Outdoors & Nature

Island Lake Conservation Area

Scenic forested trails, huge boardwalks, nature, fishing, hiking, swimming and boating all on a 182-hectare reservoir, five minutes from Broadway, sitting on the headwaters of both the Credit and the Nottawasaga. Closer, cheaper and better than anything else in the region.

Just show up

673067 Hurontario St S, Orangeville·~5 min from Orangeville·329 ha·$8.50 adult

Aerial view of Island Lake Conservation Area, showing the reservoir, its causeways and boardwalks, the surrounding forest, and the edge of Orangeville along Highway 10. — Photo: Dufferin Local

Before you go — checked July 27, 2026

Stations 1–3 on the Lakeside Trail are closed until 4 September 2026.
The Home Hardware parking lot is closed indefinitely to trail users — vehicles will be towed. Use the park lots.
Check cvc.ca/park-advisories the morning you go.

Hours

Mon–Fri 7 a.m.–9 p.m.; weekends and holidays 6 a.m.–9 p.m. No entry within 30 minutes of closing. Park store Mon–Fri 8 a.m.–8:30 p.m., weekends 6 a.m.–8:30 p.m.

If you only do one thing on this list, do this one. Island Lake is 329 hectares wrapped around a 182-hectare reservoir, and it sits directly on the headwaters of both the Credit and the Nottawasaga — a six-kilometre wetland system fed by groundwater upwellings. It’s closer, cheaper, flatter and better rated than anything else in the region, and locals still under-rate it.

Bob’s Bridges — the long boardwalk spans crossing the lake — are the most photographed thing in Orangeville. Go in the second half of October.

The trails

Trail	Length	Grade	Notes
Vicki Barron Lakeside Trail	8.0 km	Moderate	The signature loop, about 2 hrs. Crushed stone and decking, average grade 2.3%, rest areas less than 800 m apart. Stroller-friendly.
Memorial Forest Trail	1.6 km	Easy	Memorial plantings, an experimental nut plantation, and the stone wall Eric Landman built for his wife.
Sugar Bush Trail	1.2 km	Moderate	A working maple–beech sugar bush. Not maintained in winter.
Hockley Trail (Town of Mono)	1.2 km	Easy	—
Island Lake Family Trail (Mono)	1.0 km	Easy	From the Hockley Road lot.

Fees

2026, HST included. Adult 15–64 $8.50 · Senior 65+ $6.75 · Person with a disability $6.75 · Youth 6–14 $3.75 · Under 6 free · CVC Parks Pass free.

Five EV charging stations on site. Accessible indoor washrooms at lot P1 only.

What you can actually do here

Paddling — canoe, kayak and SUP rentals in season — electric motorboats, fishing, ice fishing, skating, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, fat biking, kick-sledding and birding. The waterfront amphitheatre runs outdoor yoga and live theatre, there’s a “Tales on the Trail” storywalk, an annual Ice Fishing Derby in February, and a new Crane Gathering Space being built on site.

Local knowledge: geese congregate on the beach and can trigger bacterial water-quality closures for swimming. If a swim is the whole point of the trip, phone ahead.

Fishing

This is the best fishing near Orangeville, and most people don’t know it. Pike, largemouth bass, crappie, perch and panfish — with pike over 10 pounds and largemouth over 6 coming out of here. Ten accessible piers on the south shore, so you don’t need a boat, and two derbies a year.

Full guide to fishing Island Lake → — species, the piers, ice fishing, both derbies, and the licence rules.

Note for drivers: Lynn Gibson Park in Mono overlooks the lake but is not an access point to the conservation area, and parking there for any other purpose is prohibited.

Official website →

Island Lake Conservation Area in pictures

The Credit Valley Conservation entrance sign for Island Lake Conservation Area, with a woman walking a golden retriever along the gravel path beside it. — The main entrance off Hurontario Street. Opening hours are posted right on the sign.

A family walking along the long wooden boardwalk across Island Lake, with a man fishing from the railing on the right. — Bob's Bridges — the boardwalk spans that cross the lake, and the most photographed thing in Orangeville.

A man walking a black and white dog along a wide, shaded forest trail lined with tall pines at Island Lake. — Shaded, wide and mostly flat. Much of the trail network runs through mature forest like this.

A person paddling a green canoe through lily pads on Island Lake, with two mallards nearby and a long trestle boardwalk crossing the water behind. — Canoe, kayak and paddleboard rentals run in season. Electric motors only.

The Island Lake Amphitheatre stage built out over the water, with children building sandcastles on the beach in front and a paddleboarder passing behind. — The waterfront amphitheatre hosts outdoor yoga and live theatre through the summer.

A wide view across the frozen Island Lake in winter, dotted with blue ice huts and anglers sitting out on the ice under a bright sun. — Come January the lake fills with huts. The Ice Fishing Derby runs each February.

Two northern pike lying on the snow beside a freshly drilled ice fishing hole, with ice huts scattered across the frozen lake behind. — Pike are the usual prize through the ice.

A northern pike and a yellow perch laid out on the snow next to an ice fishing hole, with minnows and a tip-up rig arranged alongside. — Pike and yellow perch, with minnows for bait.

Photos: Dufferin Local

Details checked July 27, 2026. Fees, hours and closures change — phone ahead for anything that would ruin the trip if it were wrong.

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