Hiking and Spectacular Views at Mount Nemo Conservation Area

Mount Nemo Conservation Area, one of eight Conservation Halton Parks in the Halton Region west of Toronto, can be visited year-round to explore the hiking trails and enjoy incredible views from the escarpment.

Visiting Mount Nemo Conservation Area

First opened to the public in 1971, Mount Nemo Conservation Area is a 147 hectare (363 acre) park located on the Niagara Escarpment. The land was purchased in 1958 to protect the escarpment from the expansion of the Lowville Quarry and today provides a recreational area while also preserving a unique habitat.

Mount Nemo Conservation Area is one of the smaller of Halton’s conservation parks but is also one of the most popular due to its incredible escarpment views, rock climbing and caving. Geocaching is another fun activity to enjoy in the park and it’s also an excellent spot to enjoy a picnic during the summer months.

Mount Nemo is one of 140 public parks along the Niagara Escarpment and is part of the Niagara Escarpment UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve.

How to Get to Mount Nemo Conservation Area

Mount Nemo Conservation Area is located at 5317 Guelph Line in Burlington (west of Toronto) north of Highway 403 and west of Highway 20 (take the Guelph Line exit from Highway 403). Opening hours in late October are 8:30 am – 7 pm. Park hours vary by season so always check the Conservation Halton website for details.

Planning a Visit to Mount Nemo

Reservations are not currently required for visiting Mount Nemo Conservation Area but are recommended. If you book online, you can reserve your spot and save money on gate fees.

Gate attendants are on duty Monday to Friday 10am – 4pm at all Halton Conservation Parks with the exception of Mount Nemo. Gate attendants are staffed daily on weekends. If you are visiting Mount Nemo during the week then you will need to make a reservation online to receive a reservation pin number and enter that number on the pin-pad at the gate to gain entrance.

Reservations are rain or shine, however, changes can be made up to 1 hour prior to your scheduled visit. Refunds can be issued up to 48 hours prior to your visit.

As one of the smaller Halton Conservation Parks, Mount Nemo is generally less busy than the other parks – but we found out that weekends during fall foliage season are an exception! We generally hike on weekdays but had a busy week so decided to head to Mount Nemo on a Saturday in mid-October. We also failed to get an early start so made a reservation for early afternoon and the smallish parking lot was packed when we arrived. Along with several other cars, we had to circle the parking lot until a spot opened up which was a bit of a stressful start to our hike. If you want to visit to see the fall leaves and can do so mid-week then avoid weekends!

Dogs are allowed at Mount Nemo but must be kept on leash at all times.

Tips for Hiking at Mount Nemo

• When hiking at Mount Nemo or anywhere else, arrive suitably prepared for spending time outdoors.
• Be sure to wear appropriate footwear as the trails may have obstacles such as rocks and tree roots and will be affected by recent and current weather conditions.
• Bring water with you. If you’re hiking with kids then you will definitely want to bring along snacks as well even for a short hike.
• Stay on the designated trails at all times and do not cut new trails for your own safety and to prevent soil erosion.
• Exercise caution (and supervise young children) near the cliffs and and never climb the lookout walls. The cliffs can be hazardous and and the rocks are slippery when wet.
• Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach wild animals and never feed wildlife.

Hiking Trails at Mount Nemo

There are three main colour-coded hiking trails of varying difficulties at Mount Nemo Conservation Area (North Loop, South Loop and Escarpment Edge) and a section of the Bruce Trail, Ontario’s longest footpath (at 725 kilometres), runs through the park as well. All distances are measured from the Trailhead near the parking lot.

*I noticed that the trail distances posted on the information board at the Trailhead are slightly different than those listed on the map available on the Conservation Halton website but not enough to make any significant difference.

On our most recent visit we completed part of the North Loop Trail on our way to the Brock Harris Lookout and then walked the South Loop Trail as well as a small portion of the Escarpment Edge Trail spending approximately 1.5 hours in total.

