Shaw Woods Nature Preserve

Shaw Woods is a gorgeous nature preserve located near Cobden, ON. Stretching over 200 hectares and managed by the Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre, it has a 13-kilometre network of self-guided walking trails that meander through woods and wetlands, over boardwalks, beside water, and up to a lookout.

The “West Side” Trail of the preserve is a protected old-growth forest where a trail leads through towering hemlock, beech and maple trees, some 200 years old or more. The trail includes a “boulder garden,” a scattering of hulking stone (“glacial erratics”) left by retreating glaciers millennia ago.

Link to west side visitors guide and map:

http://www.shawwoods.ca/maps-and-visitor-guides/west-side/

The “East Side” trail runs beside the Snake River before climbing past a mix of old-growth pine and younger trees to the lookout. That lookout perches high above Shaw Pond along the Dore Scarp, an escarpment named for nearby Lake Dore and dating back about 500 million years.Shaw Woods is open year round. There is no formal admission fee but donations are greatly appreciated.

Link to east side visitors guide and map:

http://www.shawwoods.ca/maps-and-visitor-guides/east-side/

Connaught Trail

This trail will take you over the Dore Scarp through a variety of forests and habitats from bogs to rock barrens. A complex system of wetlands is highly interspersed throughout this upland forest environment. The contrast between open wet and dry forested landscapes provides for an especially rich biodiversity. Most all of these lands were settled as homesteads during the 19th century and are now returning to forest cover as they should be. The link with the Connaught Settlement dates from 1847 when farmers there would carry their grain across the “Micksburg Mountain” to be ground at the new gristmill on Shaws Pond. We hope you enjoy your journey back in time!

Link to trail guide and map:

http://www.shawwoods.ca/maps-and-visitor-guides/connaught-trail/

Shaw Woods Nature Preserve has just some of the many nature trails and hiking trails you can find throughout Ontario by using the search features of OntarioNaturetrails.com

Region(s): Renfrew County
Nearby towns and cities: Cobden | Eganville | Pembroke
Trail feature tags: Boardwalk | Education Centre | Lookout

Shaw Woods Nature Preserve characteristics

Length: Total of 13 kms of trails
Difficulty: Moderate (Trail classifications)
Trail surface: Natural
Trail use: Hiking
Accessibility Notes: Not wheelchair accessible.
Fees: by donation

Flora & Fauna:

Not reported yet

Amenities: None

Attractions: Attractions: boardwalks, education centre, lookout

Contact:
Shaw Woods Outdoor Education Centre; http://www.shawwoods.ca/

Find it: 2065 Bulger Rd, Eganville, ON



GPS Coordinates (main trailhead):
Latitude: 45.6333290
Longitude: -77.0671710