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H.N. Crossley Nature Reserve

Canadian Shield with granite outcroppings shapes the elongated fen.

H.N. Crossley Nature Reserve Fen © John Hassell

About

Central to H.N. Crossley is an open water pond named Bruce Pond that includes a wetland complex of fen and bog ecosystems. A floating vegetation mat can be seen on the margin of the open water, that includes a diversity of sedges and sphagnum moss and underlying accumulations of peat moss.

When Miriam Burgess donated the land to Ontario Nature in 1981 and named it in memory of her father, Burgess knew the value of protecting this spectacular 19-hectare property. Habitat for nine species of orchids and several plants that are rare within the Muskoka region, the flora of this protected area contributes to its captivating character. Let your senses guide you as you experience the splendour of this Provincially Significant Wetland encircling Bruce Pond.

Fen lookout, H.N. Crossley Nature Reserve © Zane Davies

Plants and Animals

Burgess, who passed away in 1987 in her 95th year, wrote about seeing white fringed orchid and the provincially rare round-leaved orchid on Bruce Pond. Another uncommon species found on the property is Virginia meadow-beauty, a plant generally found along the coastal plain of the Atlantic Ocean south from Nova Scotia. Plants of this affinity make their limited and peculiar appearances in Ontario in the Muskoka and Parry Sound regions.

Bruce Pond is surrounded by black spruce and tamarack trees, before rising to upland areas of mixed hardwood and hemlock forest. The wetland complex supports a diverse community of carnivorous plants including horned bladderworts, sundews and pitcher plants, and shrubs such as leatherleaf that prefer acidic environments.

The four-toed salamander that inhabits H.N. Crossley Nature Reserve lays its eggs in dense patches of sphagnum moss along the edge of wetlands such as bogs, fens, swamps and vernal pools. Several regionally significant species have been found on the property, including painted trillium, Virginia chain fern, spoon-leaved sundew and rattlesnake plantain.

Rose pogonia orchid © Maria Papoulias

Visiting

A sign marking the nature reserve can be seen on Burgess Road. A trail into the nature reserve leads to an observation platform that gives you a fantastic view of Bruce Pond.

View the trail map for H.N. Crossley Nature Reserve here.

Ontario Nature does not charge an entrance fee or have set operating hours on any of our nature reserves. Our properties are monitored by volunteer stewards. We rely on visitors to be safe, minimize their impact on nature and be respectful of others. For more information about visiting the reserves, please read our Permitted Activities Policy.

We welcome donations to support this nature reserve and our system of 26 nature reserves.

Information kiosk © Smera Sukumar

“The trail allows nature lovers of all abilities who visit H.N. Crossley to be immersed in a truly unique wilderness experience.”

– Smera Sukumar, Conservation Science and Stewardship Director

Accessible Trail

H.N. Crossley Nature Reserve now features a 130-metre wheelchair-accessible trail that is made of crushed gravel, that leads to an accessible lookout platform over the fen and the surrounding Provincially Significant Wetland.

This is one of three wheelchair-accessible trails across Ontario Nature’s Nature Reserve systems. The others are located at Petrel Point and Cawthra Mulock Nature Reserves.

Accessible trail with turnaround © Zane Davies

Stewardship

The Muskoka Field Naturalists are the official stewards of the nature reserve. They are integral in protecting the natural heritage of the property. If you are interested in assisting or joining the group, please visit their website.

To learn more about volunteering as a nature reserve steward, please see our Volunteer Stewardship webpage.

Fen lookout © Mark Stabb

Directions

Take Highway 632 south from the town of Rosseau. Approximately eight kilometres south of Rosseau, take a left onto Burgess Road. The reserve is located approximately three kilometres down this road, on the south (right) side just past Walkers Road on the left.

View H. N. Crossley Nature Reserve in a larger map.

Four-toed salamander © Stephanie Muckle


Fen © Maria Papoulias
H.N. Crossley