Sheffield Conservation Area: Beautiful Hiking and Dark Sky Preserve

Sheffield Conservation Area is a fantastic place to go hiking in Stone Mills Township (Erinsville, Ontario). By day, go for a hiking trip on the main loop trail through the park. By night, visit one of the best dark sky preserves in Ontario, the Lennox & Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area.

I’m going to show you how to plan the perfect hiking trip to Sheffield Conservation Area with helpful tips. Once the sun goes down and the sky grows dark, venture over to the dark sky viewing area for another exciting adventure.

Sheffield Conservation Area Map

Here is a trail map for Sheffield Conservation Area. As you can see, it is one big loop that extends through the forest and around several lakes in the area. This loop trail is 4.5km round trip and there is a shortcut where you can make your trip only 3.5km. In that case, you’d miss out on the viewpoint at Haley Lake, which is definitely worth the extra kilometre of effort.

Hiking at Sheffield Conservation Area

Sheffield Conservation Area has a scenic nature trail around many lakes and across the flat yet rugged terrain of the Canadian Shield. You will follow the blue blazes for the entire hike. Some of these are painted on trees and some are painted on the rocks.

However, I found that many of the blue blazes on the rocks had faded in the sunlight. I got turned around a couple of times on this trail and had to backtrack to my last known spot. I suggest following the trail on AllTrails app or another hiking app to keep you on track because it will make your life a bit easier.

You’ll follow a narrow path through the forest that crosses some marshy wetlands a couple of times on the way. About half of the trip involves walking across exposed rocks of the Canadian Shield. There isn’t any shade here, so you should pack a hat and sunglasses on a hot, sunny day. In the summer, it can also get quite buggy.

There are brilliant views over Little Melon Lake and Haley Lake from up above. While I didn’t see much wildlife here, it’s home to songbirds, waterfowl, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals like beaver and muskrat. Ontario’s only lizard, the five-lined skink, also lives at Sheffield Conservation Area. The only other place where I’ve seen the skink was at Rondeau Provincial Park, so it’s a rare find.

L&A Dark Sky Viewing Area

Go hiking by day and stargazing by night! The Lennox and Addington Dark Sky Viewing Area is located at Sheffield Conservation Area. This is the most southerly point in Ontario where you can go stargazing without light pollution from cities and towns.

There’s a large concrete pad for setting up your camera tripod or telescope. You can also simply show up and look up to the stars and galaxies. Bring a lawn chair, sit back, and absorb the wonders of outer space.

The viewing area is open from dusk until dawn and there is no admission or parking fee. You don’t need to register in advance. Just show up!

There are lots of great events at the L&A Dark Sky Viewing Area. Laser-Guided Stargazing Tour events happen on Friday and Saturday nights near a new moon, an hour after dusk. You’ll get a laser-guided tour of the night sky and it lasts about 60 minutes.

Other events allow you to look through a high-powered telescope to admire the moon, there’s a special event for the Perseid meteor shower in August, and there are monthly gatherings for astro-photographers.

Plan Your Visit to Sheffield Conservation Area

I’d rate the hiking trail at Sheffield Conservation Area as moderate. It isn’t the toughest hiking trail, but there are lots of inclines and declines, as well as a few places where you’ll need to watch your footing. Inexperienced hikers may want to try something easier first, but I feel like the average hiker can go for a trek here without any difficulties.

If you park at the main parking lot for Sheffield Conservation Area, you’ll need to pay $5 per car. There is no admission fee per person and no reservations are required. You can also park over at the L&A Dark Sky Viewing Area and walk over to Sheffield Conservation Area for free.

If you are planning to do a hike around sunset, I suggest parking at the L&A Dark Sky Viewing Area. The gates to the park close at sundown, and you don’t want your car to get stuck in the parking lot.

There’s also a boat launch site here, picnic tables, and a portable toilet. Otherwise, there aren’t any other facilities. Cell service can also be weak in some spots here. In the spring, many wildflowers grow along the trail. You can also hike here in all seasons!

More Hikes in Southeastern Ontario

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