Badge of Awesome Communities invites you to share your favourite things to see and do in cool destinations around the world. Check out the article below to learn all about Brampton’s Treetop Trekking adventure — one of our featured attractions from the Toronto area.

TREETOP TREKKING IN BRAMPTON

by Michelle Stanzby

“That’s not Brampton!” 

So said my close friend Jill when I told her what I had done on the weekend.

Showing her the above picture of my boyfriend and I high in the trees overlooking a beautiful lake didn’t help.

I don’t blame her for thinking that, you’d be better off guessing this picture was taken at one Treetop Trekking’s more ‘rural’ locations like Huntsville, Barrie or Ganaraska near Port Hope.

Nope! This is Brampton all right, Heart Lake Conservation Area to be exact, and it is definitely not the Brampton most people think of.

This hidden gem is easy to get to off of Highway 410, about 40 minutes from downtown Toronto. There is a good size lake that you can paddle and fish in after your trek, mature pines, hardwoods and Hemlock trees to monkey around in, and even a splash pad for the kids!

I didn’t quite know what to expect when I turned into Heart Lake Conservation area last July, but we quickly found our way to the Treetop Trekking check-in cabin, where they were expecting us because of our online reservation. We filled out our waivers and our eager guide for the day got us and the other ‘brave adventures’ in our group suited up in a rock climbing style gear.

I was a little nervous they were just going to let us loose on this impressive network of bridges and ladders that are spread out in the tree tops along the shore of the lake. Thankfully the staff took the time to show us how to use our safety equipment and went through what to expect once we left solid ground.

After this safety briefing, we started off on the first level called Chickadee where we crossed wire bridges, balance logs and a hammock walkway before ending with a really fast zip line! Woo hoo!

From here we progressed to an intermediate course, which had a bunch of different bridges and other games, and then onto the advanced level. There are 6 different levels in total, each one different than the last and a little more challenging and a little higher in the trees. The staff were awesome, and were there every step of the way to encourage us and give us handy tips.

We ended the day off on the Blue Heron, a 1000ft zip line that goes right over the lake, which is followed by another zip line all the way back. I’m not going to lie, I may have been on the verge of chickening out, but after a few minutes of “OMG’s”, and the encouragement of our patient guide, I went for it, and it felt a lot more relaxing than I thought. I actually had some time to look around and marvel at my surroundings before reaching the other side.

All and all, this visit to Treetop Trekking in Brampton was on of the highlights of my summer. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for some outdoor adventure close to the city!

They are open from April until October, and reservations are recommended.

Check them out at treetoptrekking.com