Island Lake Conservation Area

This park is one of the most beautiful places we often visit. It’s a lovely lakeside park, located about an hour and a half drive from Toronto, but totally worth the trip. The trees are stunning, especially in the fall, and the lake is absolutely gorgeous, offering a peaceful atmosphere. One of the highlights of this park is the great walking trails, perfect for a family day out. Whether you’re looking to take a stroll or spend a relaxing day having a picnic, this place is ideal. There’s plenty of space to sit, walk, and enjoy nature. We always have a great time here and would definitely recommend it for a memorable day outdoors.

Found this on a last minute whim and absolutely loved the area. The 8km walking trail was beautiful. Restrooms were clean, my dog loved his time here. We went on a Friday evening, it was quiet and peaceful. A hidden gem, I can’t wait to be back!

We drove from Kitchener and it was worth it! We went on a Friday morning and reserved our admission online the day before. The price is cheap for two people ($13). Do the Vicki Barron Lakeside Trail, it's a must! You can park at lot 3 and the loop takes about 1.5-2hr to complete. There are so many scenic spots to stop and enjoy. The trail is really well maintained with various terrain and fairly flat throughout. The bridges over the water were our favourite. The park overall was well maintained and so were the washrooms! We then did the Kayak rental. It was quick and easy and the prices were reasonable! Although it was a further drive for us it was 100% worth it. It's a large lake, great trails and good rental options.

The scenic view is captivating and amazing to think we have not explore the whole area. it is spacious good for any outdoor activities for family, friends and team building event for companies. I quite surprise not to experience chasing after mosquitos here compare to the other places we visited. May I suggest to add a washroom to the other area too. we definitely visit again to explore the whole place.

Island Lake is one of the parks part of the Credit Valley Conservation, where this park acts as a head water for the Credit River. The park has a number of trails, most of which are not very difficult along with various picnic areas and fishing spots. The most popular trail is the Vicki Barron Lakeside Trail, which covers the perimeter of Island Lake. It connects smaller islands within the lake by a series of wooden bridges and boardwalk style trails. The trail surface is about 1/3 boardwalk, which is easy to walk on and is wide enough for hikers and cyclists. Many of the viewpoints along the trail are also fishing spots as well. Generally, the trails are not very difficult and are very clearly marked with points of interest. The park also has plenty of picnic areas, with a larger area near the P2 and P3 parking lots. There are also spots to launch for any water activities such as canoes and kayaks. Overall, this park is good if looking for a picnic spot or for a simpler walking trail. On popular times, the wait time can be 30 mins or more, so it’s recommended to pay online in advance to help with getting in quicker.

Setting out for a two-hour hike was an absolute joy! Surrounded by vibrant greenery and blooming wildflowers, the trail was a sight to behold. Breathing in the crisp air and listening to the birdsong, we left the city noise behind and immersed ourselves in nature's symphony. Exploring the winding path, we discovered hidden gems around every corner, from babbling brooks to secluded clearings. As we made our way back, we felt invigorated and rejuvenated, our spirits lifted by the beauty of the outdoors. In summary, the two-hour hike was a fantastic escape, providing a much-needed dose of nature's wonders. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a quick adventure!

Amazing hike during the summer and fall. Main trail loop is about 8km. There is many rest stations, one washroom on the middle of the loop, pump station for bikes. I'm coming once per year and so far it's been great experience. Part of the trails are in the evergreen forest. Good for riding a bike, walk, picnic. Also, while you're there take some time to visit Orangeville. It's such a cute place. We had lunch at Angel's Dinner, retro look and good food, it feels so pleasant.

This place is very suitable for hiking, the loop trail around the lake is about 8.7km, the whole trail is sometimes far away from the lake, sometimes across the lake, and most of the trail is in the forest and on the wooden trestle, so it is very comfortable to hiking. When we went there, it was one of those scorching hot summer day, and we didn't feel any heat or discomfort at all. There were boating enthusiasts on the lake, anglers on the shore, and many people picnicking in the rest area. We passed cyclists, dog walkers and families with strollers. Everything was great. There were boat rentals and lunch trucks in the rest area, a pit stop. We parked in a dedicated lot nearby, not next to the reserve, which is about 5 minute walk, is free.

