Cheltenham Badlands

The Cheltenham Badlands is one of the best examples of badland topography in Ontario, making it an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI). Around the turn of the century, land clearing and livestock grazing caused the erosion of the underlying red shale, leaving a hummocky network of exposed trenched gullies on the lower slopes of the Niagara Escarpment. The resulting unique topography has gained considerable public interest, attracting thousands of international and local visitors annually, including numerous high school and university students studying geology and erosion.

NB: The Cheltenham Badlands northwest of Toronto is now closed to visitors likely for several years while a long-term conservation plan for the ecologically sensitive site is developed, says the Ontario Heritage Trust.

A fence will be erected along the road to keep people off the badlands and an environmental consultant will begin work on the conservation plan. I just saw an item (May 2918) that said this area was open again and a board walk has been added. I have yet to check this out.