Kelso Conservation Area, one of eight Conservation Halton Parks in the Halton Region west of Toronto, can be visited year-round – in spring, summer and fall to enjoy the trails and in the winter to hit the slopes when it’s known as Glen Eden.
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About Kelso Conservation Area
Set along the Niagara Escarpment, this outdoor recreation park operates in the winter as Glen Eden, a family-friendly ski and snowboard hill, but in spring, summer and fall it’s known as Kelso and has an extensive network of trails for hiking or mountain biking.
Additional activities that can be enjoyed on a visit to Kelso Conservation Area include a walk on the stroller-friendly boardwalk around the reservoir, a Challenge Course with ropes and a climbing tower, a new floating waterpark called Kelso Cove which has over 26 features and obstacles and is fully supervised by lifeguards during the summer season, a lifeguarded beach that also offers rentals of canoes, kayaks, paddleboats and stand-up paddleboards, fishing, rock climbing, camping and birding. Kelso Beach is open by reservation only – book under Kelso Main Entrance. Check out the Kelso website for a full list of activities.
The trails are suitable for hiking with kids and are pet-friendly as well, however, dogs must be kept on leash at all times.
How To Get To Kelso Conservation Area
Kelso Conservation Area is located on the Niagara Escarpment just north of Highway 401 near Milton, Ontario west of Toronto.
There are two entrances to Kelso Conservation Area. The Main Gate for the park is located at 5234 Kelso Road, Milton and Kelso Summit Entrance is located at 5301 Steeles Avenue. Free parking is available.
The park is open 9 am – 7pm Monday through Sunday but hours may vary by season – check the Conservation Halton website for details. Kelso Cove Waterpark (summer only) opens daily at 11 am.
Planning a Visit to Kelso Conservation Area
Reservations are not currently required for visiting Kelso Conservation Area but are recommended. If you book online, you can reserve your spot and save money on gate fees. (Adult admission is $10.50+ HST booked in advance and $12 + HST paid at the gate).
Gate attendants are on duty Monday to Friday 10 am – 4 pm at all Halton Conservation Parks with the exception of Mount Nemo. On weekends gate attendants are staffed daily.
There is a Visitors Centre and restrooms available by the parking lot that is nearest to the West Lodge.
Tips for Hiking at Kelso Conservation Area
- When hiking at Kelso or anywhere else, arrive suitably prepared for spending time outdoors.
- Be sure to wear appropriate footwear as the trails may have obstacles such as rocks and tree roots and will be affected by recent and current weather conditions.
- Dress appropriate to the weather and pay attention to weather alerts or warnings.
- Know your capabilities, listen to your limits and, if you are uncertain about a trail, turn back.
- Beware of high cliffs and do not venture too close to the edge.
- Bring water with you. If you’re hiking with kids then you will definitely want to bring along snacks as well – even for a short hike.
- Stay on the marked trails at all times and do not cut new trails.
- Stick to the right side of the trail to allow other hikers, bikers, and runners to pass.
- Having the app What3Words can be beneficial in case you become lost as it’s an easy way to communicate exact location even when offline.
- Exercise caution on the trails (and supervise young children). Trails and boardwalks can be quite slippery when wet particularly when covered by fallen leaves.
- Do not harass or disturb wildlife.
- Stay out of tall grass and check yourself and your pet for ticks before you leave the park.
- The park is generally much quieter on weekdays than weekends (particularly during fall foliage season).
Hiking Trails at Kelso Conservation Area
The park has an extensive network of trails (29km) so whether you’re looking for kid-friendly walks or challenging hikes with rugged terrain, there’s a hiking trail at Kelso Conservation Area that fits the bill. Kelso’s marked trails along the Niagara Escarpment are rated as easy, more difficult, very difficult and extremely difficult and include several loop trails. The Bruce Trail can be accessed from the trails here as well.
The suggested hiking loops on the trail map include Deer Loop (4.8km), Fox Loop (6.7km), Coyote Loop (4.8km), and the Eagle Loop (3.5km). There is also an AllTrails list of 13 recommended trails at Kelso if you’re familiar with that app. We have only done the Fall Colour trails and plan to head back next spring and try some of the others.
The first time that we visited Kelso in 2022 we walked the boardwalk along the perimeter of the reservoir but didn’t make it to the trails. As embarassing as it is to admit, we couldn’t find the trailhead or find anyone to ask! It seems obvious to me now but you have to use the bridge to cross over the train tracks and then walk up the hill to get to the trailhead or use the chairlift the days that it is running in the fall.
For our recent visit, we focused on the Fall Trail Loop (3km) and the Fall Lookout Point Trail (0.5km).
It’s a good idea to download the map before you visit from the Halton Conservation website or from AllTrails so that you have it available on the phone.
Fall at Kelso Conservation Area
If you’re in the GTA then a visit to Kelso Conservation Area is a must for fall leaf viewing! The views from the escarpment are incredible, there are trails for all hiking levels and the chairlift ride was a fun extra. If you don’t want to take the chairlift then you can walk up the hill to the trailhead.
The Chairlift Rides which operate from late September to the end of October on the weekends (weather permitting) were the highlight of a fall visit for me! (The 2024 dates were September 28 until October 27). It would be nice if it ran on the weekdays when the park is less busy but I assume there aren’t enough weekday visitors to make it worth the while.
The charge for Chairlift Rides is in addition to the park admission fee and tickets can be reserved in advance for a reduced fee if you’re making a reservation to visit the park. Chairlift Rides are $8 +HST when purchased in advance and $10 + HST when purchased on-site.
I would recommend making a reservation if you’re planning to visit mid-afternoon as it can be very busy. We visited on the last weekend of the season when leaves were a little past peak and arrived at the park shortly past noon. We hadn’t made a reservation for the park or the chairlifts and it was already busy when we arrived – finding a parking space was difficult but we only had a short wait in lines to buy our chairlift tickets and to board the chairlift. By the time we left around 3 pm the line-up of cars just trying to enter the park continued all the way out Kelso Road and onto Tremaine Rd.
If you haven’t purchased the chairlift ride in advance then you purchase at the West Ticket Booth at the bottom of the bridge. There’s an elevator or stairs up to the bridge to cross over the railroad tracks and once you’re on the other side then you will see the chairlift.
The chairlift ticket is round-trip so you can ride the lift in both directions and enjoy the stunning views of the escarpment and the fall colours. The ride to the top of the hill is on the Updraft Lift and the ride down is on the Limestone Chairlift. The chairlift runs 11 am – 4:30 pm and takes about 10 minutes. We had a short wait for the chairlift both going up and down but I imagine it got longer as the day wore on.
The Kelso website notes that no bikes or pets are allowed on the chairlift and that riders must be at least 42″ or 107cm in height to ride the chairlift. C hildren 5 or under who meet the height requirement must be accompanied by an adult.
According to the Kelso website the Fall Trail Loop which we had decided to walk is 3 km and takes 1.5 – 2 hours. The Fall Lookout Point is a short side trail of 0.5 km and according to the website takes 35-45 minutes. The trail was mostly flat through wooded area with few obstacles and a few places to stop for views. We were in no rush and I stopped to take lots of photos and we still completed the loop in approximately 1.5 hours.
It was a beautiful sunny day when we started but we had a few minutes of rain and hail about halfway through our walk. I was wearing only a fleece and no hat so ended up a bit wet and chilly but serves me right for not being prepared for a change in weather!
There was a BeaverTails food truck at the bottom of the hill when we disembarked from the chairlift. I was feeling a bit chilly as the wind had picked up and I was damp from the rain shower so we stopped for a warm pastry – well-deserved after our hike!
Halton Conservation Parks
There are now eight Conservation Halton Parks: Rattlesnake Point, Hilton Falls, Mount Nemo, Crawford Lake, Robert Edmondson, Mountsberg, Kelso (including Glen Eden in winter) and the newest park which is still known as Area 8 (and formerly as Kelso Quarry). Area 8 is currently only open seasonally (weekends until the end of October).
Although I have lived in the region for more than 20 years, I hadn’t visited any of the parks until the 2020 shutdown. During that time that we were limited in our travels, we started exploring more close to home and taking advantage of all the beautiful places in our region including our conservation areas and continued to do so after the world opened up again.
At various times of the year we have visited Hilton Falls, Robert Edmondson, Crawford Lake, Kelso, Mountsberg, Rattlesnake Point and Mount Nemo (some multiple times) but have yet to visit Area 8. Hiking has become one of our favourite activities so we’ll continue to explore the parks to get that nature fix that we all need.
Fees and Membership
The current fee for a visit to the parks is $10.50 + HST per adult when purchased online and $12 + HST when purchased at the gate with reduced fees for seniors (65+) and children (ages 5-14). Admission is free for children under 5. There is no longer a time restriction on your visit – you can stay until the park closes if you like.
There is a Conservation Halton Park Membership available for purchase which includes admission to all 8 of the parks year-round. The cost of a membership is currently $105 +HST for an individual and $165 +HST for a vehicle membership (replaces the former “family” membership and covers admission for all occupants in a personal vehicle). There are also individual and vehicle memberships for seniors at a reduced price. We purchased and used it many times so it is definitely economical if you plan frequent visits.
Parks Pass-It-On Program
As Conservation Halton is committed to inclusive, barrier-free access to the parks, they have partnered with libraries in the Halton Region on the Parks Pass-It-On program which allows members of the community to check out a Halton Parks Pass the same as they would a library book and use it to access any of the Halton Conservation Area parks free of charge.
The program is offered by:
- Milton Public Library
- Oakville Public Library
- Burlington Public Library
- Halton Hills Public Library
- Wellington County Public Library
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