Visit Thickson’s Woods.
From Highway 401 in Whitby, Ontario, take Thickson Road south past Wentworth Street to the Waterfront Trail. Turn east (left) 100 metres to a small turnaround. Enter the woods at a walkway through the fence on the south side of the Waterfront Trail. Follow the trails through the woods, some of which access the Lake Ontario shore. To view the beaver pond and Corbett Creek Marsh continue about 100 metres past the entrance to the woods. The meadow is across the Waterfront Trail immediately north of the woods.
Thickson’s Woods has just one of the many nature trails and hiking trails you can find throughout Ontario by using the search features of OntarioNaturetrails.com
Region(s): Durham Region
Nearby towns and cities: Oshawa | Whitby
Thickson’s Woods characteristics
Length: approximately 1 km.Difficulty: Moderate (Trail classifications)
Trail surface: Natural
Trail use: Hiking
Accessibility Notes: Not wheelchair accessible
Fees: none
Flora & Fauna:
Guarding the entrance to Thickson’s Woods is one of the oldest hop hornbeams in southern Ontario.
Blue beech, a Carolinean species, never grows tall, but adds a delicate element to the understory with its striped bark and bulging growth contours that to some people look like muscles.
Black cherry is a common hardwood throughout the woods, distinguished by its curling black bark.
Around the marsh perimeter and on low, wet floodplains huge old silver poplars thrive. Look for warblers and orioles among their branches early in spring when the catkins are opening.
Red-eyed Vireos and Wood Thrushes nest in the understory shrubs in the woods–a mix of mountain maple, wild black currant and chokecherry. Carolina Wrens, a southern species on the northern edge of their range, have nested in Thickson’s Woods since they first arrived late in the 1980s.
Amenities: none
Attractions: none
Contact:
nature@thicksonswoods.com
905-725-2116 OR 905-433-7875

GPS Coordinates (main trailhead):
Latitude: 43.8535910
Longitude: -78.8983770
Is there any parking at the entrance?
You can park on Thickson Rd, best on the west side, around Moore Crt intersection. You can walk down the Waterfront Trail from that location.