Rattlesnake Point is an

eco-tourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

area located in

Milton, Ontario Milton (2016 census population 110,128) is a town in Southern Ontario, Canada, and part of the Halton Region in the Greater Toronto Area. Between 2001 and 2011, Milton was the fastest growing municipality in Canada, with a 71.4% increase in popul ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

and is owned and operated by

Conservation Halton Conservation Halton, also known as the Halton Region Conservation Authority, is a conservation authority established under the Conservation Authorities Act of Ontario. It forms a partnership with the Province of Ontario, the Ministry of Natural ...

. Spanning roughly one hundred square kilometres across and near the

Niagara Escarpment The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in Canada and the United States that runs predominantly east–west from New York through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin, and into Illinois. The escarpment is most famous as the cliff ov ...

Halton Region The Regional Municipality of Halton, or Halton Region, is a regional municipality in Ontario, Canada, located in the Golden Horseshoe of Southern Ontario. It comprises the city of Burlington and the towns of Oakville, Milton, and Halton Hills ...

, the Rattlesnake Point area is home to many golf courses, country markets and

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

training and boarding facilities. It is a popular scouting area. As

urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city." Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted growt ...

continues to increase in

Southern Ontario Southern Ontario is a primary region of the province of Ontario, Canada, the other primary region being Northern Ontario. It is the most densely populated and southernmost region in Canada. The exact northern boundary of Southern Ontario is dis ...

, new housing developments in Milton have begun to encroach upon Rattlesnake Point. Land once deemed off-limits because of its relatively difficult accessibility and seemingly untouchable status as a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

Biosphere The biosphere (from Greek βίος ''bíos'' "life" and σφαῖρα ''sphaira'' "sphere"), also known as the ecosphere (from Greek οἶκος ''oîkos'' "environment" and σφαῖρα), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be ...

-protected area is being sought after for its prime

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

value as an underdeveloped and environmentally pristine region near the core of one of Canada's most dense urban areas. Rattlesnake Point is often visited by cyclists, hikers and climbers due to the array of beautiful caves and cliffs. Rattlesnake Point receives its name from the snake-like path cut by glaciers along the edges of the Niagara Escarpment, rather than from the Massassauga Rattlesnake.

Conservation area

The Rattlesnake Point Conservation Area was established as a

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

in 1961 by the Halton Region Conservation Authority. It is a popular destination for hikers, backpackers, cyclists,

rock climber Rock climbing is a sport in which participants climb up, across, or down natural rock formations. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a usually pre-defined route without falling. Rock climbing is a physically an ...

s and nature-lovers in the Greater Toronto Area along with

Mount Nemo Conservation Area The Mount Nemo Conservation Area in Burlington, Ontario is a conservation area owned and operated by Conservation Halton. It is popular with rock climbers in the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe, along with nearby Rattlesnake Poi ...

. The park's ten kilometres of

cliff In geography and geology, a cliff is an area of rock which has a general angle defined by the vertical, or nearly vertical. Cliffs are formed by the processes of weathering and erosion, with the effect of gravity. Cliffs are common on ...

edge and

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

trails connect with the

Bruce Trail The Bruce Trail is a hiking trail in southern Ontario, Canada, from the Niagara River to the tip of Tobermory, Ontario. The main trail is more than long and there are over of associated side trails. The trail mostly follows the edge of the N ...

and Crawford Lake. The conservation area also has facilities for organized and family

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more natu ...

with 18 group campsites. Certain campsites and facilities are closed during the winter from November to April.

Trails and access

Access to the

at Rattlesnake Point is available at several locations, including

Mount Nemo The Mount Nemo Conservation Area in Burlington, Ontario is a conservation area owned and operated by Conservation Halton. It is popular with rock climbers in the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe, along with nearby Rattlesnake Point C ...

. Other hiking and biking launch spots include Lowville, Kelso and Kilbride. Outdoor enthusiasts can connect to the long Lake Ontario Waterfront Trail. Rattlesnake Point was the location of the 2011 Canadian National Road Race Championships.

Rock climbing

The limestone cliffs are popular with rock climbers and are fitted with bolts for

top-rope Top rope climbing (or top roping) is a style in climbing in which the climber is securely attached to a rope which then passes up, through an anchor system at the top of the climb, and down to a belayer at the foot of the climb. The belayer takes ...

anchors.

Sport climbing Sport climbing (or Bolted climbing) is a form of rock climbing that relies on permanent anchors (or bolts), permanently fixed into the rock for climber protection, in which a rope that is attached to the climber is clipped into the anchors ...

routes are available towards the western edge of the cliffs, having been developed in 2018 as part of the Rattlesnake Bolting Project by members of the

Ontario Alliance of Climbers The Ontario Alliance of Climbers (OAC, formally known as Ontario Access Coalition) is an independent, provincial, volunteer, non-profit organization that works to keep climbing and bouldering areas open in Ontario, Canada. The organization's stat ...

. To protect the ancient cedars that dot the area, there is a ban on slinging trees.

References

External links

Conservation Halton: Rattlesnake Point
{{coord, 43.4676, N, 79.9127, W, display=title Niagara Escarpment Conservation areas in Ontario Protected areas of the Regional Municipality of Halton Climbing areas of Canada