After we had such a great time exploring the caves and beaches at the Baths in Tortola, I decided Brenna might enjoy another adventure for our third annual Mom and Me Day. We packed a backpack for the day and drove over to Arkona, which is only about 30 minutes from our house, to Rock Glen Conservation Area. This was one more place on my hit list of locations that I wanted to make sure we visited during our stay in Ontario. We checked in with the park's attendant and started our day at the Arkona Lions Museum. The area is known for its fossils and the park encourages visitors to search for them in the waters around the falls and near the river. The museum houses a collection of fossils that have been recovered from the area and explains the different types of fossils you may find in the park. You're only allowed to take one fossil per person from the park, but the park attendant said since it was Brenna's first visit and nearly her birthday that she could take three!
Next, we started our hike through 300 steps of boardwalk stairs that lead you down to the Ausable River. It seemed like a never ending wooden walkway that snaked its way down, down, and down into the woods. Going down was enjoyable. However, going back up the other side of the boardwalk was tough.
Searching for fossils in the Ausable River. She found some great ones!
We ended up making two trips down the boardwalk to the river. On the second visit, rather than attempt the stairs back up again, we decided to venture off the beaten path and hike up the creek. This turned out to be a true adventure. The rocky creek made it easy to climb and the water was never more than knee deep. It was a pleasant day at only 85 degrees, and with the shady tree canopy and cool water of the creek, we never really got hot.
About halfway up the creek we came to a small waterfall the flowed over the ledge of a large rock platform.
When we finally made it back up to the top, we were greeted with the beautiful sight of Rock Glen Falls. The waterfall is 35 feet high. We had fun searching the pool at the bottom of the falls for more fossils, and skipping rocks down the creek.
After we got home we cleaned up Brenna's fossils and shells!
We spent about four hours hiking the park. It was a great day for a visit. We had perfect weather and while it wasn't too hot for us, it was for most Canadians so we got to enjoy the park without the heavy crowds. To cap off our Mom and Me Day we stopped at Burger King for a late lunch and then headed to KFC for Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert. It was another great adventure for my little explorer!
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