PHOTOS: Renowned Canadian Attraction Reopens Near Mississauga

While there are an abundance of scenic areas in Brampton, sometimes, you have to leave the city to explore a unique attraction.

Especially when it’s been closed for three years and you need a new photo for the ‘gram.

The Cheltenham Badlands officially reopened in Caledon on Saturday September 22, 2018.

The Badlands have been closed since summer 2015 to protect the rare natural landscape due to an influx of visitors, and now, the geographical gem is once again open to the public.

According to the Trust, construction of a new parking lot and new boardwalk and trail improvements and maintenance works were underway.

The Trust, in partnership with the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo, is indeed monitoring the Badlands’s geological and ecological change over time.

“The Cheltenham Badlands is one of Ontario’s geological treasures, first formed at the base of an ancient sea over 400 million years ago,” reads the Ontario Heritage Trust’s (OHT) website.

“The site is a provincially significant Area of Natural and Scientific Interest and one of the most recognizable and visited natural heritage landmarks in southern Ontario.”

It’s a definite must-see.

The exposed bedrock is known as iron-rich shale called Queenston Shale. When it was exposed in the 1900s, vegetation was removed during landscaping and livestock grazing, and now, the shale has eroded into a series of “hummocks and gullies” producing the distinctive landscape, according to the OHT.

While you can no longer walk on the Badlands for its safety and preservation for future generations, all visitors can peruse the trails and boardwalks that span across the site.

The federal government, the Region of Peel, and the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation have supported this gem’s reopening.

The OHT is also looking into more options for public enjoment and understanding when it comes to the site with a Master Plan.

“The Master Plan will outline the long-term vision for the site as well as identify major projects, new trails and other potential site enhancements to be implemented in phases,” said an OHT representative in an email.

For anyone planning to visit, there is limited on-site parking for $10, and bike racks are available for anyone who wants to bike around the area.

The Badlands will remain open for the season until October 28, 2018, seven days a week, from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. every day.

You can learn more about this rare site here.

Here’s a look at the Badlands:

All photos courtesy of the OHT