Erindale Park

Absolutely love this park! I grew up around its woods and waters, so I'll share some info about it for anyone interested. First the cliche stuff: great for picnics and family barbecues, lots of parking but fills up quickly on sunny weekend afternoons; washrooms should be open. Definitely check out the UTM Nature Trail (I love going in September to watch the trees turn during the salmon run, the birds-eye view is fantastic; but it's great year-round!). For fishing, check with local conservation authorities (CVC) as the populations can fluctuate, so be responsible. I wouldn't recommend eating anything you catch in urban areas.

Now some background:

It's the largest park in Mississauga, and is part of the broader Credit River watershed, which formed ~10,000yrs ago when the Laurentide Ice Sheet retreated (this same sheet carved out the Great Lakes and most lakes of the Canadian Shield).

It's called the Credit River because when European settlers (beginning with the French) came to the region, they traded with the Indigenous Anishinaabe peoples on a principle of credit along this river.

The watershed's unique geology and climate mean that it's an ideal habitat for diverse flora and fauna. Hawk, deer, and a few species of fish are not uncommon, along with various woodpeckers, garter snakes, etc.

My personal favourite, ubiquitous in this region which you can find most easily in late spring to early summer under rotting logs, is the lungless Eastern Red-Backed Salamander (P.cinereus, pictured; if you find it, be kind! They need moisture to breathe through their skin and are very territorial, so leave them where you find them!). They evolved ~50 million years ago and have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria on their skin that produce antifungals, protecting them from their habitat. They eat mainly small insects.

Show your kids where to find them and you won't be able to pull them away - try the many rotted logs up on the cliff of the UTM Nature Trail, it won't take long to find but if it's hot and dry (July) or cold (October) you'll struggle, they go deeper underground. June is best.

If you look closely at the rock formations, they tell of a rich geological history: limestone, in which you can readily see small marine shell fossils (mostly bivalves), are a relic of when this entire region was submerged under a shallow tropical sea millions of years ago. Most of the cliff formations are a mix of this and shale, which also tends to form underwater in calm conditions.

If you go to the parking lot and cross the bridge, make a right in the field and walk down to the edge of the water, there's a trail in the woods there. Rip off some cedar leaf and smear it in your hands, get your kids to smell it; learn about some of the local plants, take them up the trail, if you find a spot with lots of moist looking logs and leaf litter (there's a good spot near the trail mark), look for salamanders with them.

Show them some of the rocks and explain how much this world has changed, how this all used to be underwater, then under ice, then a hotspot for trade between Europeans and Indigenous peoples, until finally the park it is today. Take them for the salmon run and teach them about why it's important to protect these places.

I promise you, it will be one of the most educational, enriching sensory experiences a child could hope for - the smell of cedar, the rushing water, the thrill of looking for critters, finding fossils, understanding the history of this sacred place.

This place is my heart outside my body. Please enjoy it and treat it with respect so that our children's children can enjoy it too!

July, the height of summer. Escaped into this oasis filled with greenery and natural flora & fauna. Located at the centre of buzzing city life. Mark this park for your next summer visit. Laze in the grass under the shade of a huge tree and count the passing clouds. Listen to Credit River flowing by. Rejuvenate with nature therapy.

Beautiful park perfect for family and friends. The trail by the river is just beautiful. The park is home to some wild animals like deer, birds, etc. It is definitely a place to check out in Missisauga.

Awesome walking on lonb hikes along the Credit River; not so crowded this time of the year with ample parking.

Beautiful park but dog owners beware. I walked with my dog on trail for about an hour got home and picked 5 ticks off of her.please be careful and check your animals when your done walking!

Even though the scenery is generally brown this time of year, it is a refreshing walk along the river. Wear boots as some parts if the path are muddy with small pools of water. You can walk all the way to Burnhamrhorpe Road/Riverwood Conservancy.

If you're a fan of salmon and trout, this is one of the one of the places to be. They have their own breeding site

Wish there was more to see around here but I was able to stay socially distanced, see nice fall foliage and enjoy the beauty of the lake with some coffee.

Fishing or cardeo walk and reading a good book or just a peace of mind from the beautiful Sean.

Great place for hiking, running, or just enjoying sometime in the great outdoors. Lots of wildlife and places for bird watching.

Good park for hiking or walking. During the right season you can also see the salmon run. However the down side is that you can also smell the salmon run

Beautiful park, visited it during winter, I am sure the place would have looked much beautiful in summers

Beautiful place, ideal for a family picnic, fishing, walking and relaxing, would always come back, ample space even on crowded days.

This is a great open space park that all families can come have a BBQ, play games or fly a kite. There is lots of free parking. There is also walking paths that follow the Credit River and through the woods.

This is a really nice park but I just feel like maybe we visited on the wrong day. It was a long weekend and the weather was unusually beautiful for the time of year. It was packed solid. I don’t even think we would have enjoyed ourselves due to so many people being everywhere. There were tons of cars driving in circles in search for parking and not 1 single space available. After 25 mins we gave up and chose a different place to visit.

My first visit to this park was in 1989. It is connected with a lot of great memories for me. It's a highly visited park these days - people on the trails even at dusk on a rainy day. Still, it has not lost its charm or dulled my experience there despite the heavy foot traffic. I love this place.

Very big park with many picnic tables, kids play area, trail, car parking, space for fishing and kids to swim. Usually this park is crowded but because of the size of the park you will easily get your own space. Getting a car parking spot is very difficult. One option is to park the car at ‘University of Toronto’ car parking (paid parking) area and walk to the park on a short trail. The trail between the university of Toronto and the park is very beautiful.

Only problem in this park is to get a car parking. Other than that it is a great park.

I love this park, it is very close to my home. It is very beautiful in all 4 seasons. I love the leaves colors in this park. Every year I go for walk on the leaves with my husband. Trees River, Jungol, love all of them

A great park with a beautiful river streaming along the trail. The park also includes some mini isles in the river, a cliff trail and a climbable forested hill. There is also great places for a picnic, a giant hill for the kids to roll down and great animals.

Nice calm park that's not too overcrowded even on a Saturday. Great views and can sit on rocks near the water. Lots of wildlife too like snakes and fish and ducks. Be aware of wild plants though

Very large park with washroom facilities, clean and supplied with toilet paper. (very important). A short walk to the river where you can walk along the river, with benches placed along the path to rest. Great location for a picnic or just to relax.

Great park. Beautiful trails for bikes and walking. You walk along the credit river. Such beautiful scenery.

1) Parking issues is a big concern.
2) Reserved places are flaunted by some - i.e. A small family can reserve a spot, but many tables around this reserved spot go un-utilised, thereby depriving other visitors a place to sit, especially during peak times (weekends/holidays). Correction is needed.

Beautiful trails to walk and ride bikes. Very lively park to have picnics and enjoy the outdoors. Although there is always a crowd, it is very spacious and you will always find a place to relax.

It's fun for everyone. Clean park, well maintained. Just make sure you clean up after yourself to keep it clean and decent for everyone to enjoy. A peaceful family environment. Blessings to all who come here.

This park is very big and kids friendly. Good for spending a day doing variety of things like kids park, large open area, barbecue inside shade or open space, fishing, cycling or just a walk.

Erindale Park is an absolute gem in Mississauga. The culham trail is amazing and definitely something people in (or visiting) Mississauga should complete. At over 12km long its also the longest trail in the city!

Ohhhhhh My God. Such a charming place (this is in 2020)
P. S: If the City cares, we couldn't find a parking space the last couple times we've been their and we just left and for sure never come back again this Summer (2021)!

The trails are fairly easy, well maintained, and mostly accessible. There are some good side trails to take that aren't too hard either if you're looking to get more into the brush whether hiking or mountain biking.

The park is nice, lots of space and open areas but the parking was my nightmare on the weekend. Looks like it is hotspot for gathering (pandemic?).
Need peaceful and same time: Huron park 5 min drive from this madness or come on weekdays.

It would be hard to find a Mississauga resident who hasn't been to this park. And that's because it's a great park - enormous fields with plenty of trees! Ample space for picnics, BBQs, games, parties, biking, fishing, hiking, literally anything! It's a great place! It may not be able to rival conservation areas when it comes to nature hiked, but if you want to get away from the city, while still being in the city. This is the place! Lots of parking spaces, but never enough for the amount of people that come there, especially on weekends! The parking was 70% full on Tuesday at 2pm. You can only imagine what holidays are like. But a great park and I recommend everyone to visit it at least once to explore!

Beautiful park.lots of trails and benches. Even if it's crowded you can social distance because the park is really big but get there early to get parking

Close by if you live in the area. Huge open fileds to play and have a picnic. They got public washrooms and a kids playground too. Stream runs through the park and they got trails that run along with it giving you a nice view as take a walk. Just be ready to wait on parking on busy days as that is the biggest downfall of this place. Upside, they usually always have an icecream van on those busy days.

Despite the parking lot being nearly full the park is so spacious I was still alone walking much of the Culham Trail. Great day out!

Very good park with multiple long easy trial with river on the side. Best place to go with little ones and with pet animals. I see people do fishing, BBQ etc. Fun place for people watching as well.

I love coming to erindale park to ride my bike. The paths are well kept, there is a lot of places that you can explore through as well. This park is great for a family day out for it is equip with soccer nets, outdoor BBQ's and large fields.

In my experience, Erindale Park was an enjoyable trip for us. Me and my friends went there for a barbeque and played some outdoor games and had an amazing time. We've been there for three and half hours and then we all packed stuff and went back home. Overall, we just have had a lovely trip and I would highly recommend anyone to must visit this place to have fun!

Very crowded and busy, parking is always full in summer and weekends. It was so muddy begining of may.

It's usually pretty busy but it makes for a lovely walk in the evening when the crowd dies down a bit, but even during the peak times on a nice summer day it's great.

I would rate it better if it is not overly crowded. During the weekend of warm days, large crowds of people will be having fun like they own it. The noise and mess they make are insane.

Wonderful in winter for snowboarding for kids and great activities in summer, the city should extend the parking area

The amazing and the most peaceful place to spend time family time in MISSISSAUGA. There is a dedicated picnic spot to spend time with your family and friends. My choice in this park is to sit near the flowing river. Some People come here for cycling, some for flying kites, play cricket / football etc. There are BBQ spots but the issues is they are not clean, so bring your own BBQ Machine. My advice to the visitors that please don’t leave the used coffee cups on the BBQ stands and please protect Environment from pollution

Amazing and peaceful place to spend time. There is a dedicated picnic spot to spend time with your family and friends. My choice in this park is to sit near the flowing river. Some People come here for ‍️ cycling and some for flying kites. There are barbecue spots but the issues is they are not clean.

My advice to the visitors is don’t place the used coffee cups on the barbecue stands and please protect nature from pollution.

Beautiful large park located in Mississauga along the CreditView river and UTM campus. There are multiple picnic areas, large open spaces and a paved trail for walking and biking. We saw quite a few fishers so guessing it’s a good spot for that. There is a beautiful bridge that looks over the water. We did see a coyote when we were out at dusk, so beware. Otherwise a beautiful park.

Great for nice walks or bike rides next to the river, lots of green space and trees, can sometimes spot deers in the area, great for picnics and has lots of outdoor grills for BBQ. There is also a bug shelter/hut area you can book with the city for events (birthdays, corporate events, etc).

Nice park to watch events, walk dogs, read area history, admire the river and vegetation, jogging, etc.

Very well maintained facilities. Lots of paths to go down. There is ample amount of parking and clean washroom facilities. Great place to bring the kids on a weekend. Perfect for biking walking or jogs. Good places to take pictures as well. Lots of people going fly fishing

A big beautiful park, family-friendly and great for having picnics with friends or going for walks by the river!

Huge park with nice trails. You can walk by the river, have a picnic, do a photoshoot or just hang out. I visit this park frequently and it never disappoints. BBQ and picnic tables are available in some areas. Also you can fish in the river.

Very quiet and a great experience to enjoy the beautiful outdoors! Very few bugs and good for a picnic.

Visited in March 24th for 1 hour jogging. Good place for doing many activities like fishing, jogging, playing kites many more. It has stream running through the park, many seating arrangements. Could not cover the entire park, definitely going to visit again.

Beautiful park, to avoid in winter months, it was under ice the entire way.
I will go back in spring or summer!

A wonderful place to relax and cook a few stakes on the grill! After a long week of removing Junk from Mississauga homes, JunkX.ca staff love to chill in Erindale Park!

I went fishing in the river but the park itself looks really nice. Perfect for a day out with the family or just for a nature hike along the river.

Long trail for walking and cycling beside a river, a lot of picnic benches, large fields and a playground.

One of my grandpas favourite places to go for walks. It’s peaceful and the river makes you feel like your not in the city.

It is huge, spacious, green, splendid and eye soothing. The atmosphere is worth enjoying and full of fun.

Great park. Trails along to Dr and wooded areas. Biking, jogging, walking etc.great for picnics and large family outings.

Splendid walk by the river! It might get dark early in the park in autumn and winter. Remember to bring torchlight if you intend to stay out late.

This park is really huge and has a great view on the river.

New washrooms have been built which have made the park more family oriented.

The park has a trail all along the river and has three picnic areas.

There are many barbecue grills for the public and two playing grounds for the kids.

During the summer there are always an ice cream truck and hotdog car.

During winter there are two places where people go sledging.

Great fun for every member of the family.

Great park but there is a big lack of water fountains! I could only find a single one, and it was a bottle filler only (mostly unsuable without a bottle).

Expansive park tucked away in old Mississauga adjacent to UofT Erindale. The Entrance is barely noticeable on Dundas. Ample free parking. Newer washrooms facilities by the parking lot. Lots of shaded areas to setup a picnic and or utilize the picnic tables available. Even the green areas around the parking lot lends itself to a comfortable picnic.

Lots of walking trails, some over creeks. Lots of space to run, play catch, throw a football, kick a soccer ball around, etc.

Erindale Park is a gigantic green space when you want to escape from the city. There are many picnic/BBQ sites, most of which will be busy with families and friends during the warm summer weekends. The free parking lot off Dundas St will usually have an ice cream truck and hot dog stand in the summer as well.