A Hidden Natural Treasure Invites You To Experience and Explore Its Unique Magic

Imagine a serene conservation park that engages and fascinates your family for hours.  Now image that place -- a magical place that changes with the seasons inviting you to escape from your everyday life -- nestled just outside of the busy streets and noisy congestion of Toronto.

That place exists.  It is Crawford Lake and it’s waiting to welcome you.

Crawford Lake is that perfect natural space that will become an anticipated high point of your family adventures.  Enjoy all that Crawford Lake offers this summer and then visit again in October, when Crawford Lake will introduce nature to art with the installation of a series of chainsaw sculptures. These artworks are very special to me as they are being created specifically to honour members of my family – my aunt and her son.

Established in 1969, Crawford Lake is an outdoor education facility that is the perfect destination for all ages. This alluring 232 hectare park is a “living-breathing classroom” that offers:

-        tours of long houses in a reconstructed 15^th century Iroquoian Village

-        sampling of cornbread and maple syrup made on site

-        exploration of a rare, beautiful and soothing lake that has some very distinct qualities

-        natural, but easily accessible, paths for both education and exploration that offer fun and new discoveries at every turn

-        and so much more

Every year the majestic beauty that is Crawford Lake hosts over 39,000 students and 90,000 guests. Visitors are encouraged to explore a full-sized reconstructed First Nations village. Stepping back in history, children walk through a long house. The tour of the long house is the most popular of Crawford Lake’s programs. The smoke from the fire lingers in the air around you giving your surroundings a sense of mystery. Animal skins hang on the walls in the sunlit house. Examples of everyday items sit on long tables on display that you can touch. After exploring inside, you are invited to sit around the fire learning about the ways of the First Nations People and how they created their tools. Beyond the walls of the long houses children, young and old, are invited to engage in high-energy games that have been played by the First Nations People for generations.

Visitors can also create crafts that represent the works of these fascinating people and can be taken home at the end of the day.  Once outside the village, exploring thick forests and hiking around the magical Crawford Lake guarantees new and treasured memories that teach history and ecology. Following specific Ontario curriculum requirements, some programs at Crawford Lake involve archaeology where students learn the basics of topographical analysis, setting girds, methods of excavation and the importance of lab work.   Other programs will entail a meet and greet experience with the vegetation that surrounds the lake. These students will learn how humans have used, and continue to use plants, as a means of living, how plants and soils support our planet, and how students can protect plants and soils. 

During the winter months, visitors can embark on a guided snowshoe adventure to learn the history of snowshoeing and how to use the shoes that are necessary to navigate this winter landscape.

The 6.5 hectare lake is approximately 24 meters deep. This rare meromictic lake is known for its “layers of water” that don’t mix. It is one of only thirty others like it in Canada. This impressive body of water receives its water from springs and the natural water table.  Scientists still study the lake today to see the possible vegetation that lined the lake years ago. They do this by analyzing the pollen and algae that is trapped in the lower levels of the water about 15 meters down.  All of this information is shared with visitors.

Combining all of these activities helps guests to develop an understanding and appreciation of what it was like to live in the area over 600 years ago while enjoying a fascinating experience.  Education has never been this interactive or fun!

In addition to the already exceptional programs that are in place at Crawford Lake, fall 2013 will welcome a special new educational program that is very personal to me. Two chainsaw sculptures will be introduced to recognize the lives of important members of my family that have passed away. My Aunt Karen, who was an inspiring and innovative educator. She enhanced the learning of many students before she died in 2007. She will be represented by a Monarch Butterfly with a 4 foot wing span perched on top of a 9 foot tree. Her son, Robert, was an intelligent, thriving athlete with a future that was promising. However, heartbroken after the death of his Mom and best friend, Robert took his life last year.  A second carving, one of a Lone Wolf, will be presented to honour his short life.

The Monarch butterfly and Lone Wolf will be prominent carvings and will carry the most emotional impact for my family. They will be remembrances that we can visit for months and years to come.  We hope they will bring joy where there is still much sadness. They will be a place for us to visit and remember Karen and Robert always in a way that we hope will bring happiness not only to our family but to members of all the families that will enjoy the beauty of these unique pieces.

Our family sculptures won’t be the only beautiful works of art to educate everyone that walks the path of discovery.  The program has grown beyond the two carvings for my family.  A series of 8 other animals which are endangered have also been commissioned. With Crawford Lake being located in the Niagara Escarpment, its unique atmosphere inhabits many endangered species including Snapping Turtles, Eastern Milk Snake, West Virginia White Butterfly, Jefferson Salamander, Hooded Warbler, Woodland Vole and the Red-Side Dace.  To add additional excitement and points of interest to all Crawford Lake already offers, five of these sculptures will be crafted on site during Crawford Lake’s Fall Into Nature celebrations held Oct 12 - 14 and 18 - 20. Watching a chainsaw sculpture come to life is magical.  It’s noisy and messy and incredibly beautiful to see a tree trunk transformed into a work of art. 

When you explore Crawford Lake, you are embracing nature at its very best. Join us at Crawford Lake for your next expedition. You won’t have to travel far and you’ll create memories that will last a lifetime.   

We’ll look forward to welcoming you and becoming a part of your discovery adventure at Crawford Lake. 

Thank you to Vroom Vroom Vroom for giving me this opportunity to write this blog.        Please check out their website that is listed below to easily compare car rentals prices for your next family vacation.

www.VroomVroomVroom.ca