Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The Cheltenham Badlands


We visited my husband's cousin and her family on Saturday. They took us to the nearby Cheltenham Badlands, a small example of badlands formation in Caledon, Ontario. For those of you who don't know what badlands are (I confess I didn't) here it is straight from Wikipedia:

Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. They are characterized by steep slopes, minimal vegetation, lack of a substantial regolith and high drainage density. Okay, whatever, they're just pretty cool.


The Caledon site, located along the picturesque Niagara Escarpment, features exposed and eroded Queenston shale. At one point in time, the Cheltenham Badlands were occupied by a large river. The formation is mostly red in colour due to iron oxide deposits with some faint green streaks due to ground water percolation changing the red iron oxide into green iron oxide.


It's a great place to bring kids, because they run up and down the hills and totally tire themselves out. Plus you can pretty much see them wherever they wander, so Mom and Dad don't have to run after them (except if they are really little, obviously).







If you visit the badlands, be sure to watch out for red bums before getting back in the car!

What sites would you like to visit this summer?





17 comments:

  1. wow that looks amazing!

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    1. We were pretty happy to find something this cool so close to home. :)

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  2. That's pretty neat!!! Great pictures!

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  3. I grew up along the Niagara Escarpment and never knew these existed! I feel somewhat humbled now :[ This looks like a lot of fun to explore, and I can see the instant attraction for kids. Climbing over large rocks and boulders has always been something I loved doing ... the escarpment provided that growing up ... and also caves! Thanks for sharing this Jo. Wendy x

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    1. I also grew up along the Escarpment and never knew about the badlands Wendy! Yes, it's great for kids...and fun for adults too. ;) Jo

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  4. WOW your pictures are great Jo, how come Mom and Dad never told us this existed?

    Love You

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    1. I know, I'm surprised Dad didn't drive us there...all those Sunday drives! ;)

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  5. Gorgeous pictures, I love them! I remember visiting the badlands in South Dakota years ago and it was very beautiful and very hot :) This looks like a perfect trip to me.

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    1. Thanks! I have only seen pics of the South Dakota badlands, but boy is it stunning! This is a much smaller scale, but a nice outing nonetheless. :)

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  6. This is so cool. I had no idea about this place either and I must be about an hour away?! My son would love this, definitely going to have to check this out this summer.
    Thanks!

    Pia
    pjmscloset.blogspot.ca

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    1. You should definitely go! Your son will absolutely love it! :) And you will like checking out the gorgeous houses in the area, like I did. ;)

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  7. Love these pictures! Such an amazing place!

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