Gillies Grove in Arnprior is a short hike, but the sit spot by the river means you could happily spend hours there connecting with nature.
Plus, Gillies Grove is home to the tallest tree in Ontario! So they say, although I have questions. Like: Which one is it?? I’ve been twice now and still can’t figure it out. And honestly how do they figure out which is the tallest in all of Ontario? Seems complicated.
Anyways! Gillies Grove is really beautiful, because its actually old growth forest, which we don’t get to see too often.
Dogs are allowed there (on leash), and the trails are open year-round. There are no facilities at any of the trailheads.
Searching for the tallest tree in Ontario at Gillies Grove.
Quick Facts
Length: The trail has multiple loops and intersections, so you can make it as short or as long as you’d like. I hiked for just over 4 km.
Difficulty: Easy (On a scale of easy-moderate-hard)
Trailhead Coordinates: 45.443257, -76.361673 (this is where I started my hike, but there are multiple entry points).
Washroom at Trailhead: No
Dogs Allowed: Yes
Cell Reception: Good
Wheelchair Accessible: No
Parking: Free
Even the downed trees are huge!
The Trailhead
A quick look at Google maps has me thinking there are at least three entry points into Gillies Grove. The most official (with a wrought iron gate and everything) is at the end of Ottawa Street.
I began my hike at the intersection of Hayes Street and Gillies Grove Road. There was parking on the side of the road here, and a map near the entrance of the trails. Parking was free as this is a residential area.
Starting out, I turned almost immediately to my right to begin hiking a skinnier trail than what I saw ahead of me. Despite being slim, it was well travelled and ran parallel to the road for a bit before veering further into the forest.
Trail map near the trailhead.
The Trail
There was absolutely no trail marking in the area, and so I used my AllTrails app to keep me heading in the direction I wanted to go.
Just over 500 metres along, I came to the more official looking entry point at the end of Ottawa Street. I turned left here because I knew I ultimately wanted to end up by the river. The trail was just wide enough that two people could have walked side by side. It was well worn, and there weren’t many obstacles in the form of rocks or roots, so it made for really easy walking.
The first section of trail I was on.
Heading to the Beach
Around the 1.3 km mark I reached a trail split. Again, I took a peek at AllTrails and headed off to the right towards the river. At this point I had actually left Gillies Grove. I found myself briefly in a small meadow before the trail became forested once again. Just a few hundred metres past the split, I was able to spot the river through the treeline.
What a lovely little meadow.
The trail curved to the right and brought me parallel to the river. Along the way there were a few little side trails affording limited views of the water. But then the treeline opened up completely and I was able to take in the expanse of the river.
Continuing on, I passed a trail split with stairs on my right-hand side. There was also a trail going downhill to the left, which I thought might take me to the beach, but I decided to hike a bit further to see where the trail would bring me. Just a few steps further it began to curve downhill towards the beach, and I happily headed in that direction.
Stairs leading down to the beach.
The Beach!
The beach was lovely, a combination of rock and sand, with endless views in either direction. I sat with my son on a very convenient log and watched the (little baby) waves roll in for enough time to feel totally relaxed.
After a bit we headed back, taking a set of stairs back up to the trail we had come in on. Getting down to the beach added an additional kilometre to our walk (500 metres out and then 500 metres back) and was completely worth it. Plus, it would have been a very short walk otherwise!
We had the beach all to ourselves on a weekday. Surely this gorgeous spot is a bit busier on weekends.
On the way back, we turned to our right upon re-entering the Grove and walked along until we reached the widest section of trail yet, at which point we turned left and headed back in the direction we had come. Some of the biggest looking trees were along this trail near the trailhead we had entered at.
There were also a few benches scattered along the trail here.
A wider section of trail brought us back in the direction we had come from.
Trail Thoughts
By the time we arrived back at the trailhead, we had hiked just under 3 km. We covered that distance in an hour but could have done so much more quickly if we hadn’t been resting at the beach.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Gillies Grove. Between the old growth forest and the beach, this is a spot that I could happily pack a lunch and spend a couple of hours at- especially if I brought my toddler daughter along.
If you’re west of Ottawa, I can’t recommend this location enough. A huge thanks to @unexpectedjourneys1 on Instagram for introducing it to us!
Maybe this is the tallest tree in Ontario?
Map and Elevation Gain
Our GPS tracked route along the trail.
Whenever I’m hiking somewhere new, I tend to wonder about who was on, and who took care of that land before me. I’ve enjoyed using this website as a place to start learning more about the Indigenous people whose land I’m on: Native-land.ca.
Elevation gain along the trail.
If You Liked This Trail
…you’ll probably also like:
-the Macnamara Trail in Arnprior
