Length: 2 KM

Difficulty: Moderate Moderate to difficult trail. More moderate for biking activities. Walking and running is mainly moderate but can be difficult on dirt slopes that compliment biking.

Activities: Dog Walking Hiking Mountain Biking Snowshoeing Walking/Running

Amenities: Benches Parking Picnic Table Washroom

Accessibility: Partial Wheelchair Access

Surface: Asphalt Grass/Natural Soil Compacted

Trail System: Uxbridge Town Trails

The Wooden Sticks Trail provides a varied walking, running or cycling experience. It includes a section cut through a dense wooded area, a section through Elgin Park, with nearby play areas (and washrooms), and a part that cuts through and around the Estates of Wooden Sticks housing development and its large pond.

  1. Parking is available at Elgin Park where you can access Wooden Sticks Trail through a connecting trail from Elgin Park.
  2. Walking along the shoulder of Elgin Park Drive, you come to the main entrance into the Estates of Wooden Sticks, which may be worth a detour to view the houses and the many exquisite gardens. Across the road is the Wooden Sticks Golf Club, one of the top golf courses in Canada. It features a number holes that replicate famous holes from the world’s best-known courses. Golfers may recognize the infamous “Island Green” from Sawgrass, or the “Postage Stamp” hole No. 17 from Troon or the tricky 12th hole from Augusta. Drop in to visit the Ontario Golf Hall of Fame, or perhaps for a meal or snack – they have a great Sunday brunch. The history of the area records that some of the land now occupied by the housing development was sold in 1835 to Abraham Acton, and then to Edward Acton in 1872, and to Isaac J. Gould the next year. The Acton and Gould names are still familiar in the Uxbridge area.
  3. The trail turns north (left) onto a gravel path that leads into Elgin Park, Uxbridge’s main municipal park. Further into the park, there are public washrooms and a play area for children. The history of Elgin Park goes back to the 1860’s, when folk from the hamlet of Uxbridge went for picnics in what was then known as the “South Woods”. In 1873, a public company bought 13 acres from Isaac Gould to make a public park that became known as Elgin Park (named after Lord Elgin, James Bruce, Governor General of Canada from 1846-54). More land was purchased in 1877 and 1888 to enlarge the park, and a halfmile racetrack was built in 1881. In 1876, a campaign picnic in connection with a byelection in the area was addressed by Sir John A. Macdonald; it was so successful that he organized similar picnics elsewhere, and won the byelection.Note that the route through the park is closed four times a year for major events (Fall Fair etc.), and an alternate route via Joseph St. may be taken (see map).
  4. Just past the exhibit buildings, turn left and join Isaac Court. Proceed to the end of Isaac Court, and follow the trail to the large pond (5). This is a manmade pond, designed to handle stormwater runoff from the housing development. It is a haven for birds and other wildlife, and a great skating pond.
  5. The trail veers to the right just past the pond into a heavily wooded area, through which a path has been cut. This path enables you to enjoy a “deep woods” experience just a few steps from the road and the houses. It runs along a ridge beside a stream, with its own beaver dam. This secluded path wends through some 400 metres of thick woods, and emerges at Elgin Park Drive, back at the “head of trail” sign.

The Uxbridge Town Trail system is a network of trails in the urban area that will also connect to major trails to the south (the Trans-Canada Trail and the Oak Ridges Trail). The Town Trail program is an initiative of the “Uxbridge, Naturally” group.

The Town Trail system is a program of the Township of Uxbridge in association with volunteer groups. Historical information is provided by the Uxbridge Historical Centre.