Parks

Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority

The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) is a community-based natural resource management agency that works to protect, enhance, and sustain healthy watersheds. With 60 years of experience, the NPCA offers watershed programs and services that focus on flood and hazard management, source water protection, species protection, ecosystem restoration, community stewardship, and land management. 

The NPCA is one of 36 Conservation Authorities in the Province of Ontario and manages 41 Conservation Areas within the Niagara Peninsula watershed held in public trust for recreation, heritage preservation, conservation, and education. These natural and shared greenspaces marry nature, culture, and adventure to create limitless opportunities for discovery.

TOUR GUIDE BUSINESSES OPERATING IN NPCA CONSERVATION AREAS

As per the Conservation Authorities Act R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 123, s. 4, the NPCA regulates the operation of businesses within conservation areas. An NPCA Tour Guide Business Permit is required for operators planning to conduct tours within NPCA Conservation Areas. Operators must apply in advance for a permit and must hold an NPCA NaturePlus Membership Pass.

If you are a tour guide business operator please contact NPCA Manager, Conservation Area Services at apowell@npca.ca or ext. 326 to receive an NPCA Tour Guide Business Permit Application. These are $60 (inc. HST) and are valid through December 31 of the calendar year in which they are approved.

For more information, email info@npca.ca or call 905-788-3135.

Active Conservation Areas

Admission fees apply during operating hours within operating seasons. Potable water, bike parking and seasonal washrooms are also available. 

Ball’s Falls

Set within the breathtaking Twenty Valley, Ball’s Falls offers spectacular scenery and natural beauty. Visitors take pleasure in the interactive exhibits and displays focusing on nature, conservation, and culture. The Centre for Conservation is open Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., offering a variety of programs and events year-round.

The site has been lovingly maintained to its early mid-19th century industrial hamlet atmosphere, home to many historical buildings. Photographers and nature lovers alike will love the incredibly breathtaking view of the majestic Twenty Mile Creek as it plummets over the upper and lower falls.

https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas/balls-falls

https://www.facebook.com/BallsFallsCA

Chippawa Creek

Chippawa Creek is a splendid example of conservation in action. The NPCA’s resource management practices have fostered an ideal wildlife habitat that offers rare public access to the Welland River. Recreationalists and naturalists alike will enjoy a variety of opportunities and activities that is uncommon in the southernmost part of Ontario.

Dils Lake, a 10 hectare man made reservoir, is the perfect spot for a variety of outdoor activities including non-motorized boating, swimming and fishing. Equipped with wheelchair-accessible fishing piers and trails, the lake is populated by a variety of fish species including largemouth bass, crappie and carp. Popular summer activities include transient and seasonal camping, hiking the 1.1 km trail, picnics, or relaxing in the shade near the water.

https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas/chippawa-creek

https://www.facebook.com/ChippawaCreekON

Long Beach

Located on Lake Erie, Long Beach Conservation Area is one of Niagara’s hidden gems. A unique place to camp, swim, sunbathe, fish, sailboard or jet-ski, this property is perfect for memory-building.

Over the years, a grassroots community has grown at Long Beach, which you can delightfully experience at both the Annual Camper Appreciation BBQ and Bolerama.

With only 225 serviced and unserviced campsites, the seasonal campgrounds sell out in a hurry, so don’t put off booking your stay booking opens in April. Day Use and Camping from Victoria Day weekend through Thanksgiving weekend. 

https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas/long-beach

https://www.facebook.com/LongBeachON

Passive Conservation Areas

Bike parking, hiking trails, seasonal washrooms are available.

Beamer Memorial

Renowned as the best vantage point in the Niagara Peninsula to observe the annual spring hawk migration, and part of the internationally designated Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve, Beamer Memorial Conservation Area offers one of Niagara’s most breath-taking and panoramic views of the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario. Take a walk along the scenic Lookout and Bruce Trails and soak up the picturesque views of the 40 Mile Creek Valley, the Lake Ontario shoreline and the escarpment ridge from one of our viewings.

Every Good Friday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. There are live bird demonstrations, ‘Hawk Talks’ and displays.

https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas/beamer-memorial

Cave Springs

This property features spectacular vistas overlooking Lake Ontario and the old Lake Iroquois shore, and is an exquisite representation of the Niagara Escarpment’s talus slopes and cliffs. The escarpment rim and bedrock plain forests are dominated by Sugar Maples. The rich and unique diversity of plants and habitat on these rare escarpment features provide a linear migration corridor for animals and plants.

The cultural folklore and mystique of Cave Springs is as rich as its natural diversity. The late Margaret Reed, from whom the property came to NPCA, fondly spoke of the spring’s reputation as a ‘fountain of youth’. There is a famous ice cave, once used for refrigeration, which was regrettably blocked by a failed expansion attempt. There is an underground lake, a wartime hideout, mysterious rock carvings, and a nearby native North American encampment site.

https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas/cave-springs

Morgan’s Point

Morgan’s Point Conservation Area offers a unique setting of old growth forest and remnants of the oak savannah prairie that once covered large areas of the Niagara Peninsula. Located along the Lake Erie shoreline in Wainfleet, a sand dune complex and rock shoal outcrop provide natural shore protection for the land, as well as habitat for a wide variety of plants and fauna.

Experience the dunes and the majestic ‘old growth’ Sugar Maple, Black Walnut and Hop Hornbeam trees as you walk the boardwalk and trails. View the lake waterfowl and monarch butterflies as they stop to rest and refuel before crossing the lake during their migration. The Morgan’s Point boardwalk is designed to minimize human impact on the sensitive sand dune environment. Help us protect this rare site by sticking to the boardwalk.

https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas/morgans-point

St. Johns

Located within the Niagara Escarpment and Twelve Mile Creek valley, this natural area provides a tranquil setting for wildlife and visitors. A hot spot for seasonal trout fishing, St. Johns is also known for bird watching and nature education. Boasting four trails of varying lengths and difficulty: The Tulip Tree, Sassafras, Horseshoe, and St. Johns Ridge trails each wind their way through this large interior forest. Some trails are wheelchair and stroller accessible.

St. Johns is a sensitive ecosystem, so please help us protect it by keeping to the trails, and refraining from removing any plants or animals (including minnows, tadpoles and frogs).

https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas/st.-johns

Stevensville

The Stevensville Conservation Area is a passive recreational area located in the Town of Fort Erie. Visitors can experience a forest, meandering Black Creek, wetlands, a fishing pond and an open picnic area.

Conservation efforts continue at this area with the help of the Fort Erie Conservation Club (FECC). The FECC clubhouse can be found on the property. The Stevensville Conservation Area has a number of marked trails along the creek.

https://npca.ca/parks-recreation/conservation-areas/stevensville