Mount Nemo Conservation Area is owned and managed by Conservation Halton, and is located just under an hour from Toronto within Burlington. The area features over 7 km of trails, the majority of them being along the edge of the Niagara Escarpment.
Mount Nemo requires reservations in order to visit. We booked online on the morning of a Sunday in late August, and found no issues reserving for the same day. In the afternoon on a Sunday in August the parking lot was pretty much full, and we did come across a few groups of people along the trail. However, there were plenty of opportunities for clear views along the trail.
View looking north east. Immediately in view is Walkers Line and to the right, Mount Nemo Golf Club. Further behind along the horizon you can see the skyline of downtown Mississauga. 
In looking north you can see the ridgeline of the escarpment circle around at Rattlesnake Point. 
Ratttlesnake Point. You can see our post here when we visited Rattlesnake Point, and our views of Mount Nemo! 
Zoom-in of the downtown Mississauga skyline to the center, and the Toronto skyline with the CN tower to the right. 
Can you spot the plane?
The Niagara Escarpment of where Mount Nemo sits began to form 450 million years ago, where a shallow body of water covered the area that is now the Great Lakes. Small sea creatures in this water died and floated to the bottom of the seabed, becoming compressed and forming layers of sediment over millions of years.
The actual escarpment is formed from differential erosion over the past 250 million years. The cliffs that are capped with hardened limestone, making it less prone to erosion in comparison with softer-rock lowlands.
The Carolinian forest covers the southern most part of Ontario, including the plateau of Mount Nemo. Along the escarpment is an ancient forest comprised of cedar trees, with some measured to be over 800 years old.
Looking up at the greenery of the deciduous Carolinian forest. 
Ancient Eastern White Cedar roots intermingle with the limestone of the escarpment. 
Dolomite that forms the escarpment, the remains of an ancient body of water. 
Ancient Eastern White Cedar hanging on from the edge. 
Looking from the cliff we saw groups of turkey vultures that were coasting on top of the warm air rising from below. We saw and heard a few chickadees along the trail.
Turkey vultures can be identified by the “V” shape they hold their wings when in flight. 
Turkey vultures soar high to cover greater distances with ease. 
Turkey vultures have a strong sense of smell for decay, and feed on dead as opposed to live prey.
If bringing small children or pets, I suggest keeping a close eye on them. Some of the trails along the edge of the escarpment do not have any guard rails or barriers, and it would be easy to stumble off should you not be careful or paying attention.
Have you visited Mount Nemo Conservation Area? Let us know your experience in the comments below.
Scout Valley in Orillia
It’s official – we’ve moved to Orillia! We weren’t loving the city life, and wanted to move somewhere closer to nature and outdoor activities. The traffic, commuting times, and lack of green space was getting to be exhausting. Aside from a few hiking spots within Mississauga, we found we had to drive outside of city…
Snowshoeing at Arrowhead Provincial Park
Arrowhead Provincial Park is owned and managed by Ontario Parks and is located just north of Huntsville, Ontario. Arrowhead is a beautiful and diverse park that offers a range of recreational activities for visitors both in the warmer and colder season, with activity equipment rentals available year-round. Arrowhead is a popular winter destination, with several…
Claireville Conservation Area
The busy holiday season is done and over, and finally we have had the opportunity to slide back into our regular routine, and spend some time hiking and exploring. We had visited Claireville Conservation Area in October to see the leaves change colour, and being so close of a drive, visited again in January of…
Spruce Bog Boardwalk at Algonquin Provincial Park
Spruce Bog Boardwalk is a quick and easy hike along the Highway 60 corridor in Algonquin Provincial Park. The trail is 1.5 km and made up mostly of boardwalk, and is a leaisurley path with even terrain. We visited the trail on a Saturday in Late October in the early afternoon, and the parking lot…
Lookout Point Trail at Algonquin Provincial Park
The Lookout Point Trail at Algonquin Provincial Park is a 2.1 km loop that presents breathtaking views of hundreds of square kilometers of landscape. With an elevation gain of about 70 meters across the hike, it’s a short but challenging walk. We visited around noon on a Saturday in late October. By this time it…
Eagles Nest Lookout in Bancroft
On a Saturday morning in mid-October, we arrived at Eagle’s Nest Park. Located within Bancroft, the area is a perfect spot for scenic views (especially If you are driving through on the way to Algonquin). There are four trails at just over 3 km total to explore. The gates of Eagles Nest Park road were…
The Ground Stompers 
Mount Nemo is a fantastic spot to go hiking, especially in the fall when all the leaves are changing colour. It’s wild how popular it’s become and that you now have to make a reservation in advance. Glad to hear you had no issues booking a spot and that the trails weren’t too crowded.
LikeLike
Thanks for commenting.
My plan is to return to the area in a month or so once it’s autumn here to see the colours changing (I saw lots of maple trees which would be beautiful)!
LikeLike