Share:

Browse by category

Share:

Visiting the Cheltenham Badlands

The Cheltenham Badlands

By

Ontario Heritage Trust

Natural heritage

Published Date: May 19, 2005

Photo: The Cheltenham Badlands

Nestled on the Niagara Escarpment amid the rolling countryside of the Caledon Hills lies a unique landscape locally known as the Cheltenham Badlands.

The site is a mysterious natural treasure that lures many visitors. An hour outside Toronto, motorists who venture along Olde Baseline Road just north of the village of Cheltenham may be startled by the stunning red hillocks and gullies that emerge suddenly from the surrounding forest. Bewildered by these strange mounds, most passersby can’t help but investigate this unique earth formation further.

A visit to the badlands offers a journey into the ancient creation story of the Great Lakes region. Approximately 430 million years ago, the area lay at the edge of a warm sea. In time, retreating glaciers filled the seabed with red sediment that was eventually compressed into Queenston shale – one of the many layers of rock that formed the Niagara Escarpment. Normally hidden, Ordovician shale underlies much of south-central Ontario. However, near the base of the Escarpment the Queenston shale rests just below the surface. (The majority of Queenston shale is red due to the presence of iron oxide.)

Despite the evolutionary processes that led to the formation of Queenston shale, the events that make this feature visible today are a result of fairly recent human activity. The badlands probably began to form in the early 1900s when the forest was cut down to create arable land and pastures. Once this protective layer of vegetation was removed, the shale was left vulnerable to erosion. In less than 100 years, the elements have sculpted the earth into this fantastic hillocky landscape.

Canada’s famous Badlands are located in Alberta. It’s a curious discovery to learn that here in Ontario, we have our own miniature badland. Although other badlands exist in Ontario, the Cheltenham Badlands remain the best example in southern Ontario. As a result, the area has received designation as a rare Earth Science ANSI (Area of Natural and Scientific Interest) from the Ministry of Natural Resources.

With thousands of visitors annually, the badlands have received considerable public interest. Unfortunately, litter and campfires are an increasing threat to the integrity of this special place. Human-induced erosion caused by trampling damages the soft clay hills while harming fish habitat as increasing amounts of sediment are washed into the nearby stream. Visitors can help reduce their impact by staying on designated trails and respecting signs that restrict horseback riding, bicycles and all-terrain vehicles. By observing the rule of “take nothing but photographs and leave nothing but footprints,” our enjoyment of this geological wonder will continue for generations.

In 1999, the badlands property was purchased by the Ministry of Natural Resources from the estate of Russell Cooper of Caledon. Securing two kilometres of the Bruce Trail Optimum Route, the site is managed by the Bruce Trail Association and the Caledon Countryside Alliance. Ownership of the property was transferred to the Ontario Heritage Foundation in 2002, to ensure its long-term protection as a unique natural heritage site.

RelatedStories

Muhammad Qureshi on a pond (Photo courtesy of Muhammad Qureshi)

Our natural fingerprint

The magic began on a cold autumn afternoon after a hockey game with friends. I was walking home through a trail and the leaves had...

Sunset over Manitoulin Island

Heaven on earth

A month before Ontario turns 150 years old, I’ll celebrate my 57th birthday. I’ve lived all but one of those years in the province of...

Cycling in the Don Valley

Reconnecting with nature

My first visit to Ontario, from Québec, was at about age 8. I have a distinct memory of arriving by car down the Don Valley...

Chinguacousy Badlands

Celebrating the Chinguacousy Badlands

The Chinguacousy (“land of the young pines”) Badlands have been visited by hundreds of thousands of Ontarians. This rapidly eroding clay-shale bedrock at the foot...

Wolves (Photo: Michael Runtz)

Drawn back to Algonquin

Being a lifelong naturalist whose goal has been to explore Ontario’s natural history, I’ve come to appreciate just how rich this province’s biodiversity is. The...

Oiseau Rock, a sacred site for aboriginal peoples who have left behind a remarkable legacy of ancient pictographs drawn using red ochre (Photo courtesy of Larry Graham)

Along the Ottawa River

The original Trans-Canada Highway The Ottawa River is one of Canada’s most important transportation routes, playing an integral role in many of the key stories...

An aerial view of the Enniskillen Valleylands (Photo courtesy of the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority)

The Enniskillen Valley Land Acquisition Project: Making stewardship count

Through the Enniskillen Valley Land Acquisition Project, The Ontario Heritage Trust and the Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA) have successfully partnered to acquire natural...

