Laurel Creek Conservation Area is located at 625 Westmouth Road North, in Waterloo, ON. It is situated on the reservoir of the same name, and features two campgrounds. The park has a beach, boat launch, three trails, three picnic shelters, and a dam. It is adjacent to Green Acre Park Campground. I visited here during May long weekend 2025.
To be totally honest, I didn't feel like researching this park because my time here was so brief. But I found this case study of the history of Laurel Creek created by the University of Waterloo that does a much better job explaining the history than I ever could. It's linked here.
There's lots of things to do here, like:
- swimming in man-made Laurel Reservoir
- paddling around the scenic waterbody
- 2 boat launches for non-automatic boats only
- 2 baseball diamonds
- 3 rentable picnic pavilions, two overlooking the lake
- a large nature centre on Beaver Creek Road
- there is a former lookout tower off of Beaver Creek Rd., but a tree fell on it and it has been closed
- an UNFATHOMABLE amount of benches along the trails
There are three trails that are all connected.
Hardwood Hollows Trail - 2.5km, easy-moderate
Laurel Creek's longest trail wanders through a hilly hardwood forest. Going up and down, it passes by a creek in the centre of the park, then the group camping area (where you can access Conservation Dr.), then Area 1 and a farmer's field. This trail also runs parallel the water, just atop a hill.
Wetland Trail - 2km, easy
The next longest trail within this park's boundaries is the 2km Wetland Trail. This trail (surprisingly) passes through a scenic wetland. It crosses over two bridges and is always the muddiest trail, so I recommend boots. Great birdwatching opportunities, especially amongst the reeds and cattails.
Pine Meadow Trail - 1.8km, easy
Just a simple loop connecting Hardwood Hollows to Area 2. This trail runs through a pine plantation, and is thus very wide. Heading west, we make a sudden jut south when we see the power lines. This takes us to a lookout before returning to Area 2. This trail is great to access Green Acre Park, or vice-versa.
Drive in the main entrance on Westmount Road North. You'll arrive at the gatehouse, and then you continue. You'll see a trail crossing, followed by the trail kiosk across from a parking lot. Continuing straight passes the Baseball and Lakeview picnic shelters, heading southbound to the dam. Instead of continuing to the dam, you could instead head right, which accesses the beach and boat launch. Continuing even further brings you to Areas 1 and 2, and a second boat launch. See the map below for further details.
Note that the photos in this section are not explicitly from this park, they are good photos of species that live here.
A dense forest floor along the Hardwood Hollows Trail
A thin forest floor along the Pine Meadow Trail
Wildflowers
Marshy habitants - the common reed and cattails.
Day trip here from Green Acre Park. If you can't book here, book at Green Acre.
Day trip here from the city of Waterloo, or vice versa.
Sites 416 - 420 in Area 2 are waterfront. Book them if you are fine with smaller sites.
View from Site #417.
Some parks get a bad wrap for not having anything special. But guess what? McDonald's doesn't have anything special. It just does a really good job at stuff you love. And that's the trick Laurel Creek pulls. It's got a very solid set of trails that are fun to walk or bike; got a decent-sized sandy beach; an interesting variety of landscapes; and what I'd like to talk about last - a nice, large reservoir. People think that reservoirs are gross because they're manmade, but they use the same water the creek uses (i.e. the water from springs that are harvested for drinking water). And although some reservoirs are gross (see Earl Rowe), I like Laurel Creek Reservoir. Relatively clean, very scenic, and it's old enough to have substantial and full natural habitat. So don't hate on reservoirs, especially ones like Laurel Creek.
Come for the weekend or the day. Run-of-the-mill 6/10 conservation area. Can't go wrong for a nice day hike.
Old oil can found on Hardwood Hollows Trail
