Albion Hills Conservation Area is located at 16500 Highway 50, in Caledon, ON. The park is known mainly for its campground and the Centreville Creek. Up until very recently, there was a lake and beach known as 'Albion Lake', but it was removed for environmental reasons in 2017. I visited in December 2024.
Albion Hills Campground was built along the Centreville Creek, as a dam was installed in the 1950. The park opened in 1955, making it surprisingly the first conservation area in Ontario. After several renovations throughout the 60s, the lake became the main draw to visit the park. In the 2010s, TRCA noticed flaws in the dam's construction that may have led to failure. This is why the lake was removed in 2017.
Albion is a Latin word meaning "white land", although the park is most likely called Albion because it is another name for Great Britain, and British settlers often took British place names to their new home in Canada.
Albion Hills offers:
- swimming in a pool and splash pad
- cross country skiing, snowshoeing, etc
- biking on numerable trails
- a full ski chalet
- new cabins for rent in the campground
- unique bird species to view
- two disc golf courses
- two playgrounds
My favourite trails here are:
A surefire way to see all that Albion Hills has to offer. Circling the campgrounds, the Centreville Creek, the numerous crossings of said creek, lots of hills, and many marshes and ponds. (some areas can't be biked)
An easier loop than the Red Trail is the Blue Trail, one that provides you access to majority of the Red Trail's sights, as well as the splash pad, pool and playground. (bikes are allowed)
Although not officially a full trail, please don't skip over the Connector Trail, as it runs alongside the Centreville Creek, crossing over it, past the splashpad. I advise you take this trail and stop to have a nice picnic by the playground. (bikes permitted)
There are numerous single-track biking trails throughout the park. All of which are very difficult, and all of which are one way. They are usually around a kilometre in length and weave through the other trails.
Drive in from the Highway 50 entrance, and pass the gatehouse. The first left goes to the chalet, Albion Albatross disc golf, as well as the main portion of the campground. If you continued straight on the main road, your first right is the Pleasantview picnic area. Your next left is Cedar Grove parking area (my personal recommendation), and Trailview picnic area on the right. Next is the biggest fork. A left goes to the pool and splash pad, as well as 3 different picnic areas (Thorndale, Valleyview, Old Lakeview). But if you didn't go left, you'd go to Sleepy Hollow Campground, as well as 2 more picnic stops (Elmview, Meadowvale). See the map at the bottom of the page.
Note that the photos in this section are not explicitly from this park, they are good photos of species that live here.
Ducks and Geese
Squirrels and Small Rodents
Beavers (this is a tree we saw on the Red Trail)
Frogs
Park in the Cedar Grove area.
Take the Blue Trail.
Come here with your bikes if you want a leg workout. Great uphill climbs.
Although I've never played frisbee golf at this specific course, after walking through this park, the disc golfing is good. I walked through the courses and saw a solid amount of landscape variation, as well as solid views from the course itself. Not to forget that disc golf is fun!
I'd recommend it if you've never tried it before.
This park is less than the sum of its parts. To me it seems boring, despite having so many features that I loved. And I thoroughly enjoyed the bike through the park. Yet I even had trouble with the motivation to make this page. I don't know. That's just me. It's a good park - 6-7/10.