All of the hiking trails are rated a level 2 Moderate but the portion from the parking lot directly to the Brock Harris Lookout is quite easy as much of it is a gravel/dirt pathway and fairly even. We saw many families with young kids and people with pets along the trail.

Continuing on from the Brock Harris Lookout, there are more rocks and tree roots so you have to watch your step a bit more but it still isn’t particularly difficult as there aren’t any steep inclines. All trails are well-marked.

The North Loop Trail

The North Loop Trail (red markers) is approximately 3.3 kilometres in length and can be walked either clockwise or counterclockwise.

Starting from the Trailhead by the parking lot, this is quite an easy hike until you reach the Lookout as it’s on mostly level ground with only a very gradual climb. We headed counterclockwise toward the Brock Harris Lookout which is the shorter route as we knew we didn’t have time to complete both loop trails plus the Escarpment Edge Trail. If we had hiked clockwise then we would have had more rocky terrain before reaching the Lookout.

If there are rock climbers on the cliffs of the escarpment then you might see them if you complete the North Loop Trail.

The Brock Harris Lookout is the main attraction for many visitors to Mount Nemo. From the lookout you can see more than 50 kilometres of countryside and as far as the CN Tower in Toronto on a clear day. We could see the Toronto skyline on the day we visited but the sky was a bit hazy so I couldn’t make out the tower.

The South Loop Trail

The South Loop Trail (yellow markers) is approximately 1.8 kilometres in length and isn’t particularly difficult either. There are some rocks and tree roots and you will need to watch your step but nothing too steep. Part of the trail runs along the escarpment and there are beautiful views of the fall leaves. Once the trail loops back toward the parking lot then you will be hiking through the forest.

The Escarpment Edge Trail

The Escarpment Edge Trail (green markers) is approximately 1.4 kilometres in length. It has more large rocks and crevasses so becomes a little more challenging. This isn’t a loop trail so you turn around and head back when you reach the end (or at any point).

During the summer months, you can watch turkey vultures soaring in the updraft of warm air created by the the escarpment edge.

We only walked this trail for about 10 minutes before we turned around and headed back to the South Loop as I was having difficulty with some of the large rocks. I’m short and have a bad knee and couldn’t step up onto some of the large rocky sections without putting too much pressure on my knee so we decided to call it a day.

Halton Conservation Parks

There are now eight Conservation Halton Parks: Rattlesnake Point, Hilton Falls, Mount Nemo, Crawford Lake, Robert Edmondson, Mountsberg, Kelso (including Glen Eden in winter) and the newest park which is still known as Area 8.

Although I have lived in the region for more than 25 years, I hadn’t visited any of the parks until the Covid shutdown in 2020. During that time that we were limited in our travels, we started exploring more close to home and taking advantage of all the beautiful places in our region including our conservation areas and continued to do so after the world opened up again.

At various times of the year we have visited Hilton Falls, Robert Edmondson, Crawford Lake, Kelso, Mountsberg, Rattlesnake Point and Mount Nemo (most multiple times) but have yet to visit Area 8. Hiking or walking has become one of our favourite activities so we’ll continue to explore the parks to get that nature fix that we all need.

The current fee for a visit to the parks is $10.50 + HST per adult when purchased online and $12 + HST when purchased at the gate with reduced fees for seniors (65+) and children (ages 5-14). Admission is free for children under 5. There is no longer a time restriction on your visit – you can stay until the park closes.

There is a Conservation Halton Park Membership available for purchase which includes admission to all 8 of the parks year-round. The cost of a membership is currently $105 +HST for an individual and $165 +HST for a vehicle membership (replaces the former “family” membership and covers admission for all occupants in a personal vehicle). There are also individual and vehicle memberships for seniors at a reduced price ($85 and $155 +HST). We have purchased and used the membership many times so it is definitely economical if you plan frequent visits.