Did this trail three times, once clockwise about quarter way, once counter clockwise about quarter way and just recently the complete 8km trail. The complete 8 km walking trail was boring for me as much of it is not covered be trees and it was a hot day. The part that is covered is good. But the only issue is it relatively flat and this does not add any challenges. There is paid parking and many people also park near Home Hardware and a grocery store.

We have booked Island Lake Conservation Area for our wedding ceremony later this year and we couldn't be more excited about this as our venue. Our contact, Meghan, has been super awesome about handling all of our random questions leading up to the ceremony and has been super accommodating. The park itself is really lovely, right on the lake. They also have an amphitheatre over the water at the beach area which is available to book for functions (this is where we are going to get married). We really wanted to find a place in nature without having to drive too far from the city - this was the perfect spot for us!

So earlier this year I bought a kayak and this lake was it's first endeavour on any body of water, I'm glad I chose this place as it was fantastic weather and the water was nice and calm. My parents rented a canoe which they enjoyed plus the rates were relatively cheap (20$ per hour or 50$ for the day). They have a well stocked fleet of vessels including electric motor boats that get rented very fast for fishing. This is by far an excellent lake to practice paddling as the water is shallow all around and there's endless amounts underwater stumps from a forest that used to be there. I will definitely try to make it for the fall colours to pop!

Fabulous park with beautiful trails! Thank you Vicki Baron. Orangeville proud, beautiful Downtown and park.

Gorgeous spot, and as another review said, a real escape from the city as you're immersed by nature. I've been coming here for a few years, and in that time they've increased the length of the trail, and even built a bridge to cross one part of the lake. I believe the long-term plans are to have it do a circle of the main park of the lake. A number of beautiful views, and it has its name since there are a couple smaller islands within the lake. There's a couple beach areas where they've added soft sand for a nice beach experience. Lots of picnic tables, and if I remember correctly, there are fixed charcoal BBQ stations. They have canoe and kayak rentals, and even ice fishing stations and shoe shoeing (in the winter of course). Only thing that frustrates me is the $5 admission to enter. I feel it's completely ridiculous to charge people to visit the nicest places in the area. The authority is doing a great job running the place, but this should be one of the basic things covered by tax payers, with free access for everyone. Still, a great spot regardless.

The Island Lake Conservation Area is stunning, it has loads of activities for all ages and in all seasons. I have been here for yoga hiking, regular hiking, beaching and most recently snowshoeing. This review will be about my most recent experience and let me begin by saying as soon as I stepped out of my car it was like I had driven three hours north instead of about the half hour it actually took to get there. It is like another world, a cold world with a specialty in ice finishing brr. I have never been but everyone was very bundled up in these huge snowsuits, bright orange or camo. I loved it, they looked very fancy and incredibly warm. It is about five dollars to enter the park and fifteen dollars to rent the snow shoes. The staff were really friendly and they got the snow shoes for us quickly and showed us how to use them. The trails: they didn't have any other trails other than their regular ones, which were worn down by regular hikers. I was a bit disappointed, the snow shoes work a lot better when there is lots of snow and not as much of a walking trail. The scenery however was wonderful and beautiful. We walked on the ice for a bit with the aforementioned ice fishermen, I was a bit freaked out but I braved up. This was fun and a new experience! The Island Lake Conservation Area also has trails out on the ice for skaters, which looked like lots of fun and I will probably be back before the winter ends to try this out! The snow shoes: They were really hard to walk in, they had two straps to go over the toes and heels of your boots but they kept slipping down and off. We ended up just wearing them as snow-flip-flops and taking them off a bit early because they were frustrating us so much. The verdict? I would not rent from this location again for snow shoes but I will be coming back for other outdoor events and even general dog walking.