Donald M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park, colloquially known as Chinguacousy Park, is a large park in the Bramalea section of

Brampton, Ontario Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it ...

, Canada. It is bounded by

Queen Street East Queen Street is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It extends from Roncesvalles Avenue and King Street in the west to Victoria Park Avenue in the east. Queen Street was the cartographic baseline for the original east- ...

on the southeast, Bramalea Road on the northeast, and Central Park Drive on the north and west sides. Terry Fox Stadium (Brampton) in the north of the park, sometimes called Terry Fox Track and Field Stadium, has a track and field oval surrounding an artificial turf field with

Canadian Football Canadian football () is a sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's scoring area ( ...

markings and stands for about 1000 spectators. It is used for various Canadian football and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

matches as well as

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

competitions. Chinguacousy is said to mean "Young Pine River". The park is named for Donald M. Gordon, who helped form the parks and recreation programs in Brampton, as well as Chippewa Chief Shinguacose ( 1858).

History

In 1970, the

City of Brampton Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it the ...

bought the farm from the Crawford family, with the intention of building a large park, paying for land and facilities from the proceeds of subdivision agreements.

Revitalization

In 2014, the federal, provincial and

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

government each agreed to contribute $8.2 million towards the park, to be used for renovations and new construction.

Facilities

The park's sport facilities include a curling facility, winterized tennis courts, beach volleyball courts, boating, skiing and track-and-field facilities. They also offer mini-putt golf, formal gardens and greenhouse, pedal boats, pony rides, petting zoo and barn, splash pad and children's playground, and a BMX/skateboard park. In winter 2017, a canal-style skating trail opened. It converts to a reflective fountain in summer. Chinguacousy Park Skate Trail 2022.jpg, Park Skate Trail Chinguacousy Park Petting Zoo 2022.jpg, Petting Zoo Chinguacousy Park Greenhouse 2022.jpg, Greenhouse Chinguacousy Park Pond 2022.jpg, Pond

Mount Chinguacousy

Mount Chinguacousy is a small

alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

and snowboarding hill located in the park, near the intersection of Bramalea Road and Central Park Drive. It features a

magic carpet A magic carpet, also called a flying carpet, is a legendary carpet and common trope in fantasy fiction. It is typically used as a form of transportation and can quickly or instantaneously carry its users to their destination. In literature One o ...

ski lift, beginner slopes on either side of the lift and a chalet and rental shop at the base of the hill. It is about high, with its longest run . It has snow-making facilities and night skiing, and is the only ski hill in Brampton. The hill is man-made, but contrary to popular belief, is not a former

landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the wast ...

site, but is constructed from the excavations for basements of many early Bramalea houses.

Events

There are a variety of summer camps offered for children and teens at this park. They are offered through Brampton Parks and Recreation Department. The park is also host to annual carnivals. City of Brampton hosts a Tough Run adventure race every September. The park also hosts outdoor movie nights during the summer.

References

External links

Donald M. Gordon Chinguacousy Park
- official site
Resort Statistics

Mount Chinguacousy - City of Brampton
{{Ski areas and resorts in Ontario Geography of Brampton Protected areas of the Regional Municipality of Peel Tourist attractions in Brampton Municipal parks in Ontario Ski areas and resorts in Ontario