The Old Swamp Road Walking Trail is beautiful at any time of year. It is also called the Leskard trail ‘cause it’s near the village of Leskard and on Leskard Rd North of Concession 8 and west of Highway 35/115.
This is a fairly easy walking trail of about 2 kms (one-way) winding alongside a year-round stream. It’s mostly canopied by mixed forest. There is a bit of a sandy hill about halfway through, but it’s worth climbing as it leads across a brightly lit meadow populated by purple ironweed and queen anne’s lace, with a fair-sized pond. Then, past a fanciful inukshuk, it plunges back into the forest canopy and continues running alongside the stream. It’s a pretty little stream and the trail runs directly beside it for most of the distance.
You’ll come upon a large wooden fencepost which has been decorated by numerous patrons of the trail. At that point, though the “trail” appears to continue alongside the river, you’ll see a pile of wood and a no trespassing sign. The trail takes a sharp left at that point and goes up another rather higher hill than the sandy one you climbed to the meadow. It’s worth it to continue on though. The trail then runs along a fairly steep hillside.
To sum it up, The Old Swamp Road Walking Trail is an easy walk with just two mildly steep hills. For the most part, the trails are wide enough for three or four people to walk side-by-side. It’s canopied for the most part, has one small wooden bridge, and follows a year-round stream for most its length.
Direction: Head west from Highway 35/115 on Concession 8. Once you turn onto Leskard North of Conc. 8, the trail is 1.1 kilometers North. There’s really no parking lot, just a wide spot on the West (left) side of Leskard road that might fit 5 or 6 vehicles. There’s a rustic homemade looking sign about 8 feet above the entrance to the trail naming it “THE OLD SWAMP ROAD WALKING TRAIL”.
This material is from the 2oldguyswalking website which has a great article with images. Go here to read this article.
We would also direct you to read our DISCLAIMER and our TRAIL USERS CODE.
Region(s): Durham RegionNearby towns and cities: Clarington | Oshawa | Port Hope
Trail feature tags: Boardwalk
The Old Swamp Road Walking Trail characteristics
Length: 2 km one wayDifficulty: Moderate (Trail classifications)
Trail surface: Natural
Trail use: Hiking
Accessibility Notes: Not wheelchair accessible
Fees: none
Flora & Fauna:
Bring your camera, as it has spectacular fungal displays anytime of the year.
Amenities: none
Attractions: none
Contact:
Find it: 8508 Leskard Rd, Clarington
GPS Coordinates (main trailhead):
Latitude: 44.0325560
Longitude: -78.6504720