Wood conservator and master craftsman Alan Stacey instructing heritage staff in traditional preservation techniques at the Ontario Heritage Centre.

Investing in preservation

It is an unfortunate reality that the preservation of our heritage remains the exception rather than the norm. What is a common-sense approach to living...

Dog-strangling vine or Cynanchum rossicum (also known as pale swallowwort) at Fleetwood Creek

Reclaiming Fleetwood Creek

It’s hard to put a price on experience. Students enrolled in Sir Sandford Fleming College’s Ecosystem Management Technology (EMT) program understand this. During the program’s...

Fleming College students with Kawartha Conservation Area Coordinator Jessie James, preparing to gather data on the Fleetwood Creek plantations, spring 2010

A plantation management strategy for Fleetwood Creek Natural Area

Fleetwood Creek Natural Area, a 360-hectare (890-acre) property on the Oak Ridges Moraine, is valued for its unique post-glacial geographic features, diverse resident breeding bird...

The Alexander Hope Smith property

Saving biodiversity, one property at a time

What do wetlands and forest nesting sites for northern goshawks in eastern Ontario have in common with south-central Ontario cold-water streams harbouring brook trout and...

Planted area of lowland species expanding existing cover adjacent to the former pasture on the Blair property (Photo: John Stille).

New life for an old property

Heritage restoration is not limited to old buildings. Natural heritage properties, too, can be restored or adapted to new uses for future generations to enjoy...

Sheppard's Bush ostrich ferns

Biodiversity in Ontario: Taking up the challenge

Many are familiar with high-profile threatened species such as polar bears, whose habitat is in flux and whose numbers are dropping, or bald eagles, once...

Fieldworker on ice ridges overlooking Lake Nipissing at Great Manitou Island, 2010.

Working with stewards and partners

The Ontario Heritage Trust owns over 160 natural heritage properties and protects over 40 natural heritage sites with easements. Because the Trust cannot manage and...

Ruby-throated hummingbird at a cardinal flower in the Native Plants Garden (Photo: Jon Brierley).

Enhancing urban biodiversity

Inside the Gosling Wildlife Gardens By Chris Earley Most gardeners are biodiversity geeks. “What little plant can I cram in there? Which spring bloomer can...

Aerial view of the northern tip of Walpole Island First Nation looking southwest along the St. Clair River (Photo: Karen Abel)

Bkejwanong: Sustaining a 6,000-year-old conservation legacy

Nestled at the mouth of the St. Clair River on Lake St. Clair in southwestern Ontario is the Walpole Island First Nation or “Bkejwanong,” meaning...

The heart of the Ruthven estate is this two-and-a-half-storey limestone Greek Revival-style mansion

Heritage in harmony: The integration of natural and cultural landscapes

Approximately 11,000 years of human culture are recorded in Ontario’s landscapes. Most existing natural landscapes in Ontario today have intrinsic cultural heritage meaning and significance...

Meagan (left) discusses Canadian climate change policies with MP Jim Prentice (third from right) and Canadian negotiators at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2008.

Working for change

Protecting the environment and natural heritage has become an important part of my life over the past few years. While busy as a Grade 1...

A beaver pond on the recently acquired Carp Hills property

Protecting Ottawa’s Carp Hills

Just north of the Village of Carp lie the Carp Hills – one of the largest and wildest natural areas within the City of Ottawa...

The Arctic Watershed is the natural high point where rivers and lakes flow in one direction towards Hudson’s Bay and in the other towards the Great Lakes. Shown here, Old Fort William, Thunder Bay (Photo © Ontario Tourism 2008)

Along the Arctic Watershed

The Arctic Watershed follows an erratic course of some 2,240 kilometres (1,400 miles) across northern Ontario. It marks the point where rivers and streams in...

Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) – special concern provincially and nationally

Sustaining species at risk

Ontario, with its broad geography, is blessed with incredible biologically diverse landscapes. Most of us take this amazing biodiversity for granted and do not fully...

Beaver River Wetland (Photo: Lou Wise)

Exploring the Beaver River Wetland

In June 2007, the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA) hosted a celebration to recognize the private and public efforts to protect two recently acquired...

Archaeological assessment of a Trust natural heritage property

Tools through time: Protecting the past for the future

Identifying and protecting places in our communities that have cultural heritage value is an important part of managing change. Heritage buildings, archaeological sites and cultural...

