Toronto has High Park, New York City has Central Park and Mississauga can lay claim to having Erindale Park. Visiting the trails at Erindale Park in winter or summer periods is a favourite past-time of many in the city. Including us!

It’s a popular park for walking, cycling and winter activities such as snowshoeing and cross country skiing.

Erindale Park in the winter

As the largest park in the city (222 acres), it’s an escape into nature amid the suburban sprawl.

I’ve walked through Erindale Park many times – the first time being when I was in Grade Six and on a school trip to learn about geological features and local history. I remember my teacher talking about the fish hatchery that makes its home here. The salmon that swim upstream in the fall. The park was also once the site of a hydroelectric dam.

 Erindale Park in Winter

Since then, I’ve visited it many times to enjoy the wooded trail – the David J. Culham Trail – that takes you along the Credit River and ravines. It’s particularly a gorgeous spot in autumn when the leaves are changing.

Winter Hiking at Erindale Park

At the time of writing this post, we had visited Erindale Park twice for hikes.

Hiking the trails at Erindale Park for a few hours during our Christmas break was a much needed activity. We wanted to stretch our legs and work off a bit of the effects of Holiday feasting. From the number of people we saw at the park walking along the mail trail, it seemed others had a similar idea. There were even a few fishermen, bundled up to protect against the cold, trying to catch a hungry fish.

Erindale Park

Unfortunately, the first day we hiked we chose to visit the park on a day that was cloudy, windy and damp. Stopping to take photos meant getting a bit chilled, so photo-taking was kept to a minimum.

Walking on the trails at Erindale Park in Winter: the Credit River that runs through Mississauga

Winter Activities at Erindale Park

The second time we visited Erindale Park it was after a good snowfall. Although it was a cold but sunny day, there were many people enjoying the snowy hills for tobogganing and skiing the trail.

We decided to hike the trails at Erindale Park, despite them being covered in snow. It ends up being good cardio exercise.

Erindale Park

Some of the activities you can do in the winter at Erindale Park include:

  • Tobogganing down the hill close to the parking lot at Dundas Street
  • Cross country skiing along the Culham Trail
  • Snowshoeing – fun for the whole family
  • Hiking through the snow – it’s too difficult to take a leisurely stroll when you have snow past your ankles. Some people were using trekking poles to help themselves along, and others had their dogs walking alongside them.
  • Running. Yes, there were a few dedicated people braving the wind chills and running along the snow-covered trail.
  • Taking photos. I was one of the few who was doing the hike-and-stop to take photos of the winter scenery.
  • Getting a bit of Vitamin D while listening to the soothing sound of the Credit River. We passed by a couple who had their faces and hands exposed to the sun. The gentleman smiled and said he was enjoying the sunshine and “sunbathing”.

While many people frequent the trails at Erindale Park, it’s important to keep aware of your surroundings and others. Personal safety is key no matter if you’re on an urban trail or on more remote trails. We’ve encountered some questionable types, including one guy who was following me with intent for a couple minutes when I was separated from Frank. Keep your eyes open and stick to the trails if you’re checking out Erindale Park on your own.

Difficulty Level

Easy as the trail is fairly flat throughout the area. Snow and ice-covered areas make it a bit trickier.

Location

1695 Dundas St W, Mississauga, Ontario.  Closest major intersection is Mississauga Rd and Dundas Street West.

More photos of Erindale Park can be found on my Erindale Park set on Flickr.

Visit Mississauga.ca’s page for Erindale Park to learn more about this great spot. Riverwood Conservancy and Rattray Marsh are two other urban parks with trails that you may want to explore in the winter as well.

Until next time!

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Hiking The Trails At Erindale Park In Winter
Author

Margaret Bourne is a blog coach and strategist, with over 18 years of experience in marketing and public relations. She helps aspiring bloggers build and grow professional online businesses. A wife, and mom to a little boy, she also occasionally shares lifestyle-related stories through her Suburban Tourist blog.

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