I always walk to and enter the Arboretum from the Industrial Parkway and St. John’s Sideroad intersection. It cannot be missed. There is a wooden pergola on the east side of St. John’s Sideroad built by Home Depot in Aurora. Beside it, there is a nice flower garden patch and further down the trail is the information booth as shown below.
It never occurred to me that the parking for the Canine Leash-Free Park on Industrial Parkway is also parking to access the Arboretum. This is good news, in fact, because I can drive to the parking lot and actually enjoy a longer time on the trail, as opposed to walking along St. John’s Sideroad during high traffic hours – just too much road noise and pollution. Never mind the accident that occurred a few weeks ago on St. John’s Sideroad. You always have to look over your shoulder, even on the sidewalk.
The other day, I visited the Arboretum from the Industrial Parkway and used the parking lot for the first time. While there, I took some pictures of the dog park and the dogs.
I have seen this park regularly from the other side of the trail, but I didn’t know that it was actually that big. I think this is a great thing for the dogs; they need to have some freedom too. The parking lot is big enough to accommodate both dog owners’ cars and anyone who wants to access the Arboretum.
Sometimes we don’t realize, but we do have many great things here in Aurora. I was surprised to see all the recycling boxes and compost green containers on the site for the dog park users. Obviously, there must be regular garbage and compost pick-up.
In exchange for the use and service of that great land, the Town of Aurora has a big sign asking users to adhere to the Rules and Code of Conduct. I rewrote the rules here, as I found them rather interesting. The list has 15 items, a well-thought-out and carefully written list. I couldn’t resist adding some of my thoughts too.
Rules and Code of Conduct – Canine Leash-Free Park
1. Dogs are allowed off their leash only within the fenced compound.
“Yes, yes, good point. I just wish that in a land somewhere far, far away from the dog park in Aurora, dog owners did not follow the same rule.”
2. All dogs must be licensed and have up-to-date dog tags.
“In fact, every dog I saw up close had a dog tag. As for whether it was an up-to-date tag, I cannot comment.”
3. All dogs must have up-to-date vaccinations.
“Yes, I’m not sure if there are any means to verify it.”
4. You must pick up and properly dispose of your dog’s waste.
“There is a fundamental flaw with this item – there are still some that do not adhere to it. The parking lot in front of the wooden guard is full of it. I had to do my wild dance again to walk off the crap on my shoes.”
5. Dogs are not to be left unattended. It is recommended that dogs remain within sight and voice control at all times.
“At the gate, I saw four unattended dogs – beautiful dogs. However, they were within my sight and voice control, so hopefully that counts.”
6. It is recommended that you only take into the park the number of dogs you can control.
“I must say, dog walkers really like this park. I hope they are dog walkers!”
7. Aggressive dogs must be muzzled or removed from the park immediately.
“Not sure if one dog wrestling another dog can be called an aggressive activity in the park.”
8. Female dogs in heat are not allowed in the park.
“No comment. It was a cold day that day. Not sure what that means either.”
9. Sick dogs are requested no to use the park.
“And if they do, that is torture.”
10. It is recommended that all dogs using the park be spayed and neutered.
“Good idea.”
11. It is recommended that dogs do not wear spiked or chain collars in the park.
“Better idea.”
12. Parents are strongly advised that this is not a suitable environment for children under the age of 12.
“We stayed outside the dog park.”
13. No vehicles are allowed in the park.
“Not sure how someone with a vehicle would get in.”
14. Professional dog trainers are prohibited from using this facility to conduct their business.
“How can you tell?”
15. Always respect other users of the park.
“Yes, yes, yes…”
COMMENTS
Michael said: October 3, 2011 at 13:41
“As for the Arboretum… Another great spot to visit the Arboretum is to come off the main parking lot to the baseball diamond area of Lambert Willson (yes there is 2 “L”s in Willson for this park) Park behind the Leisure Complex. From there you can take the trail up to St. John’s Sideroad or through to the Town Hall at John West Way. I would suggest bringing your son for a walk from the Leisure Complex to the Town Hall and onto Wendy’s for either lunch or a frozen treat (i.e. frosty!) and then hike back to the car. A great afternoon trek.”
Anna Lozyk Romeo said: October 3, 2011 at 22:07
“Thanks, Michael, and thanks for the tip. I have updated my post where I only used one ‘l’ for Willson. I already know that trail, and I did all three access points. I walked from St. John’s Sideroad once (last year) for Canada Day, I also walked from Town Hall, and I also been at Wendy’s and crossed to the other side under the bridge, near the Senior Centre. I find it nice to have those little trails around, especially when you are with small children, because you don’t have to walk long distances and still enjoy different scenery. But in my case, we sometimes go out for 2 hours, and out of that, when it wasn’t hot, Matthew was able to walk for 1 1/2 hr. By the way, the season may be over, but once in 2007 you wrote about swans on my photo blog. Do you know any place in Aurora where I can find them? This year I was only able to see one flying over McKenzie Marsh. Spectacular view though.”
Michael said: October 9, 2011 at 19:10
“Anna, I haven’t seen any swans lately. I used to see them at Mackenzie Marsh. But since moving to Richmond Hill all I have seen are the dreaded Canadian Geese.”
Anna Lozyk Romeo said: October 10, 2011 at 15:10
“Thanks Michael. I think it same happened here, more ‘Canada’ Geese, and dreaded ones too.”
