Riverwood is Wild and Beautiful

Located in central Mississauga and nestled along the banks of the historic Credit River, the 60-hectare (150-acre) Riverwood property is a special place where history, nature, beauty and peace blend together to create an enjoyable and lasting outdoor experience.

Visitors to this unique all-season destination will enjoy the freshness and new beginnings of wildflowers, bulbs and grasses in the spring; the cooling shade of 200- to 350-year-old trees and mixed old growth forests during the summer; the spawning salmon and breathtaking artist’s palette of vibrant yellows, oranges and reds in the fall; and the tranquility and beauty of the trees and ground blanketed in white snow during the winter. With woodland trails, splendid wildlife and glorious views, Riverwood is the ideal site to observe and enjoy the best of what Mother Nature has to offer! Come explore, learn and enjoy!

More about Riverwood - Trails, Features and History

Riverwood is co-owned by the City of Mississauga and Credit Valley Conservation (CVC).

A public trail system provides visitors to Riverwood easy access to enjoy its natural splendour and cultural heritage.  Trail brochures are available for self-guided walks. We also offer naturalist-guided walks.

Riverwood’s natural features include:

• Woodlands, meadows and tablelands, ravines and slopes, wetlands, creeks and floodplain, and former agricultural lands
• The historic Credit River, where salmon and trout abound, flows through it
• Habitat to more than 475 species of animals and plants, including over 150 species of resident and migratory birds (including raptors such as owls, Cooper's Hawk, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawk, and Turkey Vulture), White-tailed Deer, Red Fox, Red-backed Salamander and much, much more
• Plant communities including Great Lakes deciduous forest, pockets of Carolinian forest, old growth forest and oak savannah, a diverse population of fungi, and wildflowers
• The most ecologically diverse community in the Credit Valley watershed

Riverwood is a living laboratory, a significant carbon sink and the “lungs” of Mississauga.

Riverwood preserves a rich geological history of ancient seas and recent glacial events and has a fossil record that dates back 415 million years to the Silurian Age.  Centuries of Credit River activity cut deep ravines and provided fertile terraces. During the late Iroquoian period, Riverwood served as a seasonal hunting and game-processing camp and was later occupied by the Mississauga First Nations.

Riverwood’s agricultural history is bountiful, with remnants of apple orchards, an allee of Norway spruce (originally planted to protect fruit trees from winter winds), and agricultural artifacts. Heritage buildings include the 90-year-old Chappell House (and its stone water cistern), MacEwan Field Station (which dates to the mid-1800s and is believed to have once been a pickle-processing facility) and MacEwan Barn (which has its original hand-hewn internal beams from the 1850s).