Exploring Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park

It’s been a long time since I’ve visited an Ontario provincial park! With winter coming to an end, I figured it was the perfect time for an easy nature walk, so I headed to a place I’d never visited before: Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park.

Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park is a non-operating provincial park, meaning it’s a protected provincial land that usually lacks any basic infrastructure. Hiking trails are sometimes found in these parks, and a few years ago, I had a great time exploring the trails at Burnt Lands Provincial Park near Almonte and at Mashkinonje Provincial Park in West Nipissing.

I knew Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park also had a few trails, so I was excited to explore another non-operating provincial park! So, I went there on a morning when the weather was forecast to be a bit warmer than it has been in the previous weeks.

As its name suggests, Petawawa Terrace Provincial Park is located in Petawawa, in the Ottawa Valley, and showcases the unique ecology of the sandy bluff (the Terrace) overlooking a flatter area along the Ottawa River.

Several trails wind through the forest on the terrace (a forest composed mostly of pine trees, but also some hardwoods) and the wetland at the base of the sand ridge. I decided to start by following the Kichi Sìbì (Great River) Trail through the forest.

This was my first time hiking this year without snowshoes or cross-country skis. But the conditions were far from ideal. It was raining heavily and the trails were icy. I donned my crampons to avoid slipping. At the end of the Kichi Sìbì Trail, there’s what might be a viewpoint of the lowlands near the Ottawa River. In the spring rain, the landscape was a bit dull.

Then I descended along the ridge via the Wigiwàm (House) Trail to reach the flatter area along the river. This area has several wetlands, and the forest and vegetation are different from those on the terrace.

I imagine this area must be really interesting to visit in the summer, since it’s home to several rare plant species, in addition to serving as habitat for several species of turtles, amphibians, and birds. I could also hear the distinctive song of Canada geese, who had undoubtedly stopped there on their way back north. A sign of spring!

The Mànjamegos (Speckled Trout) Trail circles an old fishpond, a relic of a time when the provincial park’s lands were used for grazing livestock and as a fish culture station. This trail leads to a viewpoint overlooking the marsh, a marsh that was quite peaceful under its ice cover.

Then I returned to my starting point, climbing back up to the top of the terrace. In total, I covered nearly 5 kilometres. I was completely soaked and didn’t have the best conditions for that hike, but I’m still happy to have been able to discover another Ontario provincial park! I can’t wait for spring and the start of summer hiking season!