Scenic Views · Ontario
Windy Ridge Conservation Area
A small Kawartha Conservation area near Omemee, ON, with a short trail loop up to a ridgetop lookout, a meadow and a picnic shelter. Parking is $4 by app.
What visitors say
Windy Ridge sits on one of the tallest ridges in the area, and a short climb brings you to a lookout with a wide view over the Kawartha countryside and a picnic table to take it in. The rest of the loop drops down past a pond and along a wildflower meadow, where visitors mention butterflies, songbirds and frogs.
There are about 1.8 km of trails, mostly single track up top and wider below. The first few hundred metres are uphill, with a couple of steeper bits that could be slick after heavy rain. The site has a washroom, a covered picnic shelter and garbage bins. Parking is $4 per day, paid through an app or QR code, and the area is open year-round.
It suits a short outing with kids or dogs on leash, and it's used for biking, skiing and snowshoeing too. Fishing isn't listed among the activities here, so this is a walking and birding spot rather than an angling one.
Pack bug protection in early summer and a hat for the open sections. The onsite map is hard to read and there are side paths, so keep a map handy; one visitor found the lookout by going through the picnic pavilion and following the trail on the east side. A couple of reviewers wished more dog owners picked up after their pets.
Summarised from visitor reviews on Google Maps. Based on 103 Google reviews. Conditions and rules change — check current park, access and fishing regulations before you go.