Overview
Established in 1995 by the Province of Ontario, the park consists of 50 square kilometres (12,356 acres) of parkland, in Toronto, Pickering, Markham and Stouffville. The park protects 12% of the Rouge River watershed, with park lands also protecting small parts of the Petticoat Creek and Duffins Creek watershed, to the East. The Rouge River remains the healthiest river that flows through Toronto. Ecological preservation and restoration were needed. Preservation of near-urban agriculture is the park's main objective, though a recent decision to end leases for over 700 acres (2.8 km2) of farmland has generated considerable controversy.
Rouge is the largest nature park within a core of a metropolitan area in North America. It stretches from Lake Ontario in the south, north to the post-glacial Oak Ridges Moraine in York Region.
The park is open with free admission to visitors year-round. Camping fees at seasonal campground apply. There are 12 km of rustic hiking trails in the Toronto part of the park. In Toronto, the park is accessible by public transport by TTC buses, and GO transit trains and buses.
The Rouge Valley in the southern portion near Lake Ontario rises to 100m, but at the source the river valley rises to under 300m in height.The mouth of the Rouge River stays frost-free one month longer than northern areas of the river system on the Oak Ridges Moraine. Rouge Park has the largest and best examples of Canada's rare Carolinian habitat in Toronto and is the only officially recognized site in the Toronto area. Rouge Park is the only place where the Ontario Greenbelt reaches Lake Ontario in the City of Toronto.
Rouge Park's natural setting has provided filming locations for decades, posing as a backdrop for an array of landscapes, from the far north to the bayous of Mississippi. A Canadian filmmaker had a studio in the Park for many years, filming underwater beaver activity and simulating birds in flight.
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