John E. Pearce Provincial Park
As I travel our southern Ontario highways, I observe mostly farmers’ fields with meagre patches and rows of trees. There is only an inkling of what once existed. It’s hard to envision that southern Ontario had been covered in forest with bits of marsh and prairie grasses. When the Europeans settled here centuries ago, they steadily cleared the land for farming.
Fortunately, areas have been set up to let the indigenous woodland flourish. John E. Pearce Provincial Park developed from land donated to the province in 1955 by the Pearce family.
The day use park is easy to find from the Talbot Trail highway. Turning south at the main intersection in Wallacetown onto Currie Road leads to Lakeview Road in about five minutes. From there, turning east will promptly lead to the park’s Spicer Trail, which is fronted by the Backus Page House Museum.
The museum commemorates the history of the Talbot settlement. Information along with hours of operation is located at Backus Page House Museum.
There is no charge to explore the 1.26 km trail—roughly a half-hour undemanding walk. Partway, it branches off to an extended .45 km, giving the hiker a choice of distance. The extended trail splits to add an extra 1.24 km, but can only be used when the ground isn’t too muddy.
In a metal box in the parking lot, there are copies of a thoroughly written pamphlet. It explains the many trees, plants, and wildlife that call this small example of Carolinian forest home—some of the same trees and plants are common to the Carolinas in the States, giving us the name. Many of these species need its existence, as they can’t survive in an open landscape. Twenty-eight types of trees on the trail have been labeled and are listed in the pamphlet. Most notable is the array of flowers seen during early spring. Fall boasts a concentration of colourful foliage.
Spicer Trail ends at the highway, resulting in a short walk along the pavement back to the parking lot. On the other hand, across the road from the trail’s end, is the entrance to another section of the park. A dirt roadway swings through the shade of the canopy of trees, touching on a parking area and picnic area by the bluff overlooking Lake Erie, before returning to the entrance.
Trails meander through the woodland. The bluffs, however, are fenced off due to an unstable edge. From there, a steep clay and sand slope, rising in spots into small peaked mounds, falls to meet the shoreline.
The John E. Pearce Provincial Park and its Carolinian forest takes us on a journey back in time to where we can experience the landscape of southern Ontario as it once appeared.
(c) Cheryl Smyth, 2010