Vansittart Woods Nature Trail

Vansittart Woods trail

Vansittart Woods is a wildlife protection area in Blanford, Ontario.

The Thames Valley District School Board uses this site as an outdoor education centre for its students, but you can use the trails easily enough by obtaining a permit.

Vansittart Woods

The trail is fairly flat and runs through the forest alongside a busy highway.

Leaf-covered Vansittart Woods path

This is the first trail that I have ran where the sounds of the city didn’t fade away the further I got into the bush.

These woods run alongside the Woodstock portion of Highway 401. I was surprised to actually see the highway when I was about halfway through my 5 kilometer run this afternoon.

Vansittart Woods floating dock

This floating dock is really nice. I love the autumn colours reflected in the water.

I have never taken up cross-country skiing but apparently this is one of the best places in the area for that winter sport.

The trail wasn’t very well labeled as I started my journey today. This was the first marking I came to, so I decided to start following the red trail.

It joined the blue trail and I followed that one back to the start. It turned out to be about a 3 kilometer route. So I turned around and ran portions of it again.

Next time, I come here, I won’t join the blue trail so quickly. There is much more to explore here. It runs for 8 kilometers. I didn’t even see half of that today. I will be going back soon.

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