Robert Edmondson Conservation Area is located at 10025 1st Line Nassagaweya, in Campbellville, ON. Originally known as "Burns Conservation Area", the park is the smallest of the Halton Region Parks, and it openly brags about it. It has one trail encircling a small reservoir and so beautifully highlights the geography of the area. I visited in May 2025.
I am amazed at how little information there is online about the history of this park. I couldn't find anything.
What I do know is that the original owner's name was James Gerald Burns, and that's why the park was known as "Burns" until 2013. The name was changed when park facilities were updated to honour the former Director of Watershed Management for Halton Region.
Robert Edmondson offers some simple activities:
- smallmouth bass fishing off of the pier (pictured left)
- picnicking in the parking lot or to the east of the lake
- vault toilets (which is very rare for an unstaffed park)
- numerous boardwalks atop a wetland
- great opportunities for spring wildflower viewing
There's one trail, plus two spurs:
Main Trail - 2km, easy
The main trail at Robert Edmondson starts at the kiosk and heads northwest, where it crosses a 100+ metre boardwalk over a marsh. It then bends due east, where it crosses two creeks before heading back towards the water. This trail is very easy, and offers the best views of the whole park. (no bikes)
Shortcut - 0.1km, easy
This is just a shorter loop of the main trail. You could use this as another way to return to the parking lot. Nothing special going on here. (no bikes)
East Trail - 0.3km, easy
This trail is not marked on the map, but is very clearly maintained. Starting by the kiosk, you head east across the pier, towards the vaulted toilets. Then you head north until the picnic tables stop. This is the ideal spot for a family picnic, if that's what you plan on doing here. (no bikes)
Drive in, park and hike.
Note that the photos in this section are not explicitly from this park, they are good photos of species that live here.
Wildflowers, including:
Marsh marigold (above)
Dutchman's breeches
Trout lily
Rare species, including:
West Virginia White butterfly
Springtime Darner
White trilliums, including large amounts of the rare Rose gene
So-called "Sensitive Ferns" (Onoclea sensibilis)
Plan a day trip to here and Mountsberg.
Plan a picnic here. Lots of tables, and lots of good scenery.
Just like Monopoly, the Boardwalk is the best spot on the map. The Main Trail features one very long boardwalk, spanning over 100 metres over wetland. This is best spot in the park to see the aforementioned rare species and wildflowers. The railing only lines one side, but this makes viewing the marsh beneath your feet easier, so I didn't mind. It isn't very high, only about 3 feet, making it so that all can enjoy without fear. Another great part of the park is the boardwalk along the south end of the pond, which is called "the pier". This is where everyone gathers to eat lunch and go fishing, as it is the easiest access to the water. This is also where you can see the dam, pictured below. Be sure to check out both of these two places when visiting the park.
Because I visited this park and Mountsberg in the same day, I'll do a compare and contrast. For stuff to do, Mountsberg blows this park out of the water. There's not much to do here. But for scenery - I'm taking this place. The more grown-in pond, along with the quaint feeling makes for a prettier park to me. But of course, scenery only gets you so far. So I rate this park a 6.8/10, compared to Mountsberg's 8.4/10.
