generally gentle inclines and wide trails. It features a lookout point, trails through wooded areas, beautiful waterfront views, a bridge with water access where dogs are fond of swimming, an osprey nest and beaver activity.

No washrooms on site. Free parking off of Bath Rd.

Begin the hike from the parking lot off of Bath Rd. Take a slight detour off the mail trail to the lookout point at Trail 1 which has a wooden structure and overlooks the whole bay. From there, you can often see waterfowl.

Return to the main trail and hike up Trail 2 and connect to Trail 3 for an easy and wide trail that leads along the water's edge, until you reach a large concrete bridge. Here, there is access to the water and dogs often enjoy swimming or taking a drink. Ducks are often seen here.

Cross the bridge and begin Trail 4. It's recommended to go left here as right isn't quite as well marked, but you can go either way. The trail quickly leads to Trail 5, and you'll see a riverbed which is dry most of the year but swells in the spring snowmelt. There's also a car in the forest and a little ruined hut - kids enjoy exploring both.

Head deeper into the forest as Trail 5 loops back around - for a longer version, continue on to Trail 6 and then loop back - and you'll be now hiking closer to the waterfront. Keep your eyes out for beaver activity and other water-loving animals. There are muskrats and beavers in the area, and an osprey platform.

Reconnect to Trail 4 for a steeper segment as the trail opens up and there are rocks and some up and downs, before returning to the bridge and retracing your steps back to the parking lot.

Woodland creatures, beavers, muskrats, osprey and other waterfowl.

The property has been designated as public recreation area since 1969 by Ernestown Township Council to preclude development. As a public recreation area, Parrott's Bay has been a source of passive enjoyment for canoeists, anglers, and naturalists. For over ten years, Ernestown Township bought these lands from private landowners, with the idea that the CRCA would eventually buy these lands from them. In the early 1990s, the CRCA bought most of the land surrounding Parrott's Bay from Ernestown Township.