Short Hills Provincial Park is a

provincial park Ischigualasto Provincial Park A provincial park (or territorial park) is a park administered by one of the provinces of a country, as opposed to a national park. They are similar to state parks in other countries. They are typically open to t ...

located in the centre of the Niagara Peninsula, bordering the city of St. Catharines and the town of Pelham in the Niagara Region in southern

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

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 tot ...

. It occupies an area of . It also borders the new vineyard sub-appellation called the

Short Hills Bench The Short Hills Bench is a sub-appellation of the Niagara Peninsula (St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada). Flora and fauna A Carolinian Climatic Zone, the Short Hills Bench has been acknowledged for its unique soils, topography and climate by the gove ...

. Located on the southern edge of the Niagara Escarpment, the park is a jumble of small but steep hills ("short hills") and valleys created by the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

. The effect was only compounded when the Twelve Mile Creek cut through the sedimentary deposits and glacial till. Wildlife inhabiting the park include

white-tailed deer The white-tailed deer (''Odocoileus virginianus''), also known as the whitetail or Virginia deer, is a medium-sized deer native to North America, Central America, and South America as far south as Peru and Bolivia. It has also been introduced t ...

, coyote, and

meadow vole The eastern meadow vole (''Microtus pennsylvanicus''), sometimes called the field mouse or meadow mouse, is a North American vole found in eastern Canada and the United States. Its range extends farther south along the Atlantic coast. The west ...

. Being at the north end of the

Carolinian zone The Carolinian forest refers to a life zone in eastern North America characterized primarily by the predominance of deciduous (broad-leaf) forest. The term "Carolinian", which is most commonly used in Canada, refers to the deciduous forests which s ...

, many plants grow here that do not grow or are rarely found in other parts of Canada, including pawpaw,

sweet chestnut ''Castanea sativa'', the sweet chestnut, Spanish chestnut or just chestnut, is a species of tree in the family Fagaceae, native to Southern Europe and Asia Minor, and widely cultivated throughout the temperate world. A substantial, long-lived ...

and

tulip-tree ''Liriodendron'' () is a genus of two species of characteristically large trees, deciduous tree, deciduous over most of their populations, in the magnolia family (biology), family (Magnoliaceae). These trees are widely known by the common name ...

. The only park of its scale in Niagara, Short Hills Provincial Park is a prime destination for residents of nearby cities, especially St. Catharines and

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

. Popular activities include

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

horseback riding Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, driving, and vaulting. This broad description includes the ...

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

and mountain biking. The park contains six-side trails including 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 Nia ...

and several waterfalls, it has a nice mix of both dense forests and open meadows, with meandering creeks and gentle hills that offer good hiking conditions.

References

External links

*
Friends of Short Hills Park

Short Hills Provincial Park
Provincial parks of Ontario Niagara Escarpment Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests in Canada Protected areas of the Regional Municipality of Niagara Forests of Ontario Protected areas established in 1985 1985 establishments in Ontario St. Catharines {{Canada-protected-area-stub

References

Further reading

External links