Thoughts From a "Lost Canadian" About Rouge National Urban Park

When I think about National Parks, I picture mountains, forests, animals, beaches, absolutely nature in its most beautiful places, but while Canada's National Parks typically fits my view of National Parks, one is different as it is an Urban Park. What is an "Urban" Park, you ask? Well, I asked the same question and learned the following about Rouge National Urban Park . . .

• Rouge National Urban Park is located in the Greater Toronto Area and is North America's largest urban protected area.
• Covering 79 square kilometers (30 square miles), Rouge National Urban Park combines rich biodiversity, working farms, and 10,000 years of human history—all within a 45-minute drive from downtown Toronto.
• The park stretches from the Oak Ridges Moraine in Markham down to the shores of Lake Ontario.
• Rouge National Urban Park has more than 1,700 species of plants and animals, including rare forests and wetlands.
• It features an extensive network of rustic hiking trails (ranging from short nature walks to longer multi-use paths), a sandy beach, and Toronto's only campground at Glen Rouge.
• The land is rooted in over a millennia of Indigenous presence, making it home to some of Canada’s oldest known Indigenous sites.
• Alongside the forests and river valleys, Rouge National Urban Park safeguards some of the most fertile and rare farmland in the country, maintaining a balance between ecological preservation and a vibrant farming community.
• Rouge National Urban Park is home to 1,700 species, including more than 1,000 plant species, 247 bird species, 73 fish species, 44 mammal species, and 27 reptile and amphibian species. 
• This tally includes 42 species at risk (species classified as endangered, threatened or of special concern) as well as many locally rare plants, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
• The Rouge is home to many historic and significant travel paths. Indigenous peoples used these paths since time immemorial, running from community to community delivering messages, for protection, for ritual and for sport.
• Rouge National Urban Park is a “people’s park” with so much to discover in your own backyard! The park’s trails cover forests, thickets, meadows, wetlands, rivers and agricultural landscapes. You could go on a guided walk, paddle the river and marsh, photograph migrating birds, or plan a family picnic.
• Autumn adventures await in Rouge National Urban Park! Plan your visit between late September and mid-October to experience the season’s vibrant colors and scenic landscapes.

Rouge National Urban Park is a place for everyone to enjoy and discover something new - in a surprising and unexpected place! You will find more information about it at this link.