Home » Cochrane Off Leash Dog Park & On Leash Hiking at Heber Downs – Whitby

Cochrane Off Leash Dog Park & On Leash Hiking at Heber Downs – Whitby

Cochrane Off Leash Dog Park & On Leash Hiking at Heber Downs – Whitby

Updated on July 17, 2023

Heber Downs Conservation Area

The Heber Down Conservation Area in Whitby is 284 hectares (roughly 700 acres) and has wide array of activities for visitors, including the Cochrane off leash dog park. From fishing to picnicking, there is tons to do at Heber Downs!

This conservation area boast several kilometers of hiking trails and of course, is protecting a variety of wildlife and plants not common in Durham Region. The wetlands through the conservation provides important groundwater recharge and also provides habitats for many wildlife species that depend on large, treed wetland areas in order for them to flourish.

A couple of interesting tidbits for you to take away while wondering through Heber Downs.

Special Terrains

Heber Downs is composed of two different terrains – there is the valley that is formed by the creek and then there is the Glacial Lake Iroquois. I was fascinated when I read about this and those who breath this kind of information can correct me if I am wrong. Lake Iroquois was a prehistoric lake that existed just after the last ice age about 13,000 years ago. At this time, the ice started to melt and recede back. This recession resulted in Lake Ontario. There seems to be several different “beaches” that were left and Heber Downs preserves a portion of the significant Iroquois Beach.

Devils Den

Devils Den is currently a name of a trail within Heber Downs and I never really gave it much thought as to why it was named “Devil’s Den”. The story is that the area in the late 1800’s was used by horse thieves to stay the night as the valley was deep and protected. The locals,, not aware of this, thought the voices and noises at night were that of the Devil holding court there; hence, they named it the Devil’s Den.

Railway

As you approach the pond in Heber Downs’s you will see two huge footings by the lookout over the pond. These footings are what is left of the railway that once went through Heber Downs around 1910. This passenger service traveled between Toronto and Trent. There was a bridge that went over the Devil’s Den. Interestingly, the year “1910” is a common year marked on bridges. You will see it on the bridge at Harmony Dog Park at the pond (which us locals call “1910”) and it is also on the bridge at the Orono Crown Lands.

On Leash Hiking

There are several trails to choose from, from wandering around the pond, to up several flights of stairs (or down) from the lookout to through the sand dunes. There are five hiking trails

  • Springbanks Trail – 2.2 km
  • Devil’s Den – 2.5 km
  • Railway Trail – 3 km
  • Maple Leaf Trail – 750 m – this is designed for accessibility
  • Iroquois Trail – 2.3 km
Heber Downs
Heber Downs

Here is some pictures from Suzanne, Maze & Nyx’s hike.

Cochrane Off Leash Dog Park

The Whitby North Dog Park, also know as the Cochrane Off Leash Dog Park is located at the North end of Heber Down Conservation Area. The entrance to this large off leash dog park in Whitby is off Cochrane Street just south of Hwy 7.

The conservation area has a paved pay parking lot adjacent to the off leash area. Visitors may also park for free on Cochrane Street, just be careful not to park in the no parking zones. Parking fees are either $6 flat rate for the day or a $75 annual pass.

The first time Nala and I visited was on a wet and dreary morning in January, and there were more cars parked on the road than in the parking lot. Although Nala loves the rain, I wasn’t planning on staying too long due to the weather.

This fully fenced off leash dog park has two areas. There is a larger space for all dogs and a smaller space for small dogs. The total area is approximately 90m x 105m with the smaller area, about 35m x 60m, in the south east corner.

Both areas have separate double gate corral style entrances, and signs that clearly indicate only dogs shorter than the bone in the one area.

The large area is mostly grass open field with a short gravel walking path. There are a few young trees, which will be nice in a few years when they are a bit bigger. In the south west corner, there is a circle of large rocks and some picnic tables to sit and relax. There are also a few metal water bowls available for pet owners to fill.

The north side of the large open area is flat grass field and is perfect to run and play fetch. Nala and another friend had an amazing time one spring morning chasing and catching balls.

The entrance area has a poop bag dispenser, although the poop bags were all gone on our visit. There was also a trash bin near the entrance.

Heber Downs off leash area - spring visit

Overall Cochrane off leash dog park is a fairly large area to run and play, with lots of grass and a gravel path.

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Karen Callery
Karen Callery

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