Hub Staff

Saugeen Bluffs Conservation Area located just seven kilometres north of Paisley on Bruce County Road 3 is now the only destination for Horse Camping in Western Ontario.

The picturesque destination overlooking the mighty Saugeen River will allow campers and single-day visitors to bring their horses to ride in the saddle among their approximately 15 kilometres of trails.

The conservation area has been struggling over the past few years, and had its Board of Directors planning to lease the property, but allowed the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SCVA) to come up with a business plan to attract more visitors to the park, said SCVA Communications Manager, Shannon Wood.

“With any business plan you have to come up with a niche, that was our whole goal, trying to come up with something that was a bit different,” said Wood in a telephone interview February 19.

“There are only two other campgrounds that offer Horse Camping in (Eastern) Ontario. We've got the property and the land to develop the trails and a large group campground which is what will be used for Horse Camping,” Wood said.

Wood explained that SCVA has approached local tourism factions about merging trail systems from Port Elgin to the Bluffs as well as Paisley’s Brant Track, which does allow horseback riding, to accommodate campers who would like to ride farther than the newly made Bluff Trails.

The Saugeen Bluffs will launch Horse Camping June 4, 2016, and will continue to work on developing ideas and functions geared towards horse lovers at the park. For more information visit the SVCA’s Horse Camping page.