Update June 10, 2018
We revisited Island Lake Conservation Area on June 9, 2018 for sunset – this time with a tripod in tow. We’ve added an image gallery below with our latest sunset photos. These were taken on the opposite side of Island Lake from the initial set of pictures.
There’s no other way to say it, spring 2018 in Ontario (and most other places in North America) completely sucked and was pretty much non-existent – an extension of winter. So, when the air finally started to warm up and the snow flakes disappeared from the weather forecast, it was time to get out and see some nature.
Despite being surrounded by civilization, the Vicki Barron Lakeside Trail at Island Lake Conservation Area in Orangeville, Ontario fills in for nature quite nicely, in a pinch (after all, that is a loon in the picture to the right). Armed with some photography tweaks I’d been hoping to play with for some time, I headed out to the trail for sunset this past week.
Island Lake Conservation Area Image Gallery
The images in the gallery were not taken with a pro camera but with a Canon Rebel T6i DSLR. Also, the photos were shot handheld as I foolishly hit the trail without a tripod. For full-size, high resolution versions for any of the photos in the gallery (and the one above) simply click on the individual pictures.
The full moon took me by surprise and I didn’t really capture as best I could…
Island Lake Sunset Images (June, 2018)
High resolution versions of these images and other photos from the same day are available at Dreamstime. Want to earn cash from your own photos? Why not sign up for free with Dreamstime and start submitting now: Become a paid photographer!
Island Lake Conservation Area
Once known as Orangeville Reservoir Conservation Area, Island Lake Conservation Area earns its name with several secluded islands planted mostly at the eastern stretch of the small lake. A walking bridge now connects two of the island with the mainland but other islands remain off limits to humans.
The official vehicle entrance to the park is located at the end of Hurontario Street South in Orangeville, Ontario. If you’re coming from the south on Highway 10 (Toronto and Peel Region), you need to turn right at Buena Vista (Broadway if you turn left) then take a quick left at Hurontario Street. You’ll known the intersection by the Boston Pizza restaurant on the hill.
There are three other parking lots to access the Vicki Barron Lakeside Trail. You will only pay fees at the main entrance. There is parking at the Home Hardware just a little further north on Highway 10 but this plants you on the busiest section of trail. There is a lot off Hockley Road, just across from the Mono-Amaranth Public School. This entrance takes you in through the northwest corner of the park and the parking lot can get quite busy at times.
There is also a parking lot at the northern portion of Hurontario Street, across the lake from the main park area. This is the quietest parking lot that takes you to the quietest, yet most scenic portions of the trail. All images in this article were taken near this spot. There is also a pit toilet located here, the only washroom outside of the main area on the other side of the lake.
The fact that Hurontario Street continues on both the north and south sides of the lake is pretty interesting. Being a dammed up, man-made lake, there was a time when the road went straight through. If you look at overhead views on Google Earth, you can still see the road bed. If you’re in a canoe, you can spot the transition to hard packed gravel when you pass over where the road once existed.
Orangeville, Ontario
Orangeville, Ontario is a town of around 30,000 that mostly serves as a bedroom community for Peel Region and the Greater Toronto Area. Unofficially, the top employers are real estate agencies, Tim Horton’s coffee shops and dance studios.
The town was incorporated first as a village in 1863 and then as a town ten years later. This is the Dufferin County seat and the Dufferin County courthouse is a classic structure worth checking out.
Orangeville is located about 40 kilometres northwest of Brampton, Ontario. It is 81 KM from the centre of Downtown Toronto, 87 KM driving distance from Barrie and 56 KM from Guelph. You can get a closer look at all these cities, including Orangeville, through this playlist at our YouTube Channel: Driving Around Ontario.
