Valley Farm Ravine is nestled between the suburbs of Major Oaks and Pine Ridge in Pickering, Ontario. Recently, a trailhead entrance with new parking was upgraded on Valley Farm Road in Pickering just south of Duffins Creek and north of Finch Avenue.
View of the parking lot on Valley Farm courtesy of Google Maps.
The terrain itself is fairly even in its elevation and makes for a nice stroll. There is mix of meadow, creek (Duffins Creek), and forest.
Our most recent visit was brief, but definitely looking forward to returning soon and exploring some more. We parked at the parking lot off Valley Farm, and followed River Trail west along Duffins Creek until reaching the soccer field off Pineridge.
You can continue on the concrete path to walk towards Pine Ridge, but instead we cut across the soccer field north towards the forested trail.
Overlooking Duffins Creek. 
Abandoned Structure
A few years ago before there was a dedicated parking lot, we would park elsewhere and walk towards the trailhead entrance north of the river, headed west from Valley Farm. A few minutes walking this trail headed North, you will come across an abandoned structure.
I wouldn’t recommend heading into the structure, as last time we visited there was a large amount of broken glass and garbage (keep your doggy away to be safe)! It was still pretty cool to visit though.
See this post from Ontario Abandoned Places where they further discuss the J. Palmer homestead with additional photos and information about the structure.
Abandoned building (J. Palmer Home) as seen from Google Maps.
Have you visited Valley Farm Ravine in Pickering? Let us know in the comments below!
Safe trekking. 🙂
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Looks like a nice hidden spot to go for a stroll. I’ve never heard been here before (or heard of it), but will have to check it out if I’m looking for a trail that is relatively close to Toronto.
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Thanks for your comment! Definitely a hidden gem of nature tucked between suburbia. Looking forward to branching out – our goal is for one day to see all of Ontario Parks (like yourself)! So much beauty to see in Ontario.
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There was an old Stone House located on the property. I lived there for a short period roughly between 1990 and 1992. It was owned by the company I worked for at the time, and one of the owners was part of developer group that owned the property. I was told it was originally built in mid 1800s by a British Lord. The story I was told is that he had a daughter with an acute lung condition that made it unbearable to live in London England due to the industrial use of coal as a fuel for industry and heating of houses…..it was totally anecdotal…until one day when i was living there a man showed up. He was doing some research on name “Laird” that had brought him to this property. It is understood the name “Laird” has its root in the title Lord of the British Aristocracy…so maybe there is some truth to the story…who know. That old stone house has something romantic about it. I feel in love while i was living there. If anyone out there has some pics of the house please connect with me.
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Wow – thank you for your comment and sharing your story!
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