Green Acre Park is a trailer park located at 580 Beaver Creek Road, in Kitchener, ON. The park is situated right next to Laurel Creek Conservation Area, and offers innumerable activities. Some of said activities include a pool, 2 hot tubs, a fishing pond (above), volleyball, hockey, basketball, mini golf, and much more. I have visited this park many times, but most recently on the 2025 May long weekend.
The year is 1967, and Ephraim Martin is watching his kids play on his property just west of Waterloo. These kids built a bridge over a stream (which leads into nearby Laurel Creek), and he was inspired by this and his passion for gardening to create a campground on this site. This pond became known as the "Scenic Pond", and the corner of the farm where it was located became known as the "Green Acre". In 1968, families began picnicking to the Green Acre, and the Martin family built a picnic shelter right beside the pond. As demand increased, the first sites were built near the pond in 1974, and the park was opened for seasonal camping in 1976. As the demand grew, so did the amount of sites, until now where the whole farm is covered with campsites and amenities. Unfortunately, in 2024, much land on the south of the park was cleared by the city of Waterloo to create a storm water pond. This is evident when you compare the map from 2020 to now (below).
Notice the "Scenic Pond" with the two bridges
The original pavilion, garden, playground, and mini golf was removed.
Pool
Green Acre Park offers a pool behind the main office. It is a chlorine pool, and is very accessible from the overnight and seasonal sites. It formerly overlooked the Scenic Pond, but this is no longer the case.
Hot Tubs
There are 2 hot tubs adjacent to the pool. They are at a first-come first-serve basis, and can be obtained by asking for the key at the main office. You can also rent them at the park office after 7 o'clock.
Playing Fields
This is just north of the park office, and offers many sports. It includes a gaga ball pit, horseshoe rings, a volleyball net, a tennis net, a baseball diamond, and a soccer field. Sports balls are available for free rent at the office.
Sports Courts
On the eastern side of the park, there is a concrete pad where you can play basketball, pickleball, ball hockey, or tennis. It is accessible from the parking lot, or from the 3 walkways with signage like the one above.
Fishing
At the north side of the park, there is a camping section called "Lakeside". It was given this name because there is a large stormwater retention pond with 2 docks. This pond offers catch and release fishing from the banks.
Recreation Hall
On the side of the road opposite the store, there is a large rec hall. It offers laundry facilties, but more importantly a games room and many organized events. When I visited, there was $1 Bingo.
Playground
Unfortunately, the playground I so dearly loved as a child was removed last year, but there is a still a large playground right beside the main office, with mainly climbing and jumping activities.
Mini Golf
Last but not least, there is a mini golf course beside the playground. Although it was formerly 18 holes, it is now a nice 9 hole experience that is undeniably fun. The holes are surprisingly high quality and interesting, and clubs are free.
Enter the park. You must go right, leading to the park office. An overwhelming majority of the activities are located within a 50m radius of said building. The only activities that are far away from here are also very accessible. The Lakeside Fishing Pond is located in the north, and can be accessed by the walkway across the playing fields, or the ring road going around the whole park. The only other distant activities are the leash-free dog park (by the entrance), and the sports courts (which are also accessible by 3 pathways, or the parking lot). See map below.
Note that the photos in this section are not explicitly from this park, they are good photos of species that live here.
Wildflowers and the more tame kind that the Martin family love to plant
Pileated woodpeckers
Canada geese (and their goslings, like the above)
Red-winged blackbirds
Sites 130 and 131 are favourites of mine for overnight camping.
Speaking of site 131, there's a covered bridge to the right of it that makes for easier access to places such as the sports courts.
Day trip to Laurel Creek Conservation Area next door.
There is a cut-through to Laurel Creek south of site 124, at the parking lot. This accesses the Pine Meadows Trail (red trail) of this park, and can be used to access the rest of the park. You must pay a fee of entry at the park office if you choose to drive in instead.
Go to the fenced-in off-leash dog run near the entrance.
Go to the nearby village of St. Jacobs, and its famed farmers' market. Beware that it is impossibly busy on the weekends.
Abuse the ability to rent sports items for free. I swear I golfed that mini putt course 10 times.
Although it's gone now, I would like to tell what the Storm Water Pond once was. This was once the Scenic Pond, featuring two bridges. This area was my favourite part of the park. There was a koi fish stocked pond called the Scenic Pond, and some overnight sites overlooking it. Much of the current playground was once across from site 127, including a large pirate ship structure. There was also seasonal campsites across from it, where Canada geese and miniature golfers would flock side-by-side. I miss this section. I asked about it, and the city of Waterloo allegedly forced them to give up this section. As much as I'm bummed about it, I still love this park.
What was once the greatest playground in the world.
I miss the Scenic Pond. I've already said it, but the fact that they lost the very namesake of the campground and it's STILL fun, that's pretty impressive. Very few complaints. The only one being the general distaste that the residents have for "the weekenders", but that's a problem across all private campgrounds. But all of the signs having maple leafs on them makes up for it. It was a 10 with the pond, but now it's an 8.
The pictures below are from the section of the park that has been closed.
