halton hills driving tour sixteen mile creek driving tour bronte creek driving tour birding and wildflower viewing fall colours - best picks
Bronte creek driving tour Watch for jogs or loops off the main route as you discover Bronte Creek’s many hidden treasures. The Bronte Creek watershed is endowed with many splendid natural and historical treasures. This scenic driving tour through the watershed begins at Bronte Harbour and proceeds northwest past Bronte Creek Provincial Park, through the  forgotten communities of Tansley and Zimmerman, and then by the Salem pioneer cemetery. From here you have a spectacular view of Mount Nemo on your way to historic Lowville, where you can walk along the creek in Lowville Park. The tour continues on back roads by   conservation lands known as Yaremko-Ridley and the Crawford Forest. Along  the way, you pass other conservation lands including the Harrison Resource Management Area and the Burns Conservation Area, where you can hike on a boardwalk through a beautiful wetland. At the northern reach of the drive, you pass Long Lane Orchards’ pick-your-own farm and travel through the hamlet of Moffat. Now in the headwaters of Bronte Creek, the return journey passes by the Bunker, Shanahan and McLean Resource Management Areas to the Blue Heron Marsh and McCrae Chimney, located on the north and west sides of the Mountsberg Conservation Area. Further south, at the Carlisle Conservation Area, you travel east through the charming communities of Progreston, Kilbride and Cedar Springs before the tour ends at the Mount Nemo Conservation Area. This 90 km scenic drive takes about two hours. Be prepared to tour much longer if you explore the highlighted sites along the way. You may want to travel the route in sections over several days or in different seasons, particularly during the fall colour change. The route shown on the map crosses or runs along the creek in many locations.

Nature Calls  [Red-winged Blackbird]
Blue Heron Marsh, at the north end of the Mountsberg Reservoir, is a great place to see marsh and shore birds. There is a lookout tower and causeway where birders use binoculars and telescopes to spot numerous species of waterbirds. During spring, look for Blue- and Green-Winged Teal, Hooded Mergansers and Bufflehead Ducks, and listen for the oh ger glee whistles of Red-Winged Blackbirds, which are ubiquitous.

Tips [to enjoy your hike]
Check out the many country stores and pick-your-own farms along this route.

Directions
From the QEW, take Bronte Road south to the village of Bronte and Bronte Harbour.