A monarch butterfly

Species at risk: The monarch butterfly (danaus plexippus)

The beautiful Monarch butterfly is the most recognized butterfly in North America. What is not commonly known is that it is also a species at...

Hiking the Oaks Ridges Moraine Trail

Along the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail

Hiking along the Oak Ridges Moraine Trail offers a memorable experience. Situated close to the Greater Toronto Area, the Trail provides an opportunity to encounter...

Homewood Museum in Maitland

Heritage by numbers

Ontario’s heritage is an immense and complex jigsaw puzzle. Every individual element of heritage creates a whole . . . a sort of heritage by...

This 1958 provincial plaque unveiling to commemorate Catharine Parr Traill was attended by Mrs. Anne Atwood and Miss Anne Traill, the author’s granddaughters. Also in attendance (shown here second from left) was the then-editor of the Peterborough Examiner – Robertson Davies – who, in time, became a literary giant in his own right.

Literary giants

Catharine Parr Traill is one of Canada’s literary luminaries. Her life story spans most of the 19th century, crossing oceans, battling cholera and journeying through...

The Brent Crater

Giant meteorite slams Algonquin Park

Well, that would have been the headline 450 million years ago. Today, it is a fascinating mark on our natural landscape. This is not a...

Butterfly milkweed (Photo: Karen Abel)

It’s not easy staying green: Working for a green and healthy Ontario

Natural heritage conservation can be traced back to the early times of the First Nations, whose close relationship with nature was reflected in religious beliefs...

This majestic beech tree is located at Toronto’s Ashbridge Estate, a property owned and operated by the Ontario Heritage Trust

Remarkable trees – Heritage tree preservation in Ontario

What is heavier than any land animal, taller than most buildings, older than many ancient monuments? One of the world’s oldest living organisms are –...

Hiking near Killarney (Photo: Ontario Tourism)

Making tracks

Ontario’s 64,000-km network of trails traverses a varied landscape of wilderness, rural and urban areas. These trails range from waterways and portage routes to footpaths...

An urban garden with gray-headed coneflower, a native prairie species

Gardening for biodiversity

Many gardeners today are finding enjoyable and educational ways to participate in the promotion and preservation of Ontario’s natural heritage through the creation of habitat-inspired...

Willem Hanrath, with his children and grandchildren, being presented with an Ontario Heritage Trust easement marker to recognize their generous donation of the natural heritage easement for the Caistor-Canborough Slough Forest ANSI (47 acres/19 hectares)

The anatomy of a heritage conservation easement: Building the framework for a conservation partnership

Private landowners are often faced with a difficult dilemma – how to preserve the heritage of their land for future generations in a world where...

Lone Pine Marsh, Braham

Our provincial tree: The eastern white pine

Builders of British sailing ships during the 1800s sought the tall, straight white pine for the masts. The best trees in British North America were...

Backus Woods

Giving back to nature

Southwestern Ontario sustains the richest array of flora and fauna in the country. Known as Canada’s deep south, this area includes sassafras, flowering dogwood, tulip...

Site discussion at Speyside Woods about property management with staff from the Bruce Trail Association, the Ontario Heritage Trust, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Conservation Halton (Photo: Eric Boysen, Ministry of Natural Resources)

Working together to save our natural heritage

With ongoing development pressures for housing, roads and commercial and industrial activities in Ontario, natural heritage protection has become more critical than ever before in...

A bequest from Barbara Elizabeth Jacquith of Carolinian forest contains a tributary of the Credit River and an important water recharge area

Protecting natural spaces in Southern Ontario

On August 3, 2005 the provincial government announced the creation of the Natural Spaces Program, which included a $6-million allocation to the Ontario Heritage Trust...

Coldwater Grist Mill – serving the community since 1833; an active part of Doors Open Huronia since 2002

The new Ontario Heritage Act: The evolution of heritage conservation

An important shift has occurred in Ontario’s legislative framework for heritage conservation. On April 28, 2005, the Ontario Heritage Amendment Act (Bill 60) received royal...

Tree in winter

Gifts of nature

The Egbert Ross Boothby property Imagine a plot of land on the Lake of Bays, seemingly untouched by human habitation. It has almost a mile...

Flooding in Toronto caused by Hurricane Hazel (Photo: Madeleine McDowell)

Hurricane Hazel 50 years later

There was little warning about Hurricane Hazel – one of the worst storms in Canada’s history. At the time, few Canadians paid attention to tropical...

Share:
Share: