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The McLaren Marsh at Ken Reid Conservation Area

Ken Reid

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Ken Reid Conservation Area is open year-round. Spend the day hiking, biking or snowshoeing on more than 10 km of diverse trails. It is also home to our Off-Leash Dog Park and to our Administrative Centre.

Ken Reid Conservation Area Trail Map

Parking

Parking is available at multiple locations at Ken Reid Conservation Area from April to November. Annual parking passes and daily parking can be purchased in a number of ways for your convenience. Those looking to purchase Senior Annual parking passes may do so by contacting the Administrative Centre.

Pay on-site using our Pay and Display.

Pay for your daily parking pass using our pay and display machine. As you enter the park, stop at the pay and display machine to purchase your daily parking pass using coins, Visa, Mastercard or American Express. Place your ticket on your dash, face up, so information is visible through windshield. 

Annual parking passes can be purchased online with MacKay Pay or by contacting our Administration Centre. 

Pay online with MacKay Pay 

Pay for your daily or annual parking pass online using MacKay Pay.

  • From a web browser: Zone 3181
  • Using the Mackay Pay App: Zone 3181
    Android
    Apple

The MacKay Pay App is now available at Ken Reid Conservation Area and will transform the way Kawartha Conservation motorists pay for parking. The app enables motorists to pay for parking using their smartphone in addition to the traditional payment methods. MacKay Pay is available for daily parking and regular annual parking passes. Those wishing to purchase a senior annual parking pass can do so by contacting the Administrative Centre. 

Using MacKay Pay enables customers to pay for parking from their smartphones before departure, during their trip or upon arrival at their destination, adding significant time saving and convenience to the parking process.

Using a single MacKay Pay account, users can pay for parking at Ken Reid Conservation Area and anywhere MacKay Pay is accepted across North America. 

MacKay Pay can be downloaded for free on both iOS and Android via the App Store or Google Play.

Contact our Administrative Centre

Contact us at our Administrative Centre during regular business hours to purchase your Annual or Senior Annual parking pass. 

Parking rates (HST included)
Parking typeCost
Daily rate $4

Annual pass

$84.75

Seniors annual pass (65+)

$67.80

Facilities

Ken Reid offers:

  • Year-round paid parking 
  • Washrooms
  • Accessible washrooms (located at the (former) beach parking area)
  • Picnic shelters
  • Garbage cans
  • Hiking trails
  • Accessible trail
  • Lookout
  • Boardwalk
  • Playground 
  • Outdoor Classroom
  • Group Camp
  • Field Centre
  • Administrative Building 

Facility rentals

Rent one of our facilities for your next celebration, corporate event or field trip. Ken Reid Conservation Area offers a number of different facility rentals to meet your needs. Not sure if Ken Reid Conservation Area can host your event; contact our Conservation Areas Technician to see if we can help. 

Outdoor Classroom 

An outdoor blackboard with several wooden tables and seating.The Outdoor Classroom is located behind the Field Centre at Ken Reid Conservation Area. With access to a chalkboard, seven tables and seating for approximately 30 people, the Outdoor Classroom makes a great addition to any field trip. 

Available for half or full day rentals.

Book the Outdoor Classroom

Field Centre

Consider booking the Field Centre for your next event at Ken Reid. Located directly across from theLarge wooden building with several windows, man door and garage door. Administrative Building and the main parking lot, the Field Centre offers plenty of indoor and outdoor space for your different event needs. 

  • Equipped with heat and electricity.
  • Tables and seating available for approximately 30 people. 
  • Max capacity of 60 people with no fixed seating. 
  • Access to port-a-toilet on site. 

Available for hourly (minimum three hours required) and daily rentals. 

Book the Field Centre 

Group Camp 

Group camp provides a unique outdoor setting with ample privacy and lots of space for all of your eventBrown wooden pavilion with several picnic tables and garbage cans. needs, from family reunions and birthday parties to corporate events.

Tucked away in the back of Ken Reid, Group Camp offers guests with access to a variety of amenities including: 

  • gated access to site 
  • private parking
  • picnic shelter
  • picnic tables
  • garbage cans
  • four vaulted privies
  • non-potable water
  • tent camping
  • fire pit 
  • open space 

Stay for the day or bring your tent and spend the night; group camp is available for daily and overnight rentals. 

Book Group Camp

 Private event

Looking for a large outdoor space to host your next event? Consider booking Ken Reid Conservation area. Ken Reid has been host to large scale events such as Christmas at Ken Reid, Trillium Lakeland District Schoolboard's Eco Summit and annual cross-country runs.

With access to open greenspace and facilities such as garbage cans, vaulted privies and picnic shelters, there's something for every occasion. 

Book your private event

Facility rental rates – parking fee not included
FacilityHalf dayFull dayOvernight
Outdoor Classroom $50 + HST $100 + HST -
Field Centre $25/hour (minimum 3 hours) + HST $150 + HST -
Group Camp - $75 + HST $150 + HST
Private event - $250 + HST -

Request a facility rental

Activities

Ken Reid has lots to offer. You can:

  • Hike or bike on 10 km of trails
  • Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing (trails ungroomed)
  • Try birding with our free Bird Checklist
  • Walk your dog on leash along our trails or at the Off-Leash Dog Park
  • Launch a canoe or kayak on Sturgeon Lake - access points accessible from the Dragonfly parking lot, or the old beach area. A brief portage from the parking lot is required to reach both access points.
  • The Talking Forest
  • Spring Word Scramble Course

** Please note that fishing within Ken Reid Conservation Area is not permitted. 

Events at Ken Reid

We host a variety of events at Ken Reid, Including:

  • Christmas at Ken Reid
  • Camps for kids
  • Forest therapy
  • Seniors walks
  • Guided hikes

For a full list of events, please visit our Events Calendar.

Getting here

We are located north of Lindsay at 277 Kenrei Road, east of Highway 35. We are also on the Victoria Recreation Corridor for cycling and hiking access.

 

About

In 1857, Isaac W. Reid bought the land at the mouth of McLarens Creek which we know today as Ken Reid Conservation Area. The Reid family never lived on the land, they farmed it and owned a gravel pit on the western portion of the property. In 1871, George Laidlaw built the Victoria Railway across the property and Canadian National Railway used it until 1981. In 1981, Kawartha Conservation bought the Reid property with a grant from the Nature Conservancy of Canada. In 1982, Kawartha Conservation received a grant from Ministry of Natural Resources to develop the land into the Conservation Area you know and love today.

Conservation Areas
    • Durham East Cross Forest
    • Event Calendar
    • Fleetwood Creek
    • Ken Reid
    • Off-Leash Dog Park
    • Pigeon River Headwaters
    • Report an Issue
    • Windy Ridge
    • The Talking Forest
    • Kawartha Quest
    • Spring in the Kawartha Watershed

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