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Shorthills Provincial Park


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Location: About 4 km southwest of St. Catharines, along the Niagara Escarpment. Access is via Cataract, Roland, or Pelham Roads.

The area known as Shorthills Provincial Park, at 660 hectares is a large natural environment park in the heart of Niagara.

The hilly, rolling landscape was defined thousands of years ago by glaciers. During the Wisconsin Ice Age (apx. 12,800 years ago), the area of Short Hills was flooded by the body of water known as Lake Warren, which would eventually become known as Lake Erie.

As the glaciers retreated they left behind large deposits of sand and rock. Eventually as the water in Lake Ontario receded and levelled off and rivers and streams provided routes for glacial melt the once-flooded area became lush and green.

Early settlers to the area were drawn to these fast moving rivers and creeks to power their mills and the Short Hills contain some of Niagara's earliest settlements. One of these very early communities was St. John's.

Shorthills Provincial Park is a day-use park with hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking being the primary uses. Certain parts of the park are reserved for hikers only.

shorthills park

A short walk past the entrance to Shorthills Provincial Park from Pelham Road.