Scotsdale Farm is one of Halton Hills’ most beautiful places and a favourite location for photographers and filmmakers. This 531-acre heritage property near Georgetown offers rolling hills, old-growth woodland, meadows, and streams, with the Silver Creek Conservation Area nearby. Visitors can combine farm landscapes with marked hiking on the Bruce Trail and four side trails.
Scotsdale Farm Hiking Trails Near Georgetown: Names, History, and What to Walk
Scotsdale Farm is one of Halton Hills’ most beautiful places and a favourite location for photographers and filmmakers. The 531-acre heritage property near Georgetown offers rolling hills, old-growth woodland, meadows, and streams, with the Silver Creek Conservation Area nearby. Visitors can combine farm landscapes with marked hiking on the Bruce Trail and four side trails.
Hiking at Scotsdale Farm
The former Scotsdale Farm remains one of the nicest walks near Georgetown. Large meadows, mature forest, and creeks can be explored on the main Bruce Trail and the Bennett Heritage Trail, plus three loop side trails.
The Bruce Trail — 10.5 km (through this section)
The Bruce Trail is Canada’s oldest and longest marked hiking path. It is not named after anyone connected with the farm. The name comes from Bruce County and the Bruce Peninsula, which the trail follows. Both take their name from James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin, Governor General of the Province of Canada from 1847 to 1854. The main white-blazed route runs through Scotsdale Farm and links to the side trails below.
Bennett Heritage Trail — 3.9 km
This was the first dedicated farm trail and officially opened on Canada Day in 1992. It is named after Stewart and Violet (Letty) Bennett. They bought the farm in 1938, expanded it to more than 500 acres, and developed Scotsdale into an internationally known breeding farm for Arabian horses and Shorthorn cattle. They had no children and in 1982 bequeathed the property to the Ontario Heritage Trust (then the Ontario Heritage Foundation).
Maureen Smith Side Trail — 6.6 km loop
Named in honour of Maureen Smith of Georgetown, who worked tirelessly for the Halton Hills chapter of the Toronto Bruce Trail Club. The name recognizes her volunteer work maintaining and promoting local trails.
Great Esker Side Trail — 3.6 km loop
Not named after a person. An esker is a long glacial ridge of sand and gravel left by a meltwater stream under a glacier. The trail follows that ridge. “Great” refers to the prominent landform in the Silver Creek area.
Duff Pit Side Trail — 2.4 km loop
Also not named after a person. The name refers to an old gravel pit (quarry). The route passes the remains of Duff Pit — now a wooded area with a spring, a small waterfall, and a reservoir dam.
Short history of Scotsdale Farm
Stewart and Violet Bennett developed Scotsdale into a renowned breeding farm for Arabian horses and Shorthorn beef cattle. In 1982, they bequeathed the farm to the Ontario Heritage Trust. They also left $1,335,000 to Georgetown Hospital, wishing that the money be used for elderly care.
Today the farm is a protected heritage landscape on the Niagara Escarpment: working fields, historic buildings, and public hiking connecting Scotsdale Farm with Silver Creek Conservation Area and the wider Bruce Trail network.
Article with more detailed history